Chanel’s New Mademoiselle Privé Exhibition Is Open

Chanel’s new Mademoiselle Privé exhibition finally opens up at London’s Saatchi Gallery.The exhibition explores the creativity of both Chanel’s eponymous founder, Gabrielle Bonheur Coco Chanel and its current creative director, Karl Lagerfeld.

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Vogue states that Mademoiselle Privé, which takes its name after the sign that Coco placed on the door of her atelier in order that she could work undisturbed, is a 3-D feast for the senses.

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The much awaited show, which takes up the entire three floors of the Saatchi gallery space, begins in a contemporary English garden, created by British landscape designers Harry and David Rich, meant to symbolize Chanel’s life.

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Designed to take visitors on a journey through the house’s creativity and craftsmanship, a complementary app allows them to experience another layer of visual delights.

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While one plainly dressed room displays Coco’s Rue Cambon apartment and the iconic mirrored staircase above Chanel’s salon, the other room puts up quotes and facts on the lady herself.

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Inside the next space a giant spinning birdcage holds an enlarged version of a star-covered diamond necklace created by Coco in 1932.

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A fabric-lined sensory room allows visitors to touch and wander through real Chanel couture fabrics, from delicate silks to its famous bouclé tweeds, while artisans pin and sew on shadow-paper screens.

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Another surprise is a scent-filled room packed with bubbling tanks, the gold lids of which lift without warning to reveal the fragrance inside.

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The clothes are brought to life in the haute couture space where the most delicate of dresses are placed on mannequins suspended on bright poles of light.

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This kind of installation allows visitors to see the embroidery and workmanship that goes into every piece.

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Another room highlights “the greatest value in the smallest volume”: diamonds.

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Displaying few pieces from the original Bijoux de Diamants High Jewellery collection for the first time which were designed by Coco in 1932, the room is filled with Lagerfeld-lensed portraits of women of today including Keira Knightley, Kristen Stewart, Lily-Rose Depp, Vanessa Paradis, Rita Ora and Lara Stone.

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The quietest and most contemplative final room holds a neat French garden, a sensory phenomenon with its fresh-scented real box hedges and meandering double C pathways.

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Vogue Via Chanel