ART

MADEMOISELLE PRIVÉ, AN EXHIBITION BY CHANEL

By Crash redaction

MADEMOISELLE PRIVÉ AT LONDON’S SAATCHI GALLERY

This autumn, Karl Lagerfeld and the House of Chanel are introducing an exclusive exhibition in hommage to Gabrielle Chanel’s legacy. Held at the Saatchi Gallery in London, the exhibition offers the opportunity to (re)discover Mademoiselle Chanel’s unique creativity, forward-thinking take on fashion, and pioneering sense of innovation through a encompassing journey into the key symbols of Chanel. The exhibition begins outdoors, with a path drawn into a contemporary English garden designed by British landscape designers Harry and David Rich, leading eventually to the first room of the gallery. Inside, the exploration of Mademoiselle Chanel’s universe begins with a space reminiscent of her own apartment, and the rooms that follow take the visitor inside her most significant places: 31 Rue Cambon, Paris’ Place Vendôme, and her favorite destinations such as Venice, Scotland, and England – places that have had the greatest influence on her. There wouldn’t be an exhibition about Coco Chanel without her most celebrated achievement to date, the Chanel N°5 fragrance, presented in a « laboratory ». Chanel n°5 was the first fragrance ever to bear the name of a fashion designer. You may not know Gabrielle Chanel for her 1932 high jewelry collection called « Bijoux de Diamants », entirely made of diamonds, her favorite gem. Still, the collection shows how much modernity Chanel gave to her creations, and while the collection had never been exhibited before, it represents one of the House’s unique treasures. For the Mademoiselle Privé exhibition, the pieces of the collection have been re-edited and exhibited paired with couture garments designed by Karl Lagerfeld for the Chanel muses and friends, such as Vanessa Paradis, Julianne Moore, Lily Collins, Kristen Stewart, and Lily-Rose Depp. In one of the rooms, portraits of these contemporary muses taken in Coco Chanel’s apartment are exhibited, while in a second room, a selection of Haute Couture pieces created by Karl Lagerfeld is displayed in a chiaroscuro atmosphere, showcasing the incredible craftsmanship put into the garments, like the exquisite embroideries by the House of Lesage, some of which took 1200 hours to be completed.

The Mademoiselle Privé exhibition is a truthful immersion into Gabrielle Chanel’s body of work, allowing a link between past and future with the genius mind of Karl Lagerfeld, who made it possible for the Chanel identity to last even a century after the iconic French House was created.

Mademoiselle Privé at the Saatchi Gallery, London, from October 13rd to November 1st, 2015 / #mademoiselleprive