The Bite Magazine - Autumn/Winter 2023 - Issue 34

biteexhibition 019 Gabrielle Chanel, 31 rue Cambon, Paris, 1937. Photo by Roger Schall peach silk chiffon, satin, lace, and tulle had integral decora- tion inserted into the cut to emphasise the body better. Chanel played with fabric transparency by layering or piecing different textiles to delicately trace the body line and enhance simple sil- houettes. Beautiful designs like the tulle dress inlaid with panels of ma- chine lace give it complexity without weighing down the fall of the garment, and the embroidered cotton broderie anglaise dress is mind-blowing. The black dress in silk lace, silk crepe and metal with a semi-sheer panel neckline and unusual cuta- way capped sleeves captured the intricate fabric details. At the same time, the dress in silk lace, metal thread and rhinestones with a cutout neckline and revealing bare back presented a se- ductive style. Striking cloaks in black, yellow and white silk crepe with cock- erel feathers evolved into elegant glittery dresses made from silk tulle or crepe embroidered with glass beads, cotton velvet, or silk, chiffon, tulle and sequins and other enchanting fabrics. After the First World War, Chanel’s defining post-war contri- bution to fashion was the suit, a declaration of modern femi- ninity, with a cardigan-like cut and a skirt that combined ease and comfort with chic simplicity. A massive selection of Chanel suits and coats are displayed in two rows of glass pods on both sides, including Parisien model Victoire Doutreleau’s suit in wool tweed by Lesur. The suits are made from wool tweed, with some embroidered with grosgrain silk and wool braid in varied colours, such as the one trimmed with red and blue braid. The coats consist of smocked silk vel- vet and grosgrain silk or wool tweed and leather, while a coat dress and shorts are created from wool and chenille jersey, silk canvas and grosgrain silk. The suits evolved into other fabrics like linen canvas, sequins, silk satin with mother-of-pearl and glided metal; silk lamé and ottoman; silk damask and chiffon; lamé cloqué and silk gauze and silk brocade and wool jersey in the 1960s. The ‘70s saw these same apparel in tulle embroidered with silk thread and silk crepe or silk brocade and pongee. A sweater and skirt in crocheted wool and lurex with metal has a faceted cut-glass necklace stitched into the neckline as part of the garment. The exhibition finale sees Chanel’s 1960s alluring cocktail dresses recalling the simplicity of her little black dresses of the 1920s. Here, she used lace, velvet and silk but also embraced in- novative fabrics such as nylon and new synthetics with sequin embroidery used in monochrome, echoing the 1930s and the lightness of chiffon and tulle embodying the fluidity and mo- tion she sought early in her career. She continued using ivory, gold, vibrant red and elegant blacks. Designs from this era included the Dinner Pyjamas in glis- tening brocade and lamé, which Vogue enthusiastically called Chanel’s “famous new dinner pyjamas”. The evening ensemble had a similar dress to the onew Elizabeth Taylor wore to a royal screening of The Taming of the Shrew in 1967, a chiffon dress that shirred close to the bodice and then flowed out at the skirt and the shirt dress as a ballgown in embroidered cotton organ- die with a playful daisy pattern woven into the fabric. There is plenty to see and marvel at in this exhibition centred on the influential fashion designer Gabrielle Chanel. Gabri- elle Chanel: Fashion Manifesto, presented in partnership with Palais Galliera, Fashion Museum of the City of Paris, and Paris Musées with support of Chanel at the Victoria & Albert Muse- um, runs until 25 February 2024. www.vam.ac.uk/exhibitions/gabrielle-chanel-fashion-manifes- to 011 Gabrielle Chanel, Marinière Blouse, Silk. Spring/Summer 1916 © CHANEL Photo: Nicholas Alan Cope