Chanel Just Made Sheer Jeans the Chicest Thing for Spring 2026

There are runway moments that feel beautiful, and then there are runway moments that shift something in your brain. Chanel’s Spring Summer 2026 show did exactly that for me. I expected elegance. I expected refinement. I did not expect to be obsessing over a pair of jeans that are not technically jeans at all.

Matthieu Blazy has officially made denim chic again, and not in a predictable way. He did it through illusion, softness, and restraint. The sheer jeans that floated down the runway were crafted in silk mousseline, delicately mimicking traditional denim through trompe l’oeil technique. From afar they read as classic blue jeans. Up close they dissolved into air.

And when Bhavita Bandana opened the show in what felt like the most elevated casual subway look imaginable, it became clear that this was not just about couture fantasy. It was about reframing the everyday.

This is why I cannot stop thinking about those sheer jeans, why lace and transparency are about to dominate 2026, and why denim just got its most sophisticated upgrade in years.

Getty Images

Getty Images

The Sheer Jeans That Had Me in Awe

Let’s talk about the jeans.

Technically, they were crafted from silk mousseline, cut and constructed to replicate traditional denim down to the seams and pockets. The result was a trompe l’oeil effect that played with perception. From a distance, they looked like washed blue jeans. Up close, they were translucent, fluid, and impossibly soft.

There was something almost poetic about watching a fabric associated with durability and weight transformed into something airy and ethereal. Denim is usually about structure. These jeans were about movement.

They floated rather than held shape. They caught the light. They revealed just enough without feeling exposed. Paired with matching sheer tops, the effect was cohesive and modern without tipping into gimmick.

I found myself replaying the runway clips, zooming in on the detailing. The precision of the stitching illusion. The way the fabric draped around the hips. The subtle transparency that made them feel sensual but not overt. It was denim stripped of heaviness. Denim reimagined as couture.

Matthieu Blazy Is Making Jeans Chic Again

Denim has had a complicated relationship with high fashion over the years. It oscillates between utilitarian and trendy. Rarely does it feel truly refined. Blazy’s approach feels different.

He did not simply send out luxury denim. He questioned what denim means. He used silk to reinterpret it. He softened it. He made it fluid. In doing so, he elevated something universal without losing its familiarity.

There is confidence in that kind of design choice. It says that casual can be couture. That everyday silhouettes deserve craftsmanship. That chic does not have to mean stiff. As someone who gravitates toward pieces that feel wearable but elevated, this direction resonates deeply. I love fashion that does not scream but lingers. These sheer jeans linger.

What makes this even more compelling is how aligned it feels with the broader direction fashion is heading. Sheer fabrics and lace have been quietly building momentum. In 2026, they are not background details. They are the main event.

I see this translating into ready to wear in subtle ways. Sheer panels in tailored trousers. Lace overlays on classic pieces. Translucent layers styled over structured basics. The influence will not necessarily be literal silk jeans, but the idea of lightness applied to traditionally heavy garments.

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Those sheer jeans may not land in my closet anytime soon in their exact couture form, but the idea behind them will influence how I think about getting dressed. Lighter fabrics. Unexpected textures. Denim that feels elevated rather than obvious.

Love,

Rae

Images credits - from the offical channel channel and getty images