Gabrielle Chanel's signature pieces deciphered by a specialist

"It's hard to meet someone who knows more about Gabrielle Chanel than she does": that's how 'I was introduced to Véronique Belloir, collection manager at the Palais Galliera during a private visit to the “Gabrielle Chanel, Manifeste de Mode” exhibition. After 1h30 of visit and anecdotes, it turns out that I am not disappointed: Véronique Belloir truly knows more than anyone about the Grande Mademoiselle. From the jersey sailor top that opens the exhibition, to the tweed suit worn by Grace Kelly, to the iconic sling back shoes exhibited in the basement of the newly renovated museum, the one whose job is to "unbutton fashion" a quasi-cult with 350 treasures gathered for the unprecedented exhibition dedicated to the work of Coco Chanel.Rare decryption.

The sailor

The oldest piece in the exhibition, kept at Chanel Heritage. “It was a great emotion for me to discover this simple and geometric piece. Here, zero darts, zero effort for a perfect fit: you belt it, the pleats form and that's it.” With its geometric shape, its suppleness and the fluidity of barely shiny silk jersey, this sailor top was revolutionary for its time.

Pockets

At Chanel, what makes all the difference, in addition to the idea of ​​casualness, are the practical details that are integrated into the cut. They are not decorative but animate and structure the silhouette. “At the time, a woman with her hands in her pockets? It was not happening.” And yet Gabrielle Chanel endowed almost all these suits. "Visible pockets appear late in the history of fashion and correspond to a certain independence."

The lining

Just like the pocket, practicality is combined with aesthetics. In most Chanel clothes, the lining matches the piece it is worn with: that of the coat matches the dress, that of the suit jacket matches the bodice… And so on.

The little black dress

Two words: black and simplicity. At the time, once again, combining the two was a very radical choice. “At a time so close to the end of the First World War, black was associated with mourning. And then on the fashion side, we were right in the Roaring Twenties, with color, shine, you had to show off. What Gabrielle Chanel has created with the little black dress is a chic, understated, simple and unadorned elegance.”

Number 5

In the image of his fashion, his first bottle of perfume (which, moreover, has changed little or not over time) has a very pure, very simple, very graphic form. “At a time when the perfumes of the time were inspired by a dream world and the Orient, it was once again a bold choice.”

Everything was extremely coherent and modern and contributed to making it, from its release in 1921, a bestseller:

Shapes

At Chanel, the lines are simple, sometimes asymmetrical to make the silhouette dynamic and light. The waist is marked but never smothered: we structure gently, as in the famous suits where the skirts are placed on the small hips and not on the waist to breathe. Did you have to be thin to wear Chanel? "Here, we exhibit haute couture and therefore tailor-made models for clients with very different bodies. For all silhouettes, respecting femininity without ever emphasizing the shapes."

Tweed

Originally used for men's hunting suits, tweed has become one of the Grande Mademoiselle's signature materials. A wool that she works in particular with suppliers (including the Malhia house and the Scottish designer Bernat Klein) so that it becomes as light and as soft as a knit. To this she adds mohair, buttoned threads, relief... To make it Chanel.

The tailor

“There are more Chanel suits here than ever before. They are on loan from Chanel Heritage, private collectors and museums around the world.” In the dedicated room there are 43 suits or variations that belonged to Marlène Dietrich, Grace of Monaco or quite simply to the designer herself. They come straight from Chile, Berlin, Antwerp or even the personal collection of Hamish Bowles from US Vogue. "We wanted to present pieces together that had never been before."

1. A jacket.

2. A skirt.

3. A matching blouse.

1. Pockets: two or four, flat or with flaps, very low or on the contrary very high for balanced proportions and silhouette.

2. Sleeves that stop above the wrist to lengthen the hands. And allow you to raise your arm without the jacket following.

3. A scoop neckline with or without a discreet collar - like the small officer models - so as not to encumber the neck.

4. Buttons that take up the tweed print or are gilded and adorned with Gabrielle Chanel's acronyms: lion's head, double C, ears of wheat... No decorative buttons: if there are there is a reason: to give rhythm to the outfit, to open an armhole...

5. A precious lining given to the blouse for comfort and style.

6. A golden chain sewn along the bottom of the jacket, in the back. This allows the jacket to always find its balance.

7. Tweed or mohair with bouclé for the jacket and skirt and shantung (material made from raw silk) for the lining.

8. The black and white that comes up very often and works like the combination of a navy blue or black men's suit and a white shirt.

“The suit has the same goal, the same aim as the male suit: that is to say, to offer a pleasant outfit but with distinction. Coco Chanel imagined the feminine version.”

The two-tone shoe

The famous two-tone shoe exhibited at Galliera is the first prototype made by bootmaker Massaro. Designed in the same way as all of Gabrielle Chanel's fashion, combining comfort and elegance, its characteristics are:

The 2.55 bag

Obviously born in 1955, it is also designed for elegance and practicality:

Evening

A characteristic of Chanel evening models? The game of materials. Like for example the abundance of lurex lamé, a fabric that appears to be blistered and which is made on the weave by retraction of the yarn.

See also on Vogue.fr:The 6 exhibitions to see in Paris in October5 films about Coco Chanel that you must see