Céline Dion wears new Chanel couture gown reviving her 1997 Oscars look

A gown that revisits 1997

Céline Dion appeared on stage at the Plenitude Arena in Paris on Wednesday, 14 October, in a custom silver bustier gown by Chanel that revisits a look from the 1997 Academy Awards. Il Messaggero reports that the original was a Haute Couture piece from the Spring/Summer 1997 collection, worn to the 69th Oscars, where she was nominated for 'Because You Loved Me' but did not win. That original had a deep V neckline, a front slit and a train, with crystal embroidery shading from silver to midnight blue, according to the same report. The 1997 design was created by Karl Lagerfeld, who led the house at the time, while the new version was reworked by Matthieu Blazy, Chanel's current artistic director. Blazy kept the silhouette but moved to a sweetheart neckline, and the new gown carries blue details against its silver shimmer, according to La Razón.

Craftsmanship and materials

The gown took 1,380 hours of work, a figure that appears across several reports, and it was made in Chanel's workshops on rue Cambon in Paris. Atelier Montex, one of the house's art houses, handled the embroidery, applying about 6,000 crystals and 5,000 beads to create a shimmering, stardust-like effect. Il Messaggero says the decoration used the Lunéville technique, a craft method for applying ornaments with precision. The structure is muslin embroidered over a padded, boned bodice, with raffia detailing at the sweetheart neckline, according to Tgcom24 and La Razón. Dion's look was completed with black satin pumps by Massaro, another maison art house.

The COMÈTE necklace

The COMÈTE necklace, created in 1932 for the first high jewellery collection of Gabrielle Chanel, returns one of the most recognisable pieces of her 1997 styling. La Razón reports that Chanel recreated the jewel in platinum and 18-carat white gold, set with 1,080 diamonds totalling more than 67 carats. The design draws on celestial inspiration, which adds a point of light to the outfit. Together with the gown, the necklace ties the Paris look to the house's own history.

Paris concerts and what comes next

The gown was worn during Dion's Paris concert run, which La Libre describes as drawing tens of thousands of spectators to the Plenitude Arena on Wednesday. La Libre notes that each Paris date has featured couture from her favoured houses, with high-value jewels, some of them symbolic. The final week of concerts runs until 17 October. La Razón reports that Dion has returned to Paris stages after several years away from concerts because of health problems, and that her shows are due to resume in May 2027.