‘Gabrielle Chanel. Fashion Manifesto’ Palais Galliera

 

The Palais Galliera has reopened after a 2 years renovation with a retrospective of 350 pieces by Gabrielle Chanel. A big fan of Karl Lagerfeld, her successor, I was surprised by the elegant simplicity of her creations. Worlds away from his fanciful, witty clothes. 

Colette said,”Chanel works with her 10 fingers, her nails, her palm...right on the garment...pins and scissors strewn about, while a misty white creation with long pleats comes to life...” 

The 20’s - 30’s dresses, cut on the bias, are made of silken jersey fabrics. They follow a women’s form in the most graceful manner.  Does it takes a woman to truly understand a woman’s form? 

Her color palette is austere, limited to black, white, beige, pale pink with a dash of red. The exhibits in the new galleries downstairs have a tunnel-like feeling with long glass display cases on one wall. 

This black velvet school girl-like jacket with big bow is perhaps reminiscent of Chanel’s childhood in an orphanage where she first learned to sew.

The narrow galleries downstairs open into a big rectangular room full of sumptuous (fake) jewels.

Many designed with a Byzantine theme like the Maltese Cross made in collaboration with Count  Fulco di Verdura,   Her accessories are iconic and worn world-wide.

Chanel made her comeback with her classic cardigan-style suit in 1954. The complex cut is made with multiple panels so it can be enlarged or made smaller if required. The skirt has 6 panels instead of two, for ease of movement.

Everything Chanel designed was to make women’s life simpler, more comfortable.  From the start of her career, she adopted men’s fabrics like jerseys and Scottish tweeds, men’s tailoring and styling from her lover, the Duke of Westminster to achieve this result.

She used them to liberate women from constricting corsets in the 20’s or the pinched-in waistlines of the Dior New Look’s in the 50’s, so women could move as freely as men when walking or riding.

   From Karl Lagerfeld’s Grand Palais fashion show, Grand Palais. The Chanel jacket is still sought after, collected and treasured by women today.

Her iconic 2-toned shoes were designed to make women’s legs look longer. 

I couldn’t resist capturing her silhouette by Man Ray in watercolor. The Palais Galliera exhibit is on till March 13, 2021. May the world be a safer place by then 🙏❤️