Image Courtesy of CHANEL
Image Courtesy of CHANEL
Image Courtesy of CHANEL
Image Courtesy of CHANEL
Image Courtesy of CHANEL
Image Courtesy of CHANEL
Image Courtesy of CHANEL
Image Courtesy of CHANEL
Image Courtesy of CHANEL
Image Courtesy of CHANEL
Just in time for the Cannes Film Festival and the showing of their annual cruise collection, Chanel has opened a “boutique ephemere”, a temporary boutique on the boulevard de la Croisette. Steps from the Palais de Congress where the festival’s gala films are screened, the pop-up shop (“ephemere” sounds so much more chic, non?) highlights Chanel’s Métiers d’Art collection, Paris-Byzance shown in Paris in December.
The Métiers d’Art was created specifically by Karl Lagerfeld in 2002 to honour the ateliers bought by Chanel to protect the traditional hand-crafted arts workshops that were quickly dying off in Paris. This is where you’ll see rich embroideries by Lesage, couture shoes from Massaro, feathers by Lemarie and gold, flowers and hats from other crafts studios.
A dozen outfits from the collection line the dark gold and black hallway that leads into a jewel box space at the back for makeup, accessories and more fashion. The first gown on display is the sheer silver lace dress worn by Rihanna on the cover of Vogue. Makeup stations feature iPads to show the various looks come to life and a glass box showcases the finale dresses with their intricate beading, lacework and feathers. Up the gold stairs is the VIP room guarded by a beefy security man who isn’t interested in giving any visitors a sneak peek. I tried…
After Cannes, the boutique will become Chanel’s cosmetic outpost in Cannes for the summer.