An original CHANEL stamped fishing kit, with its quilted leather case and double C flies: without a doubt the most unexpected fall 2008 accessory offered by Karl Lagerfeld to fishing lovers. It fits naturally into the history of the fashion house, echoing Mademoiselle Chanel’s passions. She was one of the first women to take on horse riding, dancing and golf, and started creating “sporty” pieces for her collections as early as the twenties.

The perfectly elegant Duke of Westminster introduced her to the joys of fishing and took her on many cruises in Italy, Scotland and Norway to fish for salmon. She tells her friend Marcel Haedrich, French writer and reporter: “I have learnt how to fish for salmon (…) I used to find it extremely boring, spending days throwing flies to catch fish was really not my thing; but I started doing it, fished from dawn to 11p.m, and loved it. I must say I was very lucky, I fished in the best seas.” (Coco Chanel by Marcel Haedrich, Belfond 1987, p.103)

Winston Churchill, also a passionate fisherman, was invited to the Duke of Westminster’s estate in Scotland and acknowledged that Gabrielle Chanel was particularly talented in this sport, which was quite unusual for a woman. “She caught fifty salmons in two months.” (Bendor, the Golden Duke of Westminster by Leslie Field, Weidenfeld & Nicolson, London 1983, p.200 to 202)

1928 - Gabrielle Chanel and the Duke of Westminster on his yacht «The Flying Cloud» © CHANEL - Denise Tual Collection