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I know it’s been a minute, but we‘re back and we’re ready to talk about Chanel’s newest house ambassador, Gracie Abrams. On January 22nd, Chanel announced Gracie as an ambassador in a series of six Instagram posts, all featuring the singer in looks from their 2025 spring-summer pre-collection.

Over the years, Chanel has developed a bit of a reputation when it comes to its ambassadors—and not exactly a good one. Look no further than an article from the Independent about Margot Robbie, a Chanel ambassador since 2018, titled “Hostage to Fashion.” The article walks through pleas on social media to “free” Margot, who’s described as a prisoner of Chanel’s bad looks. She was frequently put on worst dressed lists in the early years of her collaboration with the brand. And it wasn’t that the looks themselves were all bad, necessarily—they just didn’t always suit Margot. And what’s the point of having a brand ambassador if they don’t embody the brand, or if the brand can’t style looks that feels aligned with that collaborator? We all know that Margot can pull out an iconic look—the Barbie press tour was a complete rebrand of her red carpet style, and she pulled out stunning look after stunning look. So where did Chanel fall short? The criticism reached a point that when the brand would announce a new ambassador, the internet would call them Chanel’s next victim.

But is the hate deserved? Was Margot Robbie one in a line of many styling mishaps, or a singular case that the internet took and ran with? Let’s take a look at another Chanel ambassador, Kristen Stewart. A collaborator of the brand since 2013, Kristen has a distinct and unique style. Her looks leans toward the masculine, with boxy silhouettes and cool simple pieces, which might seem at odds with the prim and polished style of the Chanel brand itself. But Kristen’s looks have never been met with the level of criticism that Margot’s were, so what’s the difference? I think what it does come down to is that touch of personal style. Kristen always had a bit of edge that was inherent to her personal style , and itworked so well with Chanel pieces—she was able to take looks that would be straightforward and make them feel new and interesting. A look that instantly comes to mind is Kristen with her tousled, rooted bleach-blonde hair, wearing a bright white, perfectly pressed button down shirt and matching skirt. The look is finished with polished black loafers paired with white mesh socks, along with a simple black tie. Her jewelry is minimal, her makeup is smoky, and she looks totally cool. An outfit that on someone else would look total polished and proper looks messy-cool on her.

The first look that I think of when it comes to Margot in Chanel this pink gown that is just Chanel through and through. A baby pink halter dress, that cuts at the waist and the knees to flow into a pleated skirt. It doesn’t feel totally unlike something she would’ve worn on the Barbie press tour, and yet the look just doesn’t work. While her Barbie looks are carefully styled down to the last detail, her makeup, hair, and jewelry in this outfit are fairly similar to how they’re done with the majority of the Chanel looks she’s styled in. When it comes to her least-loved Chanel looks, she’s typically put in similar, ultra-structured silhouettes that cut her tall, glamorous figure and just don’t feel aligned with her innate style.

Margot Robbie has established herself as a fashion icon a hundred times over, so do we blame Chanel for bad styling? Can we, when they’ve styled Kristen Stewart so well?

I think it all comes down to brand’s choosing the right collaborators. On January 21st, the Business of Fashion Podcast released an episode titled “The Evolving Art of Brand Collaborations,” where they dug into the reasons behind various successes and failures when it comes to collabs. The consensus? A bit for discernment is needed if brands want to select collaborators that with elevate both parties, and I think we see that with Chanel. Their brand ambassadors should have an established style, and it should mesh with Chanel’s established style in a way that feels fresh and interesting.

So, let’s get into Gracie. She’s had a huge year, from opening on the Eras Tour to releasing her album “The Secret of Us,” full of songs that are both rich with amazing songwriting and full of TikTok virability that Gen Z musicians seem uniquely good at cracking. And now, she’s an ambassador for one of the biggest fashion houses there is. Before we touch on that announcement, let’s talk about Gracie’s personal style.

When it comes to her street style, she’s known for simple looks. Think slouchy jeans and an oversized sweater (a classic Gracie ABSram look), white tees, etc. On stage, it’s a different story. Her outfits span a huge spectrum—on the one hand, she loves a sleek silk gown, a sparkly tea length dress, or flowy and fluttery lace. On the other hand, she goes for jeans and tiny tops, boxy trousers and baseball caps, or perfectly tailored menswear. The two looks she donned while performing on SNL totally encapsulated this dichotomy of style. One of the looks was black strapless gown with a white cape draped across one shoulder, topped with a delicate rosette of the same fabric. The other look was a tuxedo-esque ‘fit featuring fitted black trousers and a boxy-shouldered button down, with a white bow tie and vest to match. And both looks feel totally natural to her style. She can cross from the ultra feminine to the more masculine with total effortlessness.

Now, personal style isn’t just about clothes. I’ve been a fan of Gracie’s for years, but I don’t think it’s a coincidence that she really launched into the pop culture and music zeitgeist when she made the big chop and stepped out with her now-iconic bob. It’s become her signature, and there is something incredibly powerful about having a signature look when trends and celebrity looks are so ever-changing. She’s carved out a space for herself in the fashion world with that simple haircut.

So, what does all of this mean for her future as a Chanel ambassador? When I first saw the announcement, I was a little on the fence. Chanel’s polished, feminine looks don’t feel like they fall in either of the two camps that Gracie’s personal style veers towards. There are eight Gracie looks featured on Chanel’s Instagram, and after seeing them, I was still sort of on the fence. Some of the looks, I love. In one outfit, Gracie dons an oversized baseball jacket with a touch of Chanel’s classic tweed. It’s paired with loose shorts and a black baseball cap, and it feels very aligned with Gracie’s street style—aligned, but elevated. The outfit elevates Gracie, and Gracie makes the brand look cooler. It’s the perfect intersection of the two entities. Some of the other looks, for me, missed the mark. Gracie in full Chanel suiting, pearl necklace included, fell flat for me. And that’s because there’s nothing new or interesting about the look—it’s pure Chanel, instead of a crossover of Gracie and Chanel. A bit I did love was the inclusion of a shot of Gracie with a massive bow in her hair, a call back to the hair-bows she constantly wore during her Good Riddance era. In the caption of one of these posts, Chanel writes that this spring-summer pre-collection is shining “a new light on the timeless allure of the House.”

And despite not loving all of the looks, I do believe that Gracie could be the person to do that effectively. Especially after seeing her Grammys outfit. Vogue said it best in their article “Gracie Abrams is Auditioning to Be the Next Chanel Bride at the 2025 Grammy.” They simply wrote, “Gracie Abrams is helping to usher Chanel into its next era.” The look, a barely-yellow chiffon dress with a black velvet belt, featured a hooded veil that added a touch of drama to the styling. The accessorizing was otherwise simple, and the look felt inherently Gracie.

(Unrelated, but is anyone else still thinking about Dua Lipa in that vintage Chanel bridal gown at the 2023 Met Gala? Vintage and bridal seems to be a sweet spot for Chanel.)

I think that more often than not, when a celebrity signs on as ambassador for a new brand, you can see a distinct shift on their next red carpet look. And while Gracie does look different—compare this look to her simple black two-piece look at the 2024 Grammys—it isn’t jarring. Like with the baseball look, she looks elevated, while also elevating the brand. The look itself feels almost like vintage Chanel, and it makes me wonder what the “next era” of Chanel will look like. The looks I’ve seen so far do make me optimistic, and if Gracie’s first red carpet look is any indication, there are more stunning looks to come.