Mademoiselle Prive

Chanel is the latest of the elite fashion houses to give us a glimpse behind the scenes and unveil their secrets through means of an exhibition. Alexander McQueen did Savage Beauty, Louis Vuitton did Series 3 and now Chanel has done Mademoiselle Prive. Showing at the Saatchi gallery, the exhibition is named after the sign that Coco Chanel placed on the door of her atelier, so she could work uninterrupted.

Hailed as a, “journey through the origins of Chanel’s creations” Mademoiselle Prive is a digital and 3D sensory experience. The entrance to the gallery is transformed into an English country garden, by landscape designer Harry and David Rich. The sound of birds singing fill the air as you walk through a pathway lined with wild flowers and interspersed with autumnal leaves. To experience the event to its fullest, I duly downloaded the complementary app. As I entered the gallery a simple mirrored staircase was transformed on my smart phone into Coco’s No. 31 Rue Cambon apartment, sheer magic.

As I wandered through rooms each dedicated to places of significance for Coco Chanel, what struck me was her individuality. Quotes of hers were enshrined in frames; “I invented the sport dress for myself not because other women played sports but because I did.” I learnt about her opening her very first hat boutique, in 1913 in Deauville, and trips to Venice, and Scotland which influenced her work, “I brought in tweeds from Scotland, home-spun came to oust crepes and muslins.”

Upstairs I entered into the world of No. 5, created in 1921 by perfumer Ernest Beaux. Giant vats of coloured liquid opened at random to show the perfumes individual ingredients; Rose De Mai and Muget to name a few.

Next-door was Karl Lagerfeld’s Jardin A La Francaise, a maze like 18^th Century Garden that explores the interlocking C that symbolises the brand. True to form, the plants were real and immaculately manicured.

Perhaps my favourite room was that dedicated to Chanel’s haute couture. For a brief moment you could peep behind the veil of the branding and view the incredible craftsmanship, attention to detail and sheer beauty of the garments. Feathers, hand-sewn sequins, jewels, textures and sheer fabrics had all been used to dramatic effect to create sensual and decidedly feminine dresses. Unsurprisingly the diamond collection was the room with the longest queue. Mannequins dressed in Chanel were adorned with diamonds. This was the first outing for Karl Lagerfeld’s re-edition of the original “Bijoux de Diamants” the only diamond collection created by Coco in 1932. Around the edges of the room celebrities, photographed by the man himself, wearing the diamonds decorated the walls.

Chanel is clearly eager to embrace technology and reach out to the next generation, which I applaud. But call me old fashioned, if you will, there was something slightly sad about experiencing an exhibition through a smartphone. I felt in danger of succumbing to digital amnesia. Living vicariously through my phone without actually committing any of it to memory. Unfortunately the brand seamed to have underestimated the intelligence of their audience as factual and historical data was decidedly lacking. Instead it was a lavish feast of the Chanel brand and though Coco the focus of attention, mastermind Karl Lagerfeld is clearly the star of the show. His works of art featured throughout, and the exhibition oozed his brand, from the monochrome rooms, interlocking C Jardin through to the celebrity endorsed diamond jewellery.

Mademoiselle Prive is showing until 1st November at the Saatchi Gallery and is free entry.

Photos by Rod Leon (a couple by N4 Mummy)