Chanel celebrated the 70th anniversary of Mademoiselle Chanel’s first diamond exhibition by launching last night their new 1,600 square foot fine jewelry flagship at 733 Madison Avenue (64th street). The Peter Marino designed space captures the mood and spirit of Coco Chanel’s rue Cambon apartment…needless to say, there is lots of black, gold, and white. It was so crowded, that it was almost hard to see the exhibition of jewelry that was. of course, the main event…but someone the champagne sipping crowd (including socialites like Helen Lee Schifter and Dr. Lisa Airan, fashion heavyweights like Pat Field, Anne McNally, Vanessa Von Bismarck, and furrier Giles Mendel) managed.
I almost walked out without knowing that tucked away in a side room, was the piece du resistance….an almost all dark room…the unveiling of famed light and design artist Ingo Maurer’s exhibition, dedicated to diamonds and light. Mr. Maurer focused on the Comet and the Star, ‘signature Chanel themes’, and utilized shapes, colors, and movement to ‘enhance the sparkle of the diamond’. It certainly was dramatic. Well, even if you can’t necessarily afford the hefty pricetags that accompany the jewels, just walking into the new boutique will provide you with a ‘lift.’ You can always dream, no?
See high resolution photos:
Chanel fancy yellow diamond camelia brooch set in 18K gold ( image at top)
Chanel camelia watch 18K white gold & diamonds – $38,000
Chanel ‘Trefle’ rings – left $4000 right $3300.
