She was a creature of contrasts: there was the Chanel of rococo mirrors and playful jewelry; but also the Chanel of the tailored suit, of the utmost restraint; of classicism à la française.
The jewelry that Chanel created presents one of the least-known aspects of her work: in complement to her ‘costume jewelry’, she invented jewelry that was unparalleled in luxury and refinement and unfettered in its imagination.
Using illustrations and documents, many of them previously unpublished, and based on archival research and interviews with Chanel’s colleagues and other witnesses of her life and career, this book presents her passion for fabulous jewels and improbable marvels which, to quote her own words, should be viewed ‘with innocence, with artlessness, just as we enjoy the sight of an apple tree in blossom at the side of the road as we speed past in a motor-car.’