Celine Dion closed the latest leg of her Paris residency with a custom Chanel haute couture gown that paid tribute to her 1997 Academy Awards ensemble. The singer, who has returned to the stage following a diagnosis of stiff-person syndrome, will resume her sold-out shows in May 2027.
A Couture Homage to 1997
During her final performances at the Plenitude Arena in Nanterre, Celine Dion debuted a shimmering gown designed by Matthieu Blazy for Chanel Haute Couture. The piece was created as a direct reference to the silver Chanel dress Dion wore to the 69th Academy Awards in 1997. According to Vogue, the new gown required 1,380 hours of labor and features 6,000 jewels alongside 5,000 beads. Handcrafted in the brand’s workshops at 31 Rue Cambon in Paris, the garment was styled by Annie Horth.
The design features a corseted bodice with a sweetheart neckline adorned with raffia, transitioning into a navy ombré finish. Page Six reports that the embroidery, executed by Atelier Montex at the le19M complex, uses a mix of Lunéville and hand-embroidery techniques to mimic a stardust effect across the fabric. The look was styled with black satin pumps from Massaro, one of Chanel’s Maisons d’art.
In 1997, the original dress was created by Karl Lagerfeld, who served as the fashion house’s designer at the time. The earlier version featured a plunging neckline and a dramatic train, whereas Blazy’s reinterpretation utilizes a strapless silhouette with an exaggerated hourglass shape. Blazy drew upon elements from his autumn/winter 2026 haute couture collection, incorporating embroidered muslin over the corseted bodice and introducing textured raffia at the sweetheart neckline.
The Return of the Comète Necklace
Dion paired the gown with a modern recreation of the jewelry she wore at the 1997 ceremony: the Chanel Comète necklace. Vogue Adria notes that the piece is crafted from platinum and 18-carat white gold, set with 1,080 diamonds totaling more than 67 carats. The shooting-star design is an homage to Gabrielle Chanel’s 1932 Bijoux de Diamants
collection, which remains the only high-jewelry line designed by the founder herself.
At the 1997 Academy Awards, the superstar wore the original shooting star necklace alongside her Lagerfeld-designed gown. The asymmetrical piece rests across the collarbone, complementing the neckline of the garment.
Residency Milestone Following Stiff-Person Syndrome
The Paris residency, which began on September 12, serves as a significant professional milestone for the artist.
Dion’s history with the Academy Awards—the inspiration for her recent fashion choices—dates back to the 1997 ceremony, where she became the first artist to perform two songs in one night. While she continues her residency—having played the final concerts of the October leg from October 14 to 17—fans can expect the shows to resume on May 8, 2027.