Gabrielle Chanel

V&A Opens First UK Exhibition Dedicated To The Work of Pioneering Fashion Designer Gabrielle ‘Coco’ Chanel

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A timeless style for a new kind of woman.

Gabrielle Chanel, 31 rue Cambon, 1937, Paris. Photo: Roger Schall/Condé Nast/Shutterstock

Gabrielle Chanel. Fashion Manifesto is the first UK exhibition dedicated to the work of French couturière, Gabrielle ‘Coco’ Chanel, charting the evolution of her iconic design style and the establishment of the House of CHANEL, from the opening of her first millinery boutique in Paris in 1910 to the showing of her final collection in 1971.

Step into the Timeless World of Coco Chanel at the V&A

Ladies and gentlemen, fashion enthusiasts of all ages, get ready to be transported into the captivating world of Gabrielle ‘Coco’ Chanel. The V&A unveiled “Gabrielle Chanel. Fashion Manifesto,” the first-ever UK exhibition dedicated to the iconic French couturière whose influence continues to shape the way we dress today.

This spectacular exhibition traces the evolution of Coco Chanel‘s unparalleled design style, from her humble beginnings opening her first millinery boutique in Paris in 1910 to the grand finale of her career in 1971. With nearly 200 stunning looks gathered for the first time in history, along with accessories, perfumes, and jewelry, this showcase promises to be a fashion lover’s dream come true.

The House of CHANEL Reimagined

This exhibition, based on the successful Gabrielle Chanel. Fashion Manifesto exhibition organized by the Palais Galliera, Fashion Museum of the City of Paris, has been reimagined by the V&A, featuring over 100 new objects, including a staggering 60 new looks. It’s not only a celebration of Chanel’s timeless designs but also a tribute to the groundbreaking work of this legendary designer.

Visitors will have the chance to explore rarely seen pieces from the V&A’s collection, along with exquisite looks from the Palais Galliera and the Patrimoine de CHANEL, the heritage collections of the House of CHANEL in Paris. Highlights include an iconic Chanel garment from 1916, costumes designed by Chanel for the Ballets Russes production of Le Train Bleu in 1924, outfits worn by Hollywood stars Lauren Bacall and Marlene Dietrich, and ensembles from Chanel’s final collection in 1971.

V&A exhibition “Gabrielle Chanel. Fashion Manifesto,”

Coco Chanel: A Pioneer Ahead of Her Time

Coco Chanel designed with a vision – not just for the women of her era but for the modern woman, one who was independent, active, and stylish. Through ten themed sections, this exhibition dives deep into Chanel’s innovative approach to fabric, silhouette, and construction. Her creations laid the foundation for a new era of fashion in the 20th century, redefining the concept of elegance.

From her early days as a milliner to her iconic little black dresses and British-inspired tweed ensembles, Coco Chanel’s influence is evident throughout the exhibition. She was a trailblazer who anticipated the needs and desires of women and designed clothing that empowered them.

Chanel’s Iconic Contributions

As you journey through the exhibition, you’ll explore key elements of Chanel’s legacy:

Towards A New Elegance: Discover Chanel’s early career as a milliner and how it led to her expansion into clothing. Minimalism and precision characterized her designs, setting her apart from the ornate fashion of her time.

The Emergence of a Style: Explore Chanel’s signature style, marked by clean lines, fluid materials, and a simplistic color palette that offered both practicality and elegance. This section also delves into her use of textiles and British influences.

The Invisible Accessory: Learn about the creation and impact of Chanel’s iconic perfume, N°5, and her foray into makeup and skincare.

Luxury and Line: Explore Chanel’s eveningwear, characterized by inventiveness, classicism, and an emphasis on the female form.

Closing the House: Witness the impact of World War II on Chanel’s personal and professional life and her triumphant return to fashion in 1954.

The Suit: Marvel at the defining garment of Chanel’s post-war era, the Chanel suit, which remains a timeless classic.

Chanel Codes: Discover how accessories were fundamental to Chanel’s vision of a harmonious silhouette, including the iconic Chanel 2.55 handbag and two-tone slingback shoes.

Into the Evening: Explore Chanel’s eveningwear collections from the late 1950s onwards, characterized by richly decorative fabrics and intricate patterns.

Costume Jewellery: Learn about Chanel’s distinctive costume jewelry that challenged conventions and became a hallmark of her style.

A Timeless Allure: Conclude your journey with Chanel’s evening dress collections, showcasing her continuous refinement of her quintessential style until her final collection in 1971.

Don’t Miss the Timeless Allure

The exhibition runs from September 16, 2023, to February 25, 2024. Tickets are available from £24, with concessions at £16. Be sure to grab your chance to step into the world of Coco Chanel and witness the legacy of a woman whose designs continue to inspire and influence fashion today.

As Coco Chanel herself said, “Fashion is not something that exists in dresses only. Fashion is in the sky, in the street; fashion has to do with ideas, the way we live, what is happening.”

So, whether you’re a fashion aficionado, a history buff, or simply appreciate timeless elegance, make your way to the V&A and experience the magic of Gabrielle Chanel. Fashion Manifesto – a journey through style, innovation, and the enduring impact of one of the greatest fashion icons of all time.

Gabrielle Chanel. Fashion Manifesto
Exhibition presented in partnership with Palais Galliera, Fashion Museum of the City of Paris,
Paris Musées
With the support of CHANEL
The Sainsbury Gallery
16 September 2023 – 25 February 2024

Costumes for Le Train Bleu, by Gabrielle Chanel, 1924. Museum no. S.837-1980. © CHANEL / Photo: Nicholas Alan Cope / Courtesy of Victoria and Albert Museum, London

Exploring the Essence of Chanel: The N°5 Fine Jewelry Collection Inspired by Gabrielle Chanel’s Favorite Number

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N°5 captured in a precious lucky charm.  Chanel, a name synonymous with elegance and innovation, has delved into the realm of fine jewelry with their latest collection, paying homage to the significance of the number 5. Drawing inspiration from Gabrielle Chanel’s favorite number, the N°5 Fine Jewelry Collection unveils an array of exquisite necklaces, rings, … Read more

Tweed de Chanel High Jewelry: As Suple and Sensual As The Fabric From Which They Were Inspired

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As Chanel unveils the enchanting Tweed de Chanel High Jewelry collection, it invites jewelry aficionados and fashion connoisseurs to experience the magic of tweed in an entirely new realm. Exceptional pieces imagined by the CHANEL Fine Jewelry Creation Studio, as supple and sensual as the fabric from which they were inspired. For decades, Chanel has … Read more

Holiday countdown: Chanel is celebrating N°5 with a monumental XXL Baccarat bottle, ultra-limited editions, and a controversial advent calendar

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  N°5 celebrates 100 years of celebrity in 2021. On this occasion, Chanel N°5 fragrance is dressed in a monumental XXL Baccarat perfume bottle. N°5 GRAND EXTRAIT BACCARAT, the most precious interpretation of N°5, housed in a celebratory 2021 ml bottle made of Baccarat crystal. Since this year marks the 100th anniversary of the world’s … Read more

High Jewelry N°5 – Chanel’s largest high jewellery collection to date

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Designed like Chanel N°5 bottle: High Jewelry N°5 Collection celebrates one hundred years of the N°5 fragrance.

@Chanel High Jewelry N°5 Collection

In 1921, Gabrielle Chanel launched N°5, an inventive departure from traditional perfumes of the era. Throughout High Jewelry N°5 collection designed in celebration of N°5’s one hundred years of celebrity, emerald-cut diamonds are crafted to represent the form of the perfume bottle’s stopper, whose geometric qualities recall the shape of Paris’ Place Vendôme.

The Chanel n°5 perfume legend, a century in the making, meets, for the first time ever, the artistry of the fine jewellery creation studio, where the iconic fragrance is distilled into five timeless motifs: the bottle, the stopper, the number, the flowers and the ethereal fragrance trail. Like the notes of the perfume, these elements fuse harmoniously to create an unforgettable new High Jewelry collection crowned by a necklace whose design reflects the defining features of the n°5 perfume bottle.

@instagram.com/chanelofficial/

n°5 is a tribute to intuition.

Like mademoiselle’s instincts which were revealed when selecting the fragrance’s formula, Patrice Leguéreau, the director of the fine jewellery creation studio, followed his creative intuition, noting, “We know the bottle, the stopper and the composition of the fragrance, but to unify perfume and high jewellery, I had to follow my instinct.” After completing the initial research, it is this same knowing that drove the creation of the n°5 pieces, with Patrice Leguéreau adding, “The collection evolved quite naturally when my intuition took over.”

Of his process, Patrice Leguéreau explains, “I took a lot of time to research. I went to Grasse, France, where the n°5 flowers are grown. I went back and reread books, I looked at the first n°5 bottle housed in the archives and immersed myself in the n°5 universe.” With over 120 pieces, this is the largest Chanel high jewellery collection to date.

@Chanel N°5 Golden Burst Necklace; @Chanel High Jewelry N°5 Collection

The golden burst necklace, designed by director of Chanel Fine Jewellery creation studio Patrice Leguéreau, translates the allure of perfume on skin into an object of beauty by joining 54 imperial topazes, with a total weight of 358.41 carats, in hues that evoke the n°5 fragrance.

Remarkable savoir-faire crafts the Chanel Golden Sillage brooch, which is designed like the N°5 bottle exploding and diffusing a cloud of white diamonds. The contours of the bottle are crafted in yellow gold and diamonds, the stopper is highlighted by baguette-cut diamonds and the iconic perfume label is modeled by a 3.19-carat asscher-cut diamond.

Paved with diamonds of various sizes and structured with a dome-like shape, the Eternal N°5 brooch is set with a 5.07-carat round-cut D Flawless Type IIa diamond—a nod to Gabrielle Chanel’s favorite number—which is encircled by a ribbon of baguette-cut diamonds that create the form of a number five.

@Chanel N°5 Grasse Jasmine Ring; @Chanel High Jewelry N°5 Collection

Jasmine, one of the three flowers that create Chanel N°5’s olfactory formula, is modeled on the Grasse Jasmine Ring in white gold, yellow gold and diamonds, in celebration of one hundred years of the N°5 fragrance. The Eternal N°5 ring embodies this audacious spirit, expressing the duality of the number five form with an 8.03-carat emerald-cut D Flawless Type IIa diamond and a 2.14-carat round-cut diamond.

The 55.55 necklace embodies the iconic codes of the fragrance: the profile of the bottle, the number-shaped clasp, a fall of diamonds like droplets of perfume and, like the label on the bottle, a 55.55-carat emerald-cut D Flawless Type IIa diamond.

The Absolu N°5 earrings embody the olfactory formula of the N°5 fragrance. Ylang-Ylang adorns the right ear while the left ear boasts the five-petaled Jasmine, with a 5.29-carat pear-cut D Flawless Type IIa diamond suspended like a droplet of perfume.

Chanel Eternal N°5 bracelet features a 5.19-carat emerald-cut D Flawless Type IIa diamond—a tribute to Gabrielle Chanel’s favorite number. In celebration of one hundred years of N°5, the May Rose, a key ingredient in the fragrance’s olfactory formula, is transformed with pink gold and pink sapphires into the May Rose brooch, crafted with lifelike volume and dimension.

@Chanel Eternal N°5 ring

Charlotte Casiraghi is Chanel’s new Ambassador and Spokesperson

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Behind-the-scenes of the CHANEL Spring-Summer 2021 Ready-to-Wear campaign, photographed by @Inez & Vinoodh x @Chanel

‘Les Rendez-vous littéraires de la rue Cambon’ [Literary rendezvous at rue Cambon] is a project perpetuating Gabrielle Chanel, Chanel founder, and designer Karl Lagerfeld’s love for literature. This new Chanel project will be promoted by the luxury house’s new ambassador and spokesperson, Charlotte Casiraghi.

“Sealing a long relationship based on trust and friendship, started by Karl Lagerfeld and continued today by Virginie Viard, Charlotte Casiraghi will become an ambassador and spokesperson for the House from January 1st 2021,” said Chanel in a statement.

Charlotte Casiraghi will embody the campaign for the Spring-Summer 2021 Ready-to-Wear collection and will be unveiling, along with the House of Chanel and Virginie Viard, ‘Les Rendez-vous littéraires rue Cambon’ Literary rendezvous at rue Cambon project.

@instagram.com/dailycharlottecasiraghi/; @chanel

When did the relationship with Chanel start?

“I think of photos of my mom, when she was pregnant with me. Wonderful photos by Karl Lagerfeld with her wearing Chanel. And more recently, my wedding, where I wore one of Karl’s last Haute Couture dresses. Virginie Viard dit the alterations at the fitting, which symbolized Karl passing the baton to Virgine,” said Casiraghi in the interview for Chanel’s campaign.

“Since I was a little kid, Virginie has always come to see me at fittings. You can feel she loves that moment when a woman “owns” a garment. Her great strength is that she knows the House’s codes and history back to front and doesn’t want to mess around with them. In some houses with strong symbols, designers mess around with them, and you can see it. But now with Virginie. She doesn’t make a big fuss, she just gets on with it,” added Casiraghi.

Charlotte Marie Pomeline Casiraghi (born 3 August 1986) is the second child of Caroline, Princess of Hanover, and Stefano Casiraghi, an Italian industrialist. She is eleventh in line to the throne of Monaco. Her maternal grandparents were Rainier III, Prince of Monaco, and American actress Grace Kelly. Charlotte Casiraghi is known as a journalist, model, Honorary President of the Jumping International de Monte-Carlo, equestrian sports ambassador, co-founder of the Ever Manifesto, Patron of the Monaco Public Safety Division.

Casiraghi is the official equestrian “ambassador” of the Gucci luxury label. In a gender fluid framework, Casiraghi modeled clothing from the Gucci menswear line.Yves Saint Laurent launched a new campaign for its Fall 2018 collection, giving it the hashtag YSL15. Casiraghi was photographed by David Sims to be the face of the campaign. Casiraghi is often photographed at fashion shows, art exhibits, and equestrian events.

Charlotte Casiraghi Instagram; @instagram.com/dailycharlottecasiraghi/;