I had the privilege to visit Mademoiselle Chanel’s apartment at Rue Cambon, Paris above the principal luxury store. I was glad to make it. Though the store and fitting room are known, the apartment itself is hardly opened to mass.

I never went to the rue Cambon store prior to that day. The 1st floor is all the luxury store. I’d never imagine from outside that the house was so big inside. I was impressed with the scene: big rooms, one clothe a rack, fashion sellers all around, all nicer than each other, flattering Paris reputation for being icely welcoming. No kidding! Most of luxury stores (Louis Vuitton for instance) you enter in now on in Paris have you with a big smile and a warm welcome. As if you’re the big sister of some arabic heir. At Chanel, you’re just not the slave of the 3rd generation of the most unconsidered ninny around. I guess the difference between big luxury industries like LVMH and smaller (no more) confidential houses like Chanel starts here.

I felt a true hierarchy between the sellers. All were women. Only the security staff was testosterone equipped with. The older ladies were all twin sisters sporting the famous tweed jacket. The younger ones … I don’t remember. All of the the older ladies with whom I had contact with showed a genuine admiration to Mademoiselle Chanel as if they were talking about an utterly celebrated & respected aunt who was still living upstairs. I’d say it was beyond admiration. It was kind of freaking actually. All those women trying to imitate someone they’ve never known. Ok. I’m not corporate enough to understand.

The second floor is the private fitting rooms. It was the perfect picture of how I’d imagine Chanel house. All in clean colors : beige, white, dark brown and black. I didn’t visit them as they were all occupied.

The apartment itself we visited was at the 4th floor. I never googled pics of this apartment. So I was completely naive when I entered it. The shock. It was full. Full of curios, paintings, lights. I’d have imagined some sleek place as Coco Chanel has always been described.

Apart from that feeling, the apartment was so rich of Coco’s memories that I don’t doubt it has been a precious raw material to Karl Lagerfeld inspiration as our guest confessed.

I’d have been alone in this apartment, I’d throw myself in this armchair. It had been bought by KL a couple of decades ago at an auction, because it looks like the one Mademoiselle Chanel was sitting on on Horst pic. Is it the original? Some have said it is. No one really knows.

Do you see the folding walls behind the chair? Dark, reddish tones with lots of drawings Coco Chanel was fond of. The first room’s walls are full of those wooden folding walls.  You agree that it’s not the kind of bold simplicity of the fitting room?

I missed my shoot, but this sofa is big (you see it) and deep. Veeeery deep. I’d throw myself in too. But my guest wouldn’t let me feel home enough to make myself this treat. I was saying I missed my shot:  the pillows get the 2.55 pattern. The big bowl on the coffee table was suspended to the gigantic pendant of the pic below. Can you imagine that falling on the top of your head? No? They have at Chanel house. They put it on the table instead.

On this pendant, you see a lot of Chanel’s symbols: the 5 (of the famous perfume) first, the double crossed C at the middle, and the stylish G of her first Gabriel at the top. All the stones are semi precious ones (amethyste and quartz I guess)

The walls are all covered of this golden fabric. A special silk (I guess) to retain this specific golden tone. Can you imagine your entire apartment covered of golden walls?

Pets pairs was another of her lucky charms. Do you see the brass of wheat at right? Another sample of folding walls at left. She got more than 60 pieces of folding walls.

This clock has been rebought recently. Like with the big armchair, no one can assert this is the original piece.

Did you know that:

- Coco Chanel named N°5 that way because it was the 5th sample she chose to be THE most sold perfume in the world amid a collection of perfumes she ordered to one perfumer.

- From Gabriel, she was named Coco, after the song Ki ka vu Coco (Who have seen Coco) she used to perform when she debuted as a singer in Paris?

- She bought the entire rue Cambon building in 1920. Can you imagine someone from nowhere buying a whole building today in a city like Paris or NYC?

- the 2.55 was named after it has been launched in February 1955

- She sported camellias because apart from being simple, pure and white, this flower didn’t get a smell. She was then able to spray perfume without smelling interferences.

- Wheat was one of her lucky charms. The apartment is full of them (paintings, sculptures, curios, dried flowers). No one know exactly why she liked it. Some guess that it was a dear memory of her childhood in the countryside. Do you see now where come from Lagerfeld’s inspiration for Spring Summer 2010 fashion show and collection?

- She was born a Leo. It was one of her lucky charms together with pairs of animals, wheat, camellia and phoenix.

- She didn’t live at Rue Cambon. There’s no kitchen or room inside. Only reception rooms. It was her office. She was a permanent resident of the Hotel Ritz, at walking distance.

- Before she arrived the Ritz, a phone call would alert of her coming for the staff to spray N°5 in the room. I perfectly picture that as the job of some intern today at KL way to the office.

- She was quite shy about her poor origins and she used to white lie about it. A massive stone bust in the appartment (I didn’t picture) was appointed her uncle.

- She said of Yves Saint Laurent, while he was still a young upcoming designer “If this boy keep on copying my work, he’ll be soon a recognized designer”

- It happened that Lagerfeld has had guests in the apartment. Now, you know with whom you need to make friends with to pay a visit.

The visit has been organized by one of Paris Stanford University Clubs.

Hey, Wait! You might also like

• A bitting Karl Lagerfeld got interviewed by French Elle
• Chanel SS2012 campaign
• Vanessa Paradis for Chanel

Author: Gaelle