IMAGE: CHANEL

The mirrored staircase. Her sofa. The dining room. Her writing table. The fireplace. Five different objects/spaces within Gabrielle Chanel’s apartment, each tied to a single colour that’s core to the French luxury house. White, Beige, Black, Red and Gold, which also collectively make up the colour palette of Chanel’s latest Mademoiselle Privé exhibition that has just opened in Tokyo.

THE WHITE ROOM | IMAGE: CHANEL

THE BEIGE ROOM | IMAGE: CHANEL

First started at Saatchi Gallery in London back in 2015, it has graced Seoul (D Museum in 2017), enchanted Hong Kong (PMQ in 2018) and most recently wowed Shanghai at the West Bund Art Center in April 2019, with this fifth instalment to be held at the B&C Hall in Shinagawa till 1 December 2019.

THE BLACK ROOM | IMAGE: CHANEL

THE RED ROOM | IMAGE: CHANEL

Always themed around the three pillars that make up Chanel, it is also a celebration of Gabrielle Chanel’s forays into the world of haute couture, high jewellery and her iconic fragrance, N°5 that has been kept alive through the years with Karl Lagerfeld and now Virginie Viard, along with the different ateliers that make up Métiers d’Art. And as you immerse yourself in the beautifully curated space, don’t forget to check out the door. The door with the words Mademoiselle Prive on it. The door that was a world unto itself at 31 Rue Cambon that was also Gabrielle Chanel’s studio. But what’s so special about this door in Tokyo? It has been artistically rendered by Lesage over some 1700 man hours with such fine embroidery work that you’ll only be able to appreciate it fully up-close.

THE GOLD ROOM | IMAGE: CHANEL

And if you are already planning to a trip to Tokyo soon, you might want to check out this link to reserve your appointment (yes, admission is free), where besides being able to enjoy the exhibits, you can also take part in an embroidery-focused workshop led by the artisans of Montex (19 October to 3 November), learn how to apply gold leaf with their high jewellery atelier (4 November to 17 November) and hand-seal a bottle of N°5 by way of baudruchage, a method so precise and time-consuming that it can only be done by hand, so much so that Chanel is one of the last perfumer houses to still do it till today (18 November to 1 December).

IMAGES: CHANEL

VIDEO: TELESCOPE STUDIOS FOR BAGAHOLICBOY