Gabrielle Chanel: a Fashion Manifesto exhibition at the V&A, London

I have three loves and those are books, travel and fashion. I had the chance to go and see the exhibition Gabrielle Chanel: a Fashion Manifesto at the Victoria & Albert’s Museum in London. Once tickets got released a while ago I immediately jumped at the opportunity of getting a ticket for myself.

Gabrielle Chanel has always been an inspiration for me. She not only redefined women’s fashion, but she also brought in the concept that elegance and sophistication are achieved with simple outfits paired with the right ac. She created comfort for women without having to abdicate style. The creation of the “invisible” accessory, the infamous perfume Chanel no 5, with its simple and yet recognisable design brought the brand closer to those who could not afford couture – alongside the beauty and skincare brands. The two “C”s, overlapped, are nowadays something we immediately recognise as a symbol of style, sophistication and luxury.

But I bet there is a lot you may not know about the woman behind one of today’s biggest and most recognisable couture fashion brands, so I thought I would tell you the three most fascinating facts about Gabrielle Chanel that I learned about. I was clueless about so much of it. Whilst it was amazing to see around 200 outfits on display, including the famous little black dress, and tweed suits, it was the newfound knowledge I found to be bring the value to this visit.

1. Her obscure roots & high-end romantic life

Gabrielle Chanel was truly a self-made woman, who managed to rise from an upbringing in poverty, being the illegitimate daughter of a peddler. Bearing in mind the lack of rights women possessed at the time, it is incredibly admirable that she managed to build such a career and name, out of talent and I suppose some luck… she managed to be in the circles of names such as Winston Churchill, and that is mostly thanks to her romantic life, that I suspect may have been her own clever way of going up a career ladder, remaining protected, her name unscathed.

She was never married, again something that was not seen as a good omen for women around that time, and yet all of her romantic relationships were with high profiles, actual royalty. She was involved with Grand Duke Dmitri Pavlovich, the cousin of the Tsar. Then she left him for the Duke of Westminster, Hugh Grosvenor, known as Bendor. It was through him that she became friends with Winston Churchill. She was often travelling to the UK and became the designer of choice amongst the English aristocracy of the time.

2. A Nazi Agent or a Member of French Resistance Force? Or both?

Chanel was it seems a spy during the Second World War, but it’s hard to determine for which side, or even if to both. Chanel’s connections alongside with speaking English and German fluently, made her the perfect candidate. After the Liberation in August 1944, she was questioned.

Amongst her intimate relationships, there was one with Nazi officer Hans Günther von Dincklage during the WWII and alleged evidence that she was involved in Nazi missions, with an agent number (F-7124) and the code name “Westminster”, given after her former lover.

However, after being questioned, Chanel was released, without charges. Apart from the connection with the Nazi officer, it was thought that she had produced letters from Churchill assuring her of his support, as a proof against any accusations of collaboration with the Nazis. However, there is also evidence that she was part of the French Resistance. Her property in the French Riviera, was used by the local Resistance group to hide Jewish refugees. She is also listed as a member of the Resistance, with her name linked to a covert network known as EIRC, which provided intelligence for the Allies in a secret document.

Alas, Chanel remains a mystery.

3. She stopped working for 14 years!

And thankfully, went back to work with a comeback collection in February of 1954. She was comfortably living from there even of her perfume sales at the time, so from an income perspective there was no need for her to go back to work after the war. It’s said the reason she decided to do so was as a response to Christian Dior, who is seen as one of Chanel’s biggest rivalries. Gabrielle was 71 at the time. Still, a lot of her last creations include elements of Dior’s creations, as this was how fashion had been evolving at the time. Funny that is was not that long ago that I visited christian’s Dior’s exhibit in this exact space!

Right now, tickets for this exhibition are sold out. In my experience, sometimes due to the success of the exhibition, the V&A extends it for a little longer, so if you are interested in going, keep your eyes open and perhaps sign up for notifications. This is definitely with a visit whether you are interested in fashion or simply to get to know Chanel’s mysterious and exciting life a bit more.

I have become even more of an admirer.

Love, Nic