Character Catalog

The first fashion designer's perfume, composed by Ernest Beaux with synthetic aldehydes. It became the most famous perfume in the world.

A simple dress in black crêpe de Chine that democratized elegance. It transformed black, a color of mourning, into a universal symbol of chic.

A braid-trimmed tweed jacket-and-skirt ensemble, comfortable and structured, which became the uniform of the modern, active woman of the 20th century.

A quilted handbag with a gold chain, freeing women's hands. Its name comes from its creation date: February 1955.

Chanel designed the costumes for Diaghilev's ballet Le Train Bleu, with Cocteau writing the libretto, blending haute couture with artistic avant-garde.

The introduction of jersey, a supple and inexpensive fabric, into luxury women's fashion, breaking conventions about noble materials.

Here is a Ford signed Chanel — the frock that all the world will wear — is model T. The Chanel Ford — the frock that the whole world will wear — is simple, black, and accessible.

I gave women's bodies their freedom back. That body was sweating in ceremonial clothes, under lace, corsets, undergarments, and padding.

The best-selling perfume in the world. Chanel N°5, the perfume of a woman who smells like a woman.

Fashion fades, style never does. I shaped fashion for half a century. Why? Because I knew how to express my time.

Former Cistercian monastery where Chanel spent her childhood. The austerity and geometry of the place shaped her entire aesthetic.

Historic headquarters of the House of Chanel since 1918, home to her couture salons and her personal apartment above the boutique.

Chanel lived here for the last thirty years of her life, in a suite on the first floor. It is where she died in January 1971.

Seaside resort where Chanel opened her first proper fashion boutique in 1913, launching her jersey outfits inspired by menswear.

Villa La Pausa, built for Chanel in 1929, where she entertained artists and intellectuals such as Cocteau, Picasso, and Stravinsky.

An essential tool for Chanel, who cut and adjusted fabrics herself directly on mannequins, refusing to sketch her designs on paper.

Chanel popularized costume jewelry, particularly long pearl sautoirs worn as everyday accessories, breaking the monopoly of precious jewellery.

With its clean, geometric design, this rectangular bottle broke away from the ornate flacons of the era and became an icon of the 20th century.

A masculine fabric that Chanel repurposed as the signature material of her women's suits, symbols of relaxed elegance.

Chanel worked by draping fabric on live mannequins, sculpting her creations in three dimensions rather than from flat patterns.

Chanel's signature flower, which became the emblem of the House. She often wore it in her buttonhole and incorporated it into her designs.

Chanel incorporated gold chains into the straps of her bags and the hems of her jackets to ensure a perfect drape.