"Every woman alive...

...loves Chanel No. 5"

One of the most famous advertising slogans of all time for one of the most famous products, and 93 years after its creation, Chanel No. 5 continues to be one of the top-selling perfumes.

Over at the sprawling, multi-level Palais de Tokyo arts complex, right by the Trocadero, a recent exhibition celebrated the Culture of Chanel No. 5, and its creator, Gabrielle "Coco" Chanel. Born into poverty in 1883 in Saumur, Chanel grew to become a legend in the fashion industry with her timeless trademark suits and little black dresses that are still popular today.

Raised in a religious orphanage, the nuns taught her how to sew, giving her the skill that led to her life-long work. Beginning modestly with a hat business, Chanel soon found her stride and moved into the broader fashion business, always looking for clean, comfortable lines that enabled women to throw away those constricting corsets, and always paired with great accessories, like these strings and strings of pearls.

And then, in 1920, came the launch of her signature perfume, Chanel No. 5, the first that featured a designer's name. "Perfume is the unseen, unforgettable, ultimate accessory of fashion. . . . that heralds your arrival and prolongs your departure,” Chanel once explained. The fragrance was developed by this man, Ernest Beaux, a Russian-French chemist. At the time, Chanel was the companion of the Grand Duke Dimitri Pavlov of Russia. Beaux used his connections to the Russian ex-pat community to arrange a meeting with Chanel, where he presented a selection of his current and earlier perfumes, numbered 1-5 and 20-24.

Chanel chose the sample in the fifth vial, and named it Chanel No. 5. Why this name? Because the number 5 had mystical significance to her, dating back to her years at the orphanage, where the paths to the cathedral (and daily prayers) were laid out in patterns of five, and her favorite rose had five petals. Throughout her life, she presented her new collections on the 5th day of the 5th month. By naming this new perfume Chanel No. 5, she knew she would have good luck.

All of that was certainly interesting, but the focus of the exhibition was to place this perfume within the cultural context of the times. To be honest, I found it awkwardly laid out in a narrow room, very cramped, with only one constricted pathway (also very crowded). The photographs and documents were tiny, hard to read/see, while the audio narration frequently droned on way too long!

With my attention slipping, I focussed on the larger items, including this beautiful Francis Picabia gouache and crayon drawing, Tickets, from 1922. It seems that among Chanel's many friends in the artistic community, the number 5 appears over and over again.

Certainly, the early 1921 packaging for Chanel No. 5 reflects the clean cubist lines of some of Picasso's collages. It's almost a collage itself, basically a small carton made of grosgrain paper, with a black border glued on, and a vertical stripe with the product name sealing the box. 

And who could resist this Ed Feingersh photograph of Marilyn Monroe from the 1950s. Monroe, who when asked what she wore when she went to bed, famously replied "5 drops of Chanel No. 5".

The one item that literally stopped me in my tracks, though, was this stunning bronze head by Constantin Brancusi, La Muse endormie, from 1910. I just loved the serene lines, the perfect oval face.

Reflecting the ideal of feminine beauty, this image clearly became the inspiration for Richard Avedon's 1970s series of ads for Chanel No. 5, featuring Catherine Deneuve. That same perfect oval face!

Leaving this rather frustrating exhibition space -- where, unless I missed it, I did not see any reference to Chanel's dubious WWII activities regarding the ownership of Chanel No. 5  that led her to be accused of being a "collabo" -- I noticed a sign: "Suite de l'Éxposition" (exhibition continues) with an arrow. Following this, I found another line and automatically joined it, assuming that it would take me into the next space.

Instead, I found myself in a whole new exhibition, all about the beauty, wonder and construction of jewellry! Unlike the Chanel show, this one was in a large, light-filled space, where you could move around easily and in any direction. In no particular order, here are just a few examples of "bijoux" from over 250 contemporary jewellry designers...

...gold rings, sculpted with precious stones...

 ...silver and white gold bracelets and bangles, encrusted with diamonds and pearls...

...incredibly ornate ring and necklace sets (would be hard to wear gloves with that ring!)...

...a stunning black gold and green garnet (tsavorite) set that just "glowed" in its display case...

...more ornate sets, this one in Tiger's Eye, I believe.

Along with all this glittering splendor, there were also several practical stations, such as this one where a group of women "of a certain age" are getting tips on re-stringing their pearls!

Up some stairs, and behind a black curtain, a row of display cases were set up like dioramas in a museum. Against this ominous "Mordor" backdrop, skulls are lurking, all set about with diamonds and emeralds and sapphires! 

And, in what I naturally took to be a small homage to Dragonslayer, I found this pendant: a cute, chubby dragon with a huge opal belly.

The grand centerpiece of the whole show was this "Collier Crabomard", made from real crab claws, representing two hands that are linked with chunks of sapphires. Created by Jean Vendome, this version was made in 2007. An earlier model, from 1987, may be found at the Glasgow Museum of Modern Art.  

A grand accessory, indeed, but a far cry from those strings and strings of pearls favored by Coco Chanel! 

Up yet another flight of stairs, I finally made it to the Chanel "Suite de l'Éxposition", which turned out to be a beautiful, spacious, skylit gallery, lined with comfortable couches, where you could lounge and pore through a whole library of books about Chanel. A small screening room in the corner showed all the tv and film commercials for Chanel No. 5 from Catherine Deneuve, Carole Bouquet, Nicole Kidman, Audrey Tatou -- all the way down to the current "poster boy" for the perfume: Brad Pitt!!  Surely, Coco Chanel is turning in her grave.....

À bientôt!

Follow @JanetRobbins14