Richard Avedon. Gabrielle Chanel and Suzy Parker dressed by Chanel, Paris, January 1959 © The Richard Avedon Foundation© The Richard Avedon Foundation
To me, freedom is paramount and plays a key role in every decision I make. And it was the same for Gabrielle Bonheur "Coco" Chanel. In fact, the iconic founder and namesake of the Chanel label, defined and achieved her own freedom through three pillars: ‘Conquer, Master and Love.’ This stood for: conquering independence, mastering freedom by nurturing it, and loving the freedom of following an even path without contracts or marriage.
Florals from late 20´s and 30´s.
MASTER - One tends to forget exactly how the world was when Gabrielle Chanel opened her first boutique in 1912 in Deauville. Women of a certain standing had a wardrobe made up of lingerie, morning dresses, afternoon dresses, walking dresses, cycling combinations, costumes for traveling in a train or a motor car and evening gowns to lounge in, to name a few. Your wardrobe could be as extensive as your pocket allowed. But things were changing, and anticipating this change was part of Chanel’s secret. Gabrielle Chanel knew how to both anticipate and then meet the expectations of the women of her time. Her designs approached fashion and the branding of clothes in a new way, introducing a new feminine elegance.
Dress and cape between 1933 -1935, ivory silk crepe, printed black.
One thing that totally surprised me was all the floral patterns. I had always thought of the CHANEL colour pallet as being primarily monotone, white and beige, with the odd cameo from midnight blue and red for added intensity. However, floral prints were an exception to the Chanel rule because of the freshness of their colours and the way they were able to transmit the idea of natural youthfulness.
CONQUER - In 1932, Gabrielle Chanel created a high end jewellery collection composed only of diamonds and platinum for the London Diamond Guild. The only piece that remains today is the Diamond Comet. Gabrielle was one of the few designers to wear her own designs, and she had her own collection of costume jewellery that she used to accessorize her pieces. Her decision to get into fine jewellery was considered scandalous at the time, specifically asan afront to the Chambre Syndicale des Bijoutiers Orfèvres Joailliers
Gabrielle Chanel - Manifeste de Mode - Palais Galliera
The jewellery collection was designed by Chanel herself, together with designer Paul Iriber. Chanel exhibited the collection – called «Bijoux de diamants» – in Paris from the 7-19 November, not at her boutique, but at her Hotel Particuliere at 29 rue Faubourg St Honore. The fee for the exhibition was 20 francs, with the proceeds going to various charities. The exhibition was a success, with more than 30,000 visitors coming to admire this collection of jewels made up of comets, moons, feathers, knots and cascades of diamonds modeled on expressive wax mannequins instead of models.
Spring Summer 1964 cotton organza costume jewellery brooch in plated gold 1961/2 Goossens for Chanel. (my foto)
Everything was revolutionary in this collection. The jewellery design was revolutionay, as Gabrielle Chanel herself said: “Some of my necklaces do not close, as the nape of the neck dictates it; some of my rings curl up," . said to the Intransigeant (publication of that time)The settings was oversimplified to showcase the stones. And then there was the bold way of presenting the pieces. Like the ‘Fringes’necklace, which was placed not around the neck, but on the forehead of the model. Or the brooches worn on furs, which immediately started a fad. “I wanted to cover women with constellations. Stars of all sizes. and comets whose heads glisten on one shoulder and whose sparkling tails fall like a shower of stars on their chest!" she said. True to the ingenious nature of Gabrielle Chanel, the more elaborate pieces were transformable — jewels for an emancipated woman, where nothing should impede her freedom
D’Ora. Gabrielle Chanel in 1923 © RMN-Grand Palais (Musée national Picasso-Paris) / image RMN-GP F/
“We always begin by making the dresses of dreams. Then we have to cut, trim and remove never add.”
LOVE - Chanel has been quoted many times but this has got to be one of my favourite. It truly touches a chord. The way I interpret this statement is that we should all just get up and follow our dreams, because you can always shape it along the way, cutting, trimming and removing bits as you go along! But you can never cut, trim or add if you dont follow it in the first place. And the beauty is, you can have as many dreams as you can dream up!
All photographs are courtesy of - Manifeste de Mode at Palais Galliera exhibition