For me, SoHo is a place where Bohemian ideals meet the toughness of the city… I love the tension and energy this creates.
-Peter Philips
To commemorate the re-opening of the Chanel Soho Boutique, and just in time for New York Fashion Week, Peter Philips created the Soho Story Collection features feminine pinks juxtaposed with industrial metallics. The collection includes a palette inspired by pop art with the letters SOHO stamped in the powder. One swipe of all 4 shades gives you a healthy, natural glow. From nails to lips, the Soho Story Collection covers all bases. Peter Philips explained,
I had a specific girl in mind who is both hard and soft. A girl who discovers a new city, a new life.” adds Peter Philips. “This is a very special kind of New York woman. She is innocent, but she has a steely determination that fuels the city.
The full collection consists of: Soho de Chanel ($65.00), Quadra Eye Shadow in Stupendous, ($56.00), Rouge Coco in Stunning, ($30.00), Rouge Allure Laque in Stunt, ($32.00), Glossimer in Star, ($27.00), Le Vernis in Steel, ($23.00), Le Vernis in Strong, ($23.00). Chanel’s Soho Story collection will be available on chanel.com on September 7th and September 10th at the SoHo Boutique (Fashion’s Night Out).
The Chanel Fall/Winter 2010 Haute Couture show featured very simple makeup with a striking red lip. This is the look Coco Chanel herself preferred so it should come as no surprise that it showed on on the runway. Also, Chanel recently released its Rouge Coco line of lipsticks in their attempt to “bring lipstick back” and what better way than to feature it on the runway? See the Global Creative Director for Chanel talk about what inspired the faces on the runway…
It’s with what cannot be taught that one succeeds. – Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel
Gabrielle Bonheur”Coco” Chanel is a mysterious figure whose past is fraught with ambiguity. As my favorite designer, and icon for female empowerment, I’ve done my fair share of reading on Mademoiselle Chanel. When I heard Paul Morand’s The Allure of Chanel was being reissued with illustrations by Karl Lagerfeld, I immediately had to get my hands on a copy.
Morand’s The Allure of Chanel stands apart from other books on Gabrielle Chanel’s life because the text is in Chanel’s own words. Mlle. Chanel invited Paul Morand to visit her in St. Moritz so that he could write her memoirs. Morand took many notes on his conversations with Coco on everything from hard work, beauty, wealth, aging and solitude. After the interviews, the notes were stashed away, only to be discovered after Mlle. Chanel’s death. Thirty years after the interviews, Paul Morand published The Allure of Chanel.
I read The Allure of Chanel from cover to cover in a matter of hours. Maybe it’s because I’m infatuated with the subject matter, or maybe it was because it will be the closest to hearing her speak in her own words, but I was hooked from the moment I started reading. It’s very rare that you can get a glimpse into the mind of a haute couture and fashion branding pioneer and Paul Morand gives us the opportunity. The illustrations by Karl Lagerfeld at the beginning of each chapter only enhance the experience. If you have any interest at all in Chanel, I highly recommend this book. The Allure of Chanel is available now online.
*I received a copy of The Allure of Chanel from the publisher.
Did you ever think you’d get the chance to dress the legendary Coco Chanel? Me neither. But now you can! Stardoll.com is a site geared toward young girls (or those young at heart) who have an interest in fashion. Girls can either make their own virtual paper dolls or dress the likes of Lady Gaga, Cleopatra or Naomi Campbell. One of the role models available to dress is none other than Mlle. Chanel. Here are some of the looks I came up with… I want everything in the virtual closet!
Peter Philips, the artistic director of Chanel Beauty has made quite a splash since he joined the Chanel team in 2008. In his short time there he’s already created cult classics like Gold Fiction, Jade and Particulière. Now you can watch the master make-up artist at work behind the scenes at runway shows, in his studio, during beauty shoots and in business meetings.
I especially love these videos because you get rare glimpses into fittings (which still take place in Mademoiselle’s salon), details of some of the accessories, the Lesage embroidery studio, and even the archives where you catch sight of original Chanel beauty products and Coco’s very first little black dress. View the videos from VogueTV below…
The nominees have been announced for the 12th Annual Costume Designers Guild Awards and not surprisingly, Catherine Leterrier was nominated for her work in Coco Before Chanel. The specific category is “Excellence in a Period Film” and though I haven’t seen the other films in the category, I think she should win. It’s a very difficult task to do the costumes for the most iconic person in fashion history and I think she met the challenge. The Award ceremony will be held on Thursday, February 25, 2010 at the Beverly Hilton Hotel.
Chanel is Bringing Lipstick Back: Vanessa Paradis for Rouge Coco Hydrating Creme Lip Colour
They say lipstick sales are “recession proof” – in fact – sales usually go up. Why? Because it’s an inexpensive way to look beautiful and freshen up your look. Chanel is taking note and bringing lipstick back to a young customer base that is infatuated with lip gloss. This March, Chanel is introducing Rouge Coco Hydrating Creme Lip Colour – and bringing back the lost art of sexily applying your lipstick.
The Rouge Coco line has 30 shades and each hue is named after an influential part of Coco Chanel’s life – Camelia, Mademoiselle, and Paris – to name a few. The shades come in one of four color families Roses-Pinks; Reds-Corals; Violets-Berries, and Neutrals-Browns and will be available in different global markets.
Like many Chanel cosmetics, the packaging takes it’s cue from Chanel’s history with black and gold detailing, interlocking C’s and the Chanel name embossed into each lipstick bullet. The Rouge Coco collection debuts in March with each lipstick retailing for $30 at fine retailers including Saks Fifth Avenue, Neiman Marcus, Bloomingdales and Chanel.com.
Today, the most iconic fragrance of all time, Chanel N˚5 is seeing the release of an “authorized biography” – Histoire du No.5 Chanel, Un Numéro Intemporel (in English, Story of Chanel No.5, A Timeless Number). The bio is written in French, by François Ternon, and is releasing today in France, Belgium and Switzerland. The book takes us through the development of Chanel N˚5, and includes a discussion of the scent’s 2 creators Gabrielle Bonheur “Coco” Chanel and Ernest Beaux. The best part? The house of Chanel supplied 32 illustrated pages – I wonder if they include some of Coco’s original sketches? No word yet on if, and when, this will release stateside so for now, I guess I’ll have to learn French!
Left: Rendering of the Chanel Shanghai Boutique (WWD); Right: Coco Chanel in her apartment with her beloved comorandel screens
Each year Chanel produces my favorite collection of the year – the “métiers d’art” collection – where Karl Lagerfeld takes on his magic carpet to the magical places that inspired Mlle. Chanel and whose ready-to-wear line features embellishments “with the couture ateliers Chanel owns.” Two years ago it was London, and last year it was Moscou. This year, the collection is called “Paris-Shanghai” and is, you guessed it, inspired by Shanghai, China. The collection will also include a short film directed by Uncle Karl himself.
To coincide with the collection, Chanel is opening a boutique in Shanghai on December 3, 2009. The boutique will be housed in the chic Peninsula Hotel on the riverfront and will be filled with commissioned art. French artist “Jean-Michel Othoniel, … created a giant, swirling strand of glass pearls, echoing the founding designer’s necklaces.”
Chanel to Open a Boutique in Shanghai
The layout of the boutique, designed by architect Peter Marino, echoes Coco Chanel’s apartment on 31 Rue Cambon and will also include an “ultra luxe” salon (don’t worry, if you can’t make it to Shanghai, you can visit the Chanel Ultra Luxe Boutique in Las Vegas).
