This ensured a greater sense of scarcity and exclusivity for No.5, and sales rocketed back up as demand for the fragrance increased. He used famous people to endorse the perfume – from Marilyn Monroe to Audrey Tautou. Looking for a designer who could bring the label to new heights, he persuaded Karl Lagerfeld to end his contract with fashion house Chloé. In exchange, Gabrielle Chanel closed her Swiss parfumerie enterprise, and sold to Parfums Chanel the full rights to the name “Coco Chanel”.
A milliner by training, she moved beyond hats to become a rebel and a trailblazer of the fashion world, creating a new sartorial style that freed women from corsets and lace frills by offering them sailor shirts and wide-leg pants instead. The new single-story shop was conceived by Peter Marino, a longtime genifique collaborator. Graphic contrasts are evident throughout the store, starting with a sleek glass and ceramic tiled pleated facade of Neoparies, which evoke a bold and inviting sense of luxury. Inside, the space consists of a series of rooms with an ambiance that draws on Mademoiselle Chanel’s legendary Paris apartment on rue Cambon.
Browse a lavish selection of handbags that range from the classic quilted styles with chain straps to evening clutches to travel-friendly totes. Browse all the styles available for purchase to ensure you’re investing in the perfect bag. For example, in the (1966–1969) period, she designed the air hostess uniforms for Olympic Airways, the designer who followed her was Pierre Cardin.
Alain Wertheimer, son of Jacques Wertheimer, assumed control of Chanel S.A. Alain revamped Chanel No.5 sales by reducing the number of outlets carrying the fragrance from 18,000 to 12,000. He removed the perfume from drugstore shelves and invested millions of dollars in advertisement for Chanel cosmetics.
Explore the universe through fashion news, the latests shows, products and collections. She was the first designer to popularize jersey in women’s fashion, using the material for dresses, skirts, sweaters and more — a tradition Lagerfeld maintained as creative director in the decades following her death. It was also one of the biggest and most successful branding exercises in the history of fashion. By placing her name conspicuously on every bottle and advertisement for her perfumes, Chanel forever linked them to the house’s identity.
The House of Chanel launched its first skin care line, Précision, in 1999. That same year, Chanel launched a travel collection, and under a license contract with Luxottica, introduced a line of sunglasses and eyeglass frames. The House of Chanel also presented leather handbags with either gold-colour chains or metal-and-leather chains, which allowed carrying the handbag from the shoulder or in hand. The quilted-leather handbag was presented to the public in February 1955. In-house, the numeric version of the launching date “2.55” for that line of handbags became the internal “appellation” for that model of the quilted-leather handbag.
Countless iterations and imitations have followed, but the understated elegance of Chanel’s original number remains unmatched. The store also has tweed capes in warm hues reminiscent of the famous tapestries that line the walls of the castle. Floral motifs on knit sweater and dresses and floral embroideries on the lapels of jackets are inspired by the castle’s renowned gardens. Rounding out the offerings are textural and luxe accessories, such as a black velvet mini 2.55 handbag, embroidered with pearls and Strass; a checkerboard black and white lambskin 11.12, and a velvet and lambskin large shopper. In the shoe salon, a Curtis Jere gold mirror hangs above a custom designed tweed sofa by Peter Marino, creating a backdrop that highlights the latest shoe collections.