Named for the sign that Coco placed on the door of her atelier in order that she could work undisturbed, Mademoiselle Privé is a 3-D feast for the senses. After you left, the image of Chanel was not great. As well as getting close to a few exquisite red carpet gowns, you can also see up close the sparkling Bijouz de Diamants collection (originally designed in 1932) which has been reissued for the exhibition.
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Karl revealed that Coco “would have hated” what he had done with the brand, admitting she was “never very nice” to other designers.
Coco Chanel is brought to life with recreations – both physical and virtual through a downloadable app – of her Parisian flat, first boutique and trips to Scotland, where she was inspired for her tweed jackets and skirt suits.
Chaplin, who has portrayed Coco in other Chanel films, told WWD that becoming a ghost presented a different challenge: “Karl was telling me ‘Stand up straight, run up the stairs”.
Karl Lagerfeld was also in attendance, natch, and gave quite the insight when interviewed by ITV news.
Who was there: Guests included Karl Lagerfeld, Lindsay Lohan, Rita Ora, Cara Delevingne, Lily Collins, Poppy Delevingne, Alice Dellal, Lily Allen, Georgia May Jagger, Edie Campbell, Olympia Campbell, Vanessa Paradis, Stella Maxwell, and Julianne Moore. Here you can register for special workshops, including a perfume masterclass.
There is the original hat shop where Chanel’s career in fashion began; the totem room which celebrates the label’s signatures – from pearls to the camellia flower; a maze with Chanel C-shaped hedges which smells of the most handsome of gardens; a factory-like room about the conception of Chanel No5, with bubbling vats and filled with the scent its most powerful ingredients; and a space starring a giant rotating birdcage, with a giant sparkling piece of couture jewellery inside.
“The way we look at the future, isn’t by asking ‘How can we make this digital?’ it’s there from the ground up”, he explained. And it is the digital, he says, that is “the best way to be connected with our customers”. Don’t allow your possible cultural fatigue to dissuade you from visit the Saatchi for this one though – for fans of Chanel, it really is a must-see.
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Mademoiselle Privé is showing at Saatchi Gallery, London from 13th October to 1st November 2015.
