Exhibition honors iconic French designer who set the scene

The ongoing exhibition Gabrielle Chanel: Fashion Manifesto at the Power Station of Art in Shanghai is the first retrospective devoted to the work of the fashion icon held in China.

Held from July 12 to Nov 24, the exhibition is co-organized by the PSA and the Palais Galliera, the Fashion Museum of Paris, Paris Musees in France, exploring "the long career of this trailblazing designer that changed the course of fashion twice in a lifetime," says curator Miren Arzalluz at a forum at the PSA held before the opening.

Gabrielle Bonheur "Coco" Chanel (1883-1971) was a French fashion designer, businessperson and founder of the Chanel luxury brand.

In the early 20th century, a time when decorative styles dominated the world of Western women's fashion, "Gabrielle Chanel created garments characterized by minimalism and precision … She revolutionized the world of haute couture, liberating the bodies of her contemporaries with what amounted to a fashion manifesto," according to Arzalluz.

More than 200 objects were selected from the collections of Palais Galliera and Patrimoine de Chanel, as well as from international museums.

The exhibition was originally held at the Palais Galliera in Paris from Oct 1, 2020 to July 18, 2021.

It was the first retrospective ever dedicated to the French designer in Paris, Arzalluz says. It was also the inaugural exhibition of a renovated and extended Palais Galliera, which included a new gallery.

The exhibition was then adapted and presented in Melbourne, Tokyo and London.

Shanghai is the final leg of the exhibition and, according to Gong Yan, director of the PSA, "We are paying tribute to this legendary designer from more than a century ago here in Shanghai, China's fashion capital, because she put forward brilliant ideas about women and beauty that are still relevant today and her creative passion and life stories have continued to inspire modern women to bravely pursue their dreams … The exhibition tells us that women must leave behind their stories and legends and, more importantly, creation and works."

As visitors enter the museum, they will climb a broad stairway leading to the exhibition on the second floor, a replicate of the stairway in the Chanel House at 31 Rue Cambon in Paris projected on a giant screen.

"At the end of this stairway, we see the connection between a soul and its residence turning into strong will and action. It is a combination of an individual with her time and the grace and her resolution against impediments and restrictions of the era," Gong says.

The exhibition consists of two chapters dedicated to her work from the 1910s to the 1930s and the second part of her career from 1954 to 1971.

Her early beginnings are presented with a few iconic pieces, including the famous sailor's jersey introduced in 1913.

From the sporty models and little black dresses of the 1910s to the sophisticated dresses initiated in the 1920s, this section centers on notions such as simplicity, youth, movement and allure.

The showcase of beauty products, jewelry and accessories reflects the consistency of her vision, with one room devoted entirely to the iconic perfume Chanel N°5 launched in 1921.

The second part of the exhibition presents a selection of models dating from the 1950s to her last collection created in 1971, focusing on iconic pieces such as the braided tweed suit, two-tone pumps and the 2.55 quilted bag.

IF YOU GO

Gabrielle Chanel: Fashion Manifesto

11 am-7 pm, last entry by 6 pm, Tue-Sun, through Nov 24.

2F, Power Station of Art, 678 Miaojiang Road, Huangpu district, Shanghai.