CULTURE
Fashion manifesto, how they do it in Paris
City Paris Fashion Museum opens after renovation with a highly pre-estimated exhibition dedicated to Chanel. Clothing pieces will be exposed in one line with fashion jewellery and iconic bag and shoe pieces in all its materiality and glory.
Richard Avedon. Gabrielle Chanel and Suzy Parker dressed by Chanel, Paris, January 1959
© The Richard Avedon Foundation
© The Richard Avedon Foundation
Materiality
Going through historical couture outfits gives you a very special overwhelmed feeling. The last time I had this pretty thrilling experience was almost half a year ago. Coco Chanel, Elsa Schiaparelli, Paul Poiret. Yellowed cotton lace, fragile feathers. Archived or exhibited fashion gems can't be compared with something else. It's not comparable to prêt-à-porter clothing which is pretty regular and usual. Couture pieces were made to somebody, with all its particularities, so it's more tender, you see the dress and you understand the person. And usually, it was kept better. But talking about Chanel, you can't talk only about Haute Couture. Cause she wanted it all.
Her iconic two-tone pumps and the 2.55 quilted bag, black and beige naturally can be seen at the exhibition. As well as its red, white and gold versions. All these iconic pieces as well as the braided tweed suit, the costume and the fine jewellery are presented in the second part of the exhibition at 10 avenue Pierre 1er de Serbie, deciphering her dress code. It's almost incredible that parts of this dress code as the tweed suits and the quilted bags are still actual and fashionable, and fashionistas are still dying for them.
The first part of the exhibition is chronological. Tracing from 1916 marinières, the sailor blouses in jersey, to black dresses, from sporty models of the 1920s to the sophisticated dresses of the 1930s. The history of Chanel's house is following the history of the 20th century, tragically divided by World War II. The career of Chanel was also interrupted, her fashion house was closed by here (for several reasons, except the official version that war is not a time for a fashion, it was the version that she needed to change contracts, wages, etc.). Anyway, she returned to fashion in 1954. And it was not that easy...
The first part of the exhibition is chronological. Tracing from 1916 marinières, the sailor blouses in jersey, to black dresses, from sporty models of the 1920s to the sophisticated dresses of the 1930s. The history of Chanel's house is following the history of the 20th century, tragically divided by World War II. The career of Chanel was also interrupted, her fashion house was closed by here (for several reasons, except the official version that war is not a time for a fashion, it was the version that she needed to change contracts, wages, etc.). Anyway, she returned to fashion in 1954. And it was not that easy...
D’Ora. Gabrielle Chanel in 1923
© RMN-Grand Palais (Musée national Picasso-Paris) / image RMN-GP
At the exhibition in the Palais Galliera, you will find more than 350 pieces from the Palais Galliera collections and Patrimoine de CHANEL, from international museums, including The Victoria & Albert Museum in London, the De Young Museum in San Francisco, the Museo de la Moda in Santiago de Chile, the MoMu in Antwerp. And of course, from private collections.
Contemporary couture
Chanel is truly one of the few fashion houses that continue the tradition of couture creation. It's interesting that in Haute Couture it's not that changed. You still have embroiderers and lacemakers. Table, tool and person. Traditional crafts. May be it only has become more international, as all these needlewomen (mostly, these are women) go from a variety of countries and contribute their skills and national traditions into magnificent pieces made in Paris.
The couture world was always a highly competitive sphere, and Chanel was a 100% winner in the first steps of her fashion career. Her shops were located in places popular between aristocrats, here pieces were worn by the most famous women of its time. You can see physically some of the outfits worn by them, to feel this atmosphere of 1920-30s luxe and glory. Fashion Manifesto exhibition in the renovated Palais Galliera covers an area of nearly 1500 m2 – including the newly opened basement galleries. All these pieces, highly appreciated by the collectors and all the fashion world, can be seen here.
Bracelet, CHANEL design, made by Goossens. Between 1965 and 1971. Gilded silver, polychrome glass paste. Paris, Patrimoine de CHANEL © Julien T. Hamon
Karl
Huge love can kill. This spring I was hugely addicted to Karl Lagerfeld's short films about Chanel. Perfect. Black and white (even when in colour). Brilliantly located and impressively casted. I am sure that these films directed by Karl Lagerfeld, who was the creative director of Chanel from 1983 until his death in 2019, were inspired by huge love for Coco Chanel's personality and style. But somehow they kill her practical achievements in fashion only delivering a perfect image. I would never divide this image from Chanel's history anymore. Co-co-ri-co. So strong mind. So unpredictable mind-blowing narratives. And almost no real fashion in its materiality, only butterflies and glamour. Too perfect to be true.
So this exhibition in Palais Galliera will give a chance to know true Chanel. As a true creator can be known only through her or his creatures.
Palais Galliera @GM pour Palais Galliera.
One of the most anticipated exhibitions of this autumn will be open from the 1st of October 2020 till the 14th of March 2021
Text by Katherine Minkoff
Images were kindly provided by Palais Galliera, musée de la Mode de la Ville de Paris / City of Paris Fashion Museum
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