SINGAPORE - The personal style of French fashion icon Gabrielle Chanel can now be experienced in Singapore at the new Chanel Watches and Fine Jewellery boutique at Takashimaya Shopping Centre in Orchard Road.
The first Chanel boutique in South-east Asia when it opened in 2009, it was redesigned by the renowned New York-based architect Peter Marino and officially reopened on Aug 1.
The reimagined boutique showcases Chanel’s fine jewellery and watch collections such as Coco Crush, No. 5, J12, Premiere, Mademoiselle Prive, the Lion and Camelia.
At 1,350 sq ft, the boutique is now 1½ times larger and boasts design elements inspired by the Paris apartment of the maison’s famous founder Gabrielle Bonheur “Coco” Chanel (1883-1971).
One source of inspiration is her beloved collection of Chinese Coromandel screens, which were created with a lacquer technique that emerged at the end of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644).
In a biography from 1983 – Chanel Solitaire by Claude Delay, published by Gallimard – the fashion designer said: “I’ve loved Chinese screens since I was 18 years old. I nearly fainted with joy when, entering a Chinese shop, I saw a Coromandel for the first time.”
She added: “Screens were the first thing I bought.”
According to Chanel.com, she dressed her walls with the screens, using them like wallpaper or to give structure to her private space. She also used them to hide the doors in order to keep her guests from finding them.
The boutique’s facade has a discreet entrance framed in black, with gold panels inspired by Coromandel screens. On entering, one is immediately met with the colours that are associated with the maison’s colours – white, black, beige, red and gold – which are also reflected in the design of the furniture and fittings.
There is also a subtle reference to the screens in the wall set with display niches, designed with panels angled to look like a lacquered folding screen.
The furniture is upholstered in opulent tweed fabrics like that of the boucle tweed Chanel suit worn by many women today.
Chanel decorated her Paris apartment with furniture, objets d’art and antiques from different eras, styles and civilisations.
A motif she was fond of was the lion, which also appears in Chanel’s high jewellery collection. The animal symbolises strength, power and majesty – qualities valued by Chanel, who was born on Aug 19, 1883, with Leo as her star sign.
And Marino has distilled the essence of her taste in decorating the boutique with a curated collection of art, furniture and antiques.
In the lounge area at the rear of the space hangs a specially commissioned artwork by contemporary South Korean artist Minjung Kim, best known for reinterpretations of traditional Korean aesthetics through compositions on layered paper. The artwork hints at Chanel’s passion for the Oriental aesthetic.
A pair of lamps inspired by tweed fabric and a coffee table – both by French design duo Delos & Ubiedo – and a gold sculptural creation called the Volumetric Chair – by the Greek and American design team Voukenas Petrides – add depth to the boutique, welcoming customers the way Chanel would have greeted her own guests in Paris.
There is also a hidden sanctum called the VIP salon, which can be accessed only through sliding doors just off the lounge area. An antique Coromandel screen hangs over a sofa inspired by the one in the Paris apartment that is said to have been designed by Chanel herself.
The VIP salon is filled with treasures like a French 18th-century Louis XV lacquered pear tree wood desk with gilt bronze details, which emphasises Chanel’s dedication to the arts and culture.
Completing the space is another head-turner: a Gold Scarab Commode by French company Ateliers Saint-Jacques, whose artisans turn out breathtaking creations from four workshops specialising in metal, wood, stone and bronze.
- The Chanel Watches & Fine Jewellery boutique is located at 01-04 Takashimaya Shopping Centre, 391 Orchard Road, and is open from 10am to 9.30pm daily.
