Chanel Fall-Winter 2025/26

 A huge downpour ☔️ started as I was about

To leave for the Fall/2025/Chanel show at Grand Palais.

Chanel RTW Fall/Winter 2024

  Yesterday was bitter cold out - 43 degrees feels like 34 degrees + a chill wind.

The last Tuesday of Paris Fashion Week is always the Chanel Automne/Hiver show at 10:30 am

Chanel Map

My obsession continues with the latest Paris map - some of Chanel’s favorite places. 

For the border (Elaine Sciolino says a map must have a border) I was thinking camellias and her signature ribbon. 

But why not use her iconic image as a border? Please watch TV Arte’s brand new excellent documentary on Chanel’s life. Its in French but not difficult to figure out from the superb photographs (many used here btw). A worthy watch. 

What other orphan child had the moxie and gumption to, instead of  choosing an arranged marriage or work as a laundress, choose a career in fashion (with the aid of many men its true). 

The refined lingerie pleating the orphans were taught. 

Shows up later in Chanel’s delicate chiffon dance dresses making them light and easy to wear as a silk slip.

Her collier comète made of 600 diamonds was astonishingly original.

“I wanted to cover women in constellations like a shower of stars”, she said in 1932. 

Octagonal Place Vendome is where Chanel lived for 30 years at the Ritz hotel and had her jewelry boutique. 

Vendome strongly influenced the shape of her 8-sided perfume bottles, Chanel N.5 and Coco Mademoiselle.

I haven’t yet got my hands on a good biography but read the Wikipedia file on her life. Its surprisingly dense with detail including the war years. 

Why did I assume Chanel was petite? She was 5’9” and weighed 130 pounds! No matter the Lockdown, last night Paris was shining bright like a diamond in Chanel’s necklaces. Please stay safe everyone 🙏❤️💋🐻