-
10/06/2009
COCO CHANEL'S APARTMENT
EPISODE 3: WHEAT AND CREATIVITY
As a symbol of prosperity, wheat is a recurrent theme in Mademoiselle Chanel's apartment. She made it her lucky charm,
like a subtle metaphor for creativity that never ends...
In each room of the apartment, wheat makes an appearance: as a brass bouquet, in gilded wood on the sitting-room
fireplace, as gilded sheaves for a table leg, or even as a simple blade painted for Mademoiselle by Dali.
Karl Lagerfeld in turn "sprinkled" ears of wheat throughout his Spring-Summer 2010 collection: showers of golden wheat
ears were embroidered or cropped up on chain belts, bracelets, headbands, necklaces and shirt fronts. -
07/30/2009
COCO CHANEL'S APARTMENT
EPISODE 2: THE FROG AND ITS PENDANT
A gift to Gabrielle Chanel from Jacques Chazot, a famous dancer from the Opéra-Comique and well-known member of
glittering Paris society, this frog with its open mouth, a symbol of good luck in Asia, was initially part of the decorations of
a fountain before the designer decided to plate it in gold. She even let her guests believe that it was made from solid gold.
One day, as Parisian designer Hubert de Givenchy was having tea with Gabrielle Chanel in her apartment at
31 rue Cambon, he found a pendant that had fallen from the chandelier in the living room, and placed it delicately
in the frog's mouth. Mademoiselle Chanel decided to keep the frog with its crystal pendant. -
06/30/2009
MAISON MICHEL
THE FALL-WINTER 2009/10 COLLECTION PHOTOGRAPHED BY KARL LAGERFELD
Mélanie Laurent [ More ] -
06/30/2009
CHANEL IN MOSCOW
DISPLAY OF THE PARIS-MOSCOU COLLECTION AT THE PODIUM BOUTIQUE IN
THE RUSSIAN CAPITAL
-
06/26/2009
PARIS-MOSCOU: DRAWINGS OF THE METIERS D'ART COLLECTION BY
THE RUSSIAN MODEL SASHA PIVAVOROVA ON THE OCCASION OF THE
FASHION SHOW IN MOSCOW, THE CITY WHERE SHE WAS BORN
"MY DRAWINGS WERE INSPIRED BY THE JOY OF SEEING FAIRYTALE CHARACTERS COMING TO LIFE IN ONE OF THE
MAIN THEATRES OF MOSCOW."
[ More ] -
06/11/2009
KARL LAGERFELD, CONDUCTOR OF THE LATEST SHOW IN VENICE
"FASHION AND MUSIC ARE EQUIVALENT, THEY MATCH VERY WELL: BOTH ARE EXPRESSIONS OF THEIR TIME"
-
06/11/2009
SOMETHING À LA MODE
BRINGS A TOUCH OF BAROQUE ELECTRO TO THE
2009/10 CRUISE SHOW IN VENICE: VIOLIN, CELLO AND MINIMALIST ELECTRO
SomethingALaMode, or SALM for its fans, set the musical scene for the show with a performance worthy of a classical orchestra and a top class DJ. The two worlds are not the slightest bit contradictory for Thomas Roussel and Yannick Grandjean who, after devoting their days to their strict classical training, turned into dedicated clubbers at night. The result of their encounter is a debut album called 'électro-cordes' which expertly mixes the clanging violins of "RondoParisiano", as baroque as they come (featuring Karl Lagerfeld), and the heady bubbles of "5 AM". -
06/11/2009
VENICE - LA SERENISSIMA
[ More ] -
06/10/2009
MOSCOU THROUGH THE EYES OF MICHEL GAUBERT,
SOUND STYLIST FOR CHANEL
Moscow was at its best to welcome us two week ago. Blue sky, bright sunshine, comrades standing to attention; Leonid
made sure I avoided revolutionary sunstroke by lending me his cap.
An original Moscow, the meeting of Chanel and Russia at the Maly Theatre, a gorgeous setting from Tsarist times
transformed into a cinema for the showing of Karl Lagerfeld's film, "Coco 1913 - Chanel 1923", followed by a cabaret with
Maria, Anabela, Irina, Sasha, Angelika, Tatyana, Natasha and Vlada; the letter A on the runway punctuated by the sound of
Terem Quartet's giant balalaika. [ More ] -
05/11/2009
COCO CHANEL'S APARTMENT
EPISODE 1: UNDER THE SIGN OF THE LION
Born a Leo on the 19th of August, 1883, Gabrielle Chanel surrounded herself with models of lions in wood, silver, bronze
or alabaster for her apartment at 31 rue Cambon. The lion became a timeless biographical seal on numerous of her
creations. "August 19th is my birthday. I was born under the sign of Leo. I am a Leo and, like a lion, I use my claws to
prevent people from doing me harm, but, believe me, I suffer more from scratching than from being scratched."
The lion is also the symbol of the city of Venice, most notably the lion at Saint Mark's Square, the protective emblem
of Doge's Palace. Coco Chanel fell in love with the city when she went for the first time, a voyage made in attempt to ease
the pain of the sudden death of her lover, Boy Capel, in December 1919.
Karl Lagerfeld has decided to go back to Venice to present the Cruise 2009/10 collection. -
FALL-WINTER 2009/10 PRE COLLECTION
FITTING ROOM FOLLIES, A SHORT FILM BY KARL LAGERFELD
-
04/14/2009
MADEMOISELLE
A BOOK OF PHOTOGRAPHS BY DOUGLAS KIRKLAND ON COCO CHANEL DURING THE SUMMER OF 1962 WITH AN INTRODUCTION BY KARL LAGERFELD AND EDITED BY STEIDL
[ More ] -
04/14/2009
LA MAISON LESAGE
ONE OF THE GREAT INSTITUTIONS OF PARISIAN COUTURE
Ever since his company became part of the Chanel family in 2002, François Lesage has retained his position as the key
supplier to all the great names in fashion, and, for Karl Lagerfeld, an irreplaceable partner. Every season, Karl Lagerfeld,
admired by François Lesage for "his intelligence, culture and creativity" hands over the sketches and ideas on which he
bases his work. [ More ] -
04/01/2009
FASTES DE COUR & CÉRÉMONIES ROYALES
EUROPEAN COURT COSTUME 1650-1800 AT THE CHÂTEAU DE VERSAILLES
For the first time, an exhibition has been dedicated to the fashions of the great European monarchies from the 17th century
to the beginning of the 19th century. Presented at the Palace of Versailles, for which it was exclusively curated, this exhibition
brings together more than 200 works, including royal pomp and ceremonial costumes, jewellery and jewels, as well as
paintings depicting court scenes. "The golden age of court costume was under Louis XIV," explains Karl Lagerfeld,
"Versailles is therefore the most ideal and magical place to exhibit fashions from a world and a lifestyle that are
impossible to imagine today."
This exhibition, created with the patronage of CHANEL, will be held until 28 June 2009. [ More ] -
03/31/2009
CHÉRI, A NOVEL BY COLETTE
This novel, written by Colette in 1920, is part of Karl Lagerfeld's literary collection. The book is a great source of inspiration
for the pictures in the 2009 Spring-Summer Accessories Catalogue, which portrays a woman (Jerry Hall) and her much
younger lover (Baptiste Giabiconi). 'Chéri' tells the story of Léa de Lonval, a former courtesan who, approaching fifty, falls in
love with a young dandy, Fred Peloux, going by the name 'chéri'. The son of a rich courtesan, this handsome young man of
25 lives surrounded and pampered by eccentric and liberal demimondaines, typical of the 1920s. Idle and narcissistic, he
lives six years of passion with this glamorous woman, who passes on all her experience to him. He then leaves her to wed
Edmée, the very young daughter of a rich friend of his mother's. The passion and disillusionment of this short story portrays
a certain social milieu of the Paris 'Belle Epoque' — a milieu well known to Colette and Mademoiselle Chanel during those
carefree years. -
2009 SPRING-SUMMER
JERRY HALL
INTERVIEW WITH KARL LAGERFELD
[ More ] -
02/24/2009
COCO CHANEL ON THE BIG SCREEN
TWO MOVIES TO COME
Two feature films dedicated to her life will be coming out this year: "Coco before Chanel", a movie by Anne Fontaine
staring Audrey Tautou, and "Coco Chanel and Igor Stravinsky", directed by Jan Kounen with Anna Mouglalis as
Mademoiselle Chanel during her relationship with one of the most influential composers of the XXth century. -
2009 SPRING-SUMMER
VILHELM HAMMERSHoI
THE INSPIRATION FOR THE READY-TO-WEAR CAMPAIGN
[ More ] -
01/09/2009
PARIS-MOSCOU
THE KEY SILHOUETTE OF THE COLLECTION
For this season's Métiers d'Art collection, dedicated to the link between Paris and Moscow, Karl Lagerfeld was inspired
by early 20th century Russian pictorial avant-garde.
Virginie Viard, the Creative Studio Director at Chanel, and Karl Lagerfeld's right-hand woman, selected and decoded the
details of a key silhouette from the collection, "this black taffeta dress plays with the contrast between geometrical beveled
architecture and the delicacy of tulle frills. The magnificent embroidered piece, made by the Atelier Lesage (over 110 hours
of work) is directly inspired by Liobov Popova's painting, "Painterly Architectonics, 1918-19". On the shoulders, the black
ottoman coat is cut at the waist for greater freedom of movement. Its volume is also a reminder of constructivist architecture.
The shearling shapka, made by the Maison Michel, is rimmed with bead fringes and a minutely detailed golden crown.
I would say that this silhouette connects the two faces of Moscow: the splendor of a prestigious heritage and the boldness
of the esthetic revolution."
The painting that inspired this dress is part of the exhibition "Russian Avant-Garde in the Costakis collection" at the
Musée Maillol in Paris, until March 2nd 2009. -
12/05/2008
THE SHORT FILM CHANEL PARIS-MOSCOU BY KARL LAGERFELD
-
Fall 2008
ANNA MOUGLALIS' NOTEBOOK
THE LIFE OF MARINA TSVETAEVA
The French actress was overwhelmed by Henri Troyat's
biography of the great Russian poetess, Marina Tsvetaeva.
It is the story of a dramatic life, filled with violent love affairs
and unimaginable pain, which starts amongst the literary
intelligentsia of the tsars' Moscow and continues with the
escape of the Bolshevik revolution, the misery of exile and a
tragic return to Stalin's Russia, which will destroy her family
and her life. A life so ardent and eccentric, dedicated to the
story of her femininity and her liberal sexuality.
Anna Mouglalis says of this outstanding opus: "It is Marina's
true biography; to me, she is the most powerful poetess
I have ever read. At the end of each verse, you get the
impression she is about to disappear. She got me in touch
with femininity. I didn't know much about feminine literature
and she made me want to discover more of it."
Marina Tsvetaeva, Henri Troyat
© Editions Grasset & Fasquelle, 2001 -
05/14/2008
CHAN MARSHALL
her favorite places in miami
Chan Marshall, photo by Karl Lagerfeld
Chan Marshall, the celebrated underground folk singer
known as Cat Power, and a CHANEL icon, reveals some
hot spots in Miami, where she has been living for the past
few years.
Vintage clothing: Fly Boutique, 650 Lincoln Rd,
Tel. (305) 604 85 08 /
Haitian food: Tap Tap, 819 5th Street, Tel. (305) 672 28 98
Nightlife:
Versailles, 3555 SW 8th Street, Little Havana,
Tel. (305) 444 02 40
The Deuce Bar, 222 14th Street, Tel. (305) 531 62 00
The Room, 100 Collins Ave, Tel. (305) 531 60 61
- -Why have you chosen Jerry Hall for this 2009 Spring-Summer accessory brochure ?
KL: I have known Jerry Hall since she was 15 and have always loved her "sumptuous" and generous side. I love her skin,
her complexion, her hair, her overall allure.
Is this the first time you have photographed her? Do you have other projects you are working on with her?
KL: I had photographed her a long time ago, at the beginning of my career as a photographer and have always kept in touch
with her. Today I also photographed her for the cover of a book about her.
Claudia Schiffer, Christie Turlington and now Jerry Hall, how are these supermodels from the 80s and
90s so emblematic of femininity?
KL: These are women with strong personalities. They do not have a problem with age, time, life or the evolution of fashion.
And this is what I love about them.
Why do you like the writer Colette?
KL: For me, Colette epitomizes the French writer and the woman writer "par excellence".
Why are you inspired by "Chéri"? There were already references to this novel in "Karl Lagerfeld: 7 Fantasmes of a Woman". What does this novel evoke for you? Why take up this theme of a mature woman with a younger man again?
KL: Oscar Wilde said : "I like men who have a future, and women who have a past" (The Picture of Dorian Gray). It is this
whole idea of seduction that is summarized here that appeals to me. One of a very young man fascinated and attracted by
what a woman does: her wardrobe, her perfume, her movements, her allure, etc, etc.
For what reason(s) did you choose Baptiste Giabiconi for "Chéri"?
KL: In reading the first page of the book and the description of the character, we understand that Baptiste is the portrait of
Chéri.
He is also the most promising male model at the moment.
Where were the photos taken?
KL: In a studio where we reconstructed the bedroom of a woman, of a courtesan.
What does photography bring you? For what reasons have you chosen this medium of expression?
KL: I love images in general and making images, be it photography, sketching, design, publishing or others.
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