CHANEL

The expressive finishing touch

Gabrielle Chanel opened her independent Paris hat boutique in 1910. Her approach to dress developed into a wider design language in which accessories could transform a silhouette. In 1932, she presented the fine jewelry exhibition Bijoux de Diamants.

Costume jewelry had already become part of her fashion vocabulary during the 1920s. Pearls, bold combinations and decorative forms helped accessories take a more expressive role in everyday dressing. Brooches and emblem-led objects in this visual edit are considered through that styling history. No date, archive status or official model identification is assigned to them.

Recognizable design codes