Bhavitha Mandava on ramp, Ananya Panday takes front row at Chanel show in Paris

Bhavitha Mandava walked the Chanel runway while Ananya Panday took her place in the front row as the fashion house unveiled its latest haute couture collection at Paris Haute Couture Week on July 7.

Bhavitha Mandava, the celebrated model whose career began almost by accident, returned to the Chanel runway this time leaving behind the now-famous (and infamous) sweater-and-jeans look. The Hyderabad-born model, who is now a Chanel House Ambassador, walked the runway in a whimsical beige dress accented with striking red feather trims.

Just in case you don’t know: Here is why Mandava is called an accidental model—and the story behind the now-famous sweater-and-jeans reference.

At the Grand Palais in Paris, transformed into a garden for the occasion, French luxury fashion house Chanel unveiled its latest collection by creative director Matthieu Blazy on Day 2 of Paris Haute Couture Week. The presentation marked Blazy's second haute couture collection for the house since he took over as creative director in December 2024.

For the new collection, Blazy took inspiration from a leather-bound collection of fairy tales he found in the home of Gabrielle "Coco" Chanel, the founder of the iconic brand. He saw Chanel's career as a fairy tale, too, and translated that vision into the looks for this collection.

That is why the collection was bright and whimsical, featuring florals, butterflies, sleeping bears, swans, ducks, and other storybook-inspired motifs - almost as if the clothes were bringing the pages of the book to life.

The dress Mandava sported on the runway fit the fairy-tale theme perfectly.

"I also low-key feel like Cinderella after what has happened with Chanel," Mandava told The Nod magazine at the show, referring to her own fairytale-like rise in the fashion industry.

Actress Ananya Panday, Chanel’s Indian brand ambassador, also attended the couture show in Paris.

Dressed in coordinated denim separates, the actress brought understated glamour to the show. She wore a light-blue denim jacket paired with a matching midi skirt, both accented with checkered embroidery. Keeping the accessories monochrome, she completed the look with a black-and-white handbag and a pair of colour-block heels.

India's presence at Paris Haute Couture Week doesn't end there. Rahul Mishra presented his latest couture collection on Day 1, while Manish Malhotra is all set to make his much-anticipated couture debut at the prestigious fashion week on July 8.

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