Chanel Finale- 09.12.07
I know it is a bit of a Chanel OD at this point, but there was just so much that they showed us that really kind of blew my mind… but this should be the last post ~ big news that this whole trip was about, the Keira Knightly Coco Mademoiselle film is finally online (go watch it now)… cool thing to look out for, that last scene, she runs into place vendome (yes the No. 5 bottle shaped plaza), and basically runs right past the hotel they put us up at! I wonder if that was intentional.
Things i’ve been dying to show you, but they asked me to wait till today… We got to go inside Coco Mademoiselle’s Apartment ~ which has been frozen in time, filled with tons of pieces filled with stories… from books, to chinese screens she split and used like wallpaper (with her favorite symbol the Camellia on them - which was traditionally for courtesans), and loads of superstitious pieces i was smitten with… my favorite being this crystal ball with the lions holding it up (she was a leo and collection lions)… and there is even a chandelier with 5’s, G’s and C’s worked into the framework of it… So pictures below, but the majority of them are for your browsing in the Gallery.
I also have a map and walkthrough to show you her secret path/shortcut to Rue Cambon through the Ritz which we took ~ and i envy her set up. She lived in the Ritz… and then at 31 Rue Cambon on the first floor was the Chanel Store, second floor is the Haute Couture dressing rooms, third floor is her apartment for entertaining, and forth floor is the workshop… with a rooftop that allegedly has some of the best views in paris (i tried, but they wouldn’t let me go past the third floor… apparently karl lagerfeld and his team were busy preparing for fall fashion week). OH and they are all linked with the most incredible faceted mirrored staircase, that she built so that she could stand in one spot and basically see what was happening on every floor.
Here’s Annie from Blogdorf Goodman hanging out on the couch…
The dining room ~
This is the Haute Couture Dressing Room space ~
More pictures of everything in the Gallery!
Other things to note ~ the video with Keira was a set built to resemble the apartment ~ the director and set building crew is the same one from Pride and Prejudice (hence the attention to detail, going far over budget, and painting every little flower you see in that film) ~ On the film page they give you a tour of the apartment and you can see more stories on the various pieces in her apt.
Below is an enormous picture (because photoshop is my friend, and i am too lazy to do the MT uploads one by one) ~ of the shortcut that Ms. Chanel herself used to take regularly through her “home” in the Ritz over to the store/apt/workshop at Rue Cambon… basically it was alllllllllllll the way down the corridor at the ritz, then through the staff entrance, then through the double layered glass doors, then *poof* you’re at Rue Cambon, and a few more steps and all things Chanel are across the street. These pics and map are in case you ever want to do it yourself.
Just added ~ here’s the NYTimes coverage of the campaign.
For the full collection of my posts from the Chanel Paris trip:
How to seal the Chanel perfume bottles
Chanel bottles shaped like Place Vendome (proof via Google Maps)
The Chanel ID Tags, stationery, headshots and more
Coco Chanel’s Apartment and her shortcut through the Ritz
How did you get to tour the apartment?
----- Coco 20.03.10 21:27