I am like a caricature of myself. Like a mask. For me, the carnival of Venice lasts all year”.
Karl Lagarfeld
Chanel’s Mademoiselle Privé exhibition at London’s Saatchi Gallery was a visual feast. Yes, I mean the exhibition but I also mean the spectacle and crowds that were literally thronging the entrance. With free entry and a short run, I dutifully fell in line and couldn’t wait to get inside this much talked about exhibition.
Chanel always reminds me of my Mom and she bought me my first bottle of Chanel No 5 as a gift. I fell in love with the heady, luxurious scent. It’s a bit like the first time she pressed play on Breakfast at Tiffany’s, I was transported into another world and I definitely didn’t want to leave it in a hurry! Gabrielle Bonheur “Coco” Chanel is an icon and an exhibition dedicated to the lady herself has put the house, and Karl Lagarfeld at its helm, on the tip of every fashion and exhibition-goers tongue over the last few weeks.
The power of digital
The second I walked inside the entrance, I noticed the volume of people and how everyone had a smart phone or camera at the ready to get snapping, recording or uploading. The whole exhibition was curated so that social media and capturing visual elements was paramount. I love taking pictures but I’ve been wrapped on the knuckles enough times by museum guides and gallery assistants to know that it’s always better to ask before you capture. When I did ask, a museum worker looked at me wide-eyed and almost laughed at the absurdity of my question, “Of course you can take pictures, it’s the whole point”. Within seconds of being advised to download an app to lead you around the exhibition, I had my iPhone out and joined the party!
One of my favourite elements to the exhibition was the simple line drawings to depict “Coco” Chanel and her early work as a milliner and the evolution of her brand. I am a bit of a fiend for information and I do like to read up on each item as I pass but this is not what Madimoiselle Privé is about. It’s short, fast bursts of visuals and the odd voice-over. Move through it, take what you will and keep moving with the flow of people.
A central room with a cage encased with diamonds was a bridge into the perfume room. A voice over explained how Chanel was tasked with making a jewellery collection that would inject life back into how diamonds were perceived.
The perfume room had the most impact on me as it encompassed the spirit of the exhibition, crowds, social engagement and a masses of selfies! The room was full of large vats that held Chanel No 5 and at intervals, the pots would open and lots of vapour would rise accompanied by the sound of bubbles. It created quite a stir and lots of flashes on phones each time a pod opened but after asking a museum worker, it turns out that these fabulous looking pots didn’t emit a scent at all, it would seem that was down to a clever colleague spritzing the air every now and then. Illusion goes a long way and I had fun watching the reactions of people sniffing, getting close and taking pictures non-stop! As a make-up lover, the pods reminded of giant pigment pots or eye-shadow pallets. The room had a touch of Willie Wonka wonderland feel to it!
Upstairs you passed a room that echoed a garden in Paris that influenced Chanel’s designs. The exhibition also had workshops that you could attend if you booked early enough. I wasn’t so organised so instead caught snippets of a master-class on the famous perfume scent and watched people busy stitching and sewing.
The final rooms showed off what I was dying to see…the clothes!! It’s actually quite low on gowns and pieces on the whole. As I said, this was really a showcase for the digital evolution of a brand that has shied away from social media in the traditional sense. Chanel is not Burberry savvy in this way. It was fun to see a short film produced by Karl Lagarfeld where the ghost of Chanel gives the now owner a piece of her mind. She is not happy and takes him down a peg or two! It was light-hearted and fun.
We also come face-to-face with the modern muses of the brand, Lily Collins, Kiera Knightly and Julianne Moore all radiate beauty in their portraits. Other nice touches was a room where you could feel the fabrics used by the label as you wandered amongst draped material and saw moving shadows of dress makers and models.
This isn’t a thorough exhibition or retrospective of the brand but it was a massive success in its aims. It created drama, anticipation and engagement. I also left with a tote bag with a lovely design and name of the exhibition. I have to say that it’s great timing with the recent 5p plastic bag tax! Every attendee also got a poster of the exhibition when they left. Again, a marketing dream as these bags and posters will be seen on the walls of homes or a supermarket line near you very soon!
