Culture Chanel interprets Mademoiselle Chaners universe through her
designs, her iconic pieces and her literary and artistic
inspirations. Throughout her life, Chanel was close to the greatest
artists of her time, including poets Jean Cocteau and Pierre
Revert:ly, painters Pablo Picasso and Salvador Dali and composer
Igor Stravinsky. The creative heritage of the House of Chanel
continued through the decades from Mademoiselle Chanel to Karl
Lagerfeld, in the form of a dialogue established between
artists's and authors. The impact of these individuals and
others on Chanel's designs is explored in detail throughout the
book; examining this tradition of collaboration and inspiration.
The book is organised around five themes central to this history of
Chanel; Origin, Abstraction, Invisibility, Liberty and Imaginary.
For example, the Origin section examines how traces of the
orphanage in Aubazine where Chanel was abandoned by her father. The
Cistercian abbey there can be identified in both her designs and
her contemplative, almost spiritual approach to her work. The
stained glass windows of the church had a pattern that inspired the
double C, the iconic symbol of Chanel. Designs, artworks, letters,
documents and rare archival photographs come together to illustrate
the creative dialogue between different eras and inspirations.
Culture Chanel demonstrates the bold path of a brand that has
always known how to express the essence of its times, a fashion
house that continues to be an enduring symbol of modernity.
