Part 3: Something like your usual post (but not quite).

If you have never watched Loïc Prigent's documentary, Signé Chanel, you probably would not understand the glee and excitement I experienced when I saw the dressing room (pictured right). This is the dressing room for the trying of Chanel's Haute Couture pieces. To me, the dressing room represents the goal of Karl Lagerfeld and the ladies of the Rue Cambon studio. The designing, cutting, draping, sewing, beading, braiding, etc that went into the garments were all done with one thing in mind: to make someone fall in love. The runway show is where people first meet the pieces. The dressing room, ah, that is where the falling in love really happens.

If you have a fast connection (and the time, as the documentary is highly addictive), there are YouTube links below for your clicking pleasure. You'll get to see the sweat, blood and effort that goes into making Chanel's Haute Couture collection. You may also be strangely attached to the ladies of the Rue Cambon studio by the time you are done watching. Looking at the pieces from the Fall 2007 Couture collection (pictured below), I had to wonder if it was the same team of ladies from the 2004 documentary who worked on these pieces as well.

Episode 1, Anticipation
1, 2, 3, 4

Episode 2, Doubts
1, 2, 3, 4

Episode 3, Rituals
1, 2, 3, 4

Episode 4, Sleepless Nights
1, 2, 3, 4

Episode 5, The Collection
1, 2, 3, 4



The next stop was Chanel Joaillerie, home to the House's fine jewellery and watches. The Chanel stuff were kind enough let us flip through old press kits and press clippings and even fondle pieces from the 1932 collection. While it was slightly surreal to have jewellery worth millions in my hands, Seth from Cool Hunting gamely tested out the versatility of the pieces by modelling a necklace as a tiara. After all, Mademoiselle Chanel wanted her jewellery to be "changed by life and subjected to its needs."

(The verdict is that he looked mighty fine.)

I will have to end my ramblings of the trip here. Many thanks to Chanel for extending the invitation and boldly reaching out to bloggers when most are still uncertain about the blogging community. A huge thank you goes out to the people at Chanel as well, for trying to connect with the bloggers and making the trip a memorable one.

***

I couldn't leave Paris without taking some pictures of the people.

The photo came out a bit washed out as it was really bright on the last day. (Word is that Paris went straight from spring to autumn this year. Fortunately for us, during our stay in Paris, the weather was wonderfully sunny. You could see Parisians trying to soak up the sun everywhere.) While I could try to photoshop the picture to prove that the gentleman above was looking very dapper in his navy coat and pink pants, I really don't have the time to do so. I guess you will just have to take my word for it.

(Yes, those are sequins on his coat's sleeves.)