The Saatchi Gallery on the
Kings Road is the perfect setting for an exhibition giving a rare insight into
the iconic French fashion house of Chanel.
It charts the brand’s story from where it began to where it stands in
the fashion world today. The slim
sketched figure of Coco Chanel on tall, narrow posters greets visitors to the
exhibition which is set out over three floors.
Sketching sets the tone for the exhibition. As you enter, a reconstruction of the
magnificent staircase from the original Chanel building in Paris stands
proud. The cleverly angled mirrors
allowed Coco to see what was happening on all the floors. The sketched out rooms that follow outline
key moments in Coco’s life, from the opening of her first store, a hat shop,
and the time she spent in Scotland.
These rooms are brought to life with the Mademoiselle Privè app which
accompanies the exhibition.
The next room was dedicated
to Coco Chanel’s favourite stone – diamond.
The giant birdcage-like casing displayed the giant constellation
necklace, giving a 360 degree view. This
was stunning.
A Chanel exhibition would
not be complete without a homage to the No. 5 perfume, definitely one of the
brands most iconic symbols. I was
expecting this room to be all about sophistication, however I was surprised to
find a room which wouldn’t have been out of place on the set of Roald Dahl’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory – the
space-age looking vast white room was decorated with coloured circles with
solid black lines through them and large gold pots across the floor with lids
displaying scrolling brand messages. The
lids of the pots swung open in turn to release a scent-filled smoke, with each
pot containing the individual ingredients of the No.5 perfume.
The totems of Chanel that
Gabrielle ‘Coco’ Chanel created herself as the essence of the brand have been
very much kept alive by Karl Lagerfeld – the black line, the colour red,
the camellia, the pearl, the wheat and the lucky numbers.
The floors above show off a selection of some of Lagerfeld’s stunning
black and gold evening dresses. They are
not displayed using traditional mannequins but are supported with innovative
light rods which illuminate the traditionally exquisitely executed
craftsmanship.
The final room displays the Bijous De Diamants collection. These
original 80 year old diamonds, designed by Coco in 1932 were displayed for the
first time. The jewellery was paired
with the casino-themed AW15 haute couture pieces designed by Karl Lagerfeld. The mannequins were not in traditional glass
cases, instead the collection was protected by high-tech laser sensors which
set off alarms if anyone stepped too near the displays. The dimly lit room was
filled with portraits of women today, including Lily-Rose Depp and Rita Ora wearing
these timeless pieces.
Soraya x
Photos: Mine and Google
