• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Login/ Register
  • Editorial Team
  • Get Involved

Exeposé Online

Making the headlines since 1987

Exeposé Online
  • Home
  • News
      • Local
      • COVID-19
      • University News
  • Comment
  • Features
      • National
      • Worldwide
      • Politics
      • Interviews
  • Science
      • News
      • Lite Science
      • Common Misconceptions
      • Environment
      • Health
      • Technology
  • Sport
  • Lifestyle
      • Fashion and Beauty
      • Features
      • Food
      • Wellbeing
      • Sustainability
  • Music
      • Interviews
      • Features
      • Live Reviews
      • Album Reviews
      • Single Reviews
  • Screen
      • Reviews
      • Features
      • Interviews
      • Festivals and Awards
  • Arts + Lit
      • Interviews
      • Features
      • Reviews
      • Creative Writing
  • Amplify
  • International
  • Multilingual
  • News
  • Comment
  • Features
  • Science
  • Sport
  • Lifestyle
  • Music
  • Screen
  • Arts + Lit
  • Amplify
  • International
  • Multilingual
Home / Arts & Lit

Chanel Exhibition in Tokyo

Jan 9, 2020 – by Anna Wilmot

Resident of Tokyo Anna Wilmot reviews Chanel’s less notorious Mademoiselle Privé collection in a surprising exhibition

Chanel is undoubtedly a household name, notorious for revolutionising the world of high fashion, and instantly recognisable for its chic, timeless designs. Yet whilst the name may readily conjure to mind images of little black dresses and expensive perfume, you may be less familiar with the name Mademoiselle Privé. Once marking the door to Madam Chanel’s creative studio on 31 Rue Cambon, these words are now the title for a travelling exhibition showcasing Chanel Haute Couture, as well as an array of High Jewellery including Gabriel Chanel’s first and only collection, ‘Bijoux de Diamants’. This exhibition has already visited London, Hong Kong, Shanghai and Seoul, and now the fifth chapter is now being held in a small corner of Tokyo. The event created a small buzz on social media when Pharrell Williams, Rina Sawayama, and other famous names performed at the Tokyo opening party, and now the exhibit is open to the public to enjoy totally for free. Any student’s ears will prick up when they hear the words “for free”, and so it was only a matter of time before we were drawn to the Tokyo installation of Mademoiselle Privé.

The venue seems unassuming and, if anything, rather inconspicuous. It takes an hour train ride from central Tokyo and a short walk in the biting cold before we stumble upon the exhibit; if it weren’t for the queue winding its way down the street, we might have missed it. We’ve booked ahead of time and we’re running late, so we skip the glowering queue waiting in the cold and are ushered inside the warm building. Inside, we are greeted by a white staircase, intended to mimic Madam Chanel’s iconic mirrored staircase if photographed from just the right angle. We’re forced to wait several minutes as a throng of Japanese visitors take turns to pose on the empty staircase, frantic to get that perfect Instagram-worthy shot. Eventually, our group is able to move onward and the exhibit staff, with their trade-mark Tokyo friendliness, explain the layout of the event and then send us off to explore unchaperoned. 

The exhibition is not for the faint-hearted or the technologically challenged; in order to enjoy the full experience, the event asks its guests to download the Mademoiselle Privé app, and scan a QR code upon entering in order to unlock a wealth of behind-the-scenes treasures. The one-time app navigates the visitor through the exhibition, providing footage of the clothes in action on the runway, and offers a soothing audio-guide for the more plebeian of us who find that the artistic intricacies of the high fashion world leave us in a cold sweat. 

But we’re in safe hands here. The exhibit is divided into five colour-coded rooms, each encapsulating a different phase of Madam Chanel’s artistic odyssey: sparkling diamond white; classic tan; innovative red; regal gold; and, of course, the iconic, seductive black. Guiding you through this Edgar Allan Poe-esque maze is the reassuring voice of the audio-guide, explaining the significance of each garment. There are only a few pieces on display in each room, inviting the guests to soak up the view and bask in every design. Swelling classical music adds to the dreamlike atmosphere, and creates a surreally slow and calming experience compared to the usual rush of daily Tokyo life. And nestled in the corner of every room, usually surrounded by an array of glittering Chanel jewellery, is the instantly recognisable Chanel No. 5 perfume bottle. Whatever motif the coloured room has been showing off inevitably relates back to the careful design of this little glass bottle: the bold shape, the subtle colour, the sleek packaging, even the font, is all dwelled upon lovingly by the audio guide. 

The event doesn’t take long, but it’s completely dark by the time we leave. On the way out, smiling staff members hand each of us a small zip up canvas bag with ‘Mademoiselle Privé’ stamped on it in red letters. This Chanel exhibition draws in visitors, turns them upside down with dazzling displays of colour and design, and then sends them off into the night clutching their freebie bags, their heads spinning with images of chic suits, plunging necklines, elegant silhouettes, and a little glass bottle.

Share this:

  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)

Related

Jan 9, 2020 By Anna Wilmot Filed Under: Arts & Lit, Arts Reviews Tagged With: Chanel, exhibition, Tokyo, Mademoiselle Privé

Reader Interactions

Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published.

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Primary Sidebar

exepose_arts_lit

Arts and literature section of the University of Exeter's student newspaper 🎨📚 artsandlit@exepose.com

Local artist, Molly Rooke talks to Exeposé about Local artist, Molly Rooke talks to Exeposé about her postponed exhibition at Exeter Phoenix and how the environment is at the top of her artistic agenda. Read more with the link below! 

https://exepose.com/2021/01/21/a-local-artists-perspective-molly-rooke-on-covid-climate-and-creativity-in-lockdown/

#lockdown #exeter #localartist #mollyrooke #exeterphoenix
Read about the benefit of diary writing in Rhian H Read about the benefit of diary writing in Rhian Hutching’s latest article exploring how diaries have come to embody feminist practice #virginiawoolf #sashaswire #annefrank
We’re getting meta here on the arts+lit Instagra We’re getting meta here on the arts+lit Instagram page..

Check out Sardelli Constanza and Megan Frost’s definitive guide on the art accounts of Instagram!

Find the full guide on the Arts + Lit website.
“Visual art alongside literature has historicall “Visual art alongside literature has historically been used as both a political tool and an emotional outlet...”

Before the US election result is announced on 3rd November, check out what Rhian Hutchings has to say about the role of art in voting.
Imogen Williams shares her autumn short story abou Imogen Williams shares her autumn short story about the beauty of seasonal change.

Read more on Exeposé’s Arts+Lit website.
Max Ingleby delves into the subtle art of the illu Max Ingleby delves into the subtle art of the illustration, and reflects on the impacts they can have on our imaginations as children.

“The illustrated books that most commanded my attention were not those that shied away from the dark, scary aspects of childhood, but those that explored them…”

Read the full article on Exeposé’s Arts+Lit webpage.
Stephanie Meyer’s Twilight saga rises from the g Stephanie Meyer’s Twilight saga rises from the grave with the latest addition to the series, Midnight Sun.

Paige Insalaco sinks her teeth into this new read, and tells us the secret to the book series’s eternal life...

Read the article on Exeposé’s Arts+Lit webpage.
Tori Sharp briefs us on her top summer reads of 20 Tori Sharp briefs us on her top summer reads of 2020, from neapolitan novels to the best biographies 

https://exepose.com/2020/09/07/what-i-read-this-summer/
The sensational musical, Hamilton, is now availabl The sensational musical, Hamilton, is now available to stream online, featuring its original broadway cast.

Music Editor, Bridie Adams, reviews the hit musical and the experience of viewing it from the comfort of your own home.

Read the full article on Exeposé’s Arts+Lit webpage.
Load More… Follow on Instagram
Tweets by Arts + Lit

Contact Us: editors@exepose.com

Since 1987, Exeposé has given a voice to Exeter students. Over the years, the determination and political fervour exhibited by students through Exeposé have helped shape the University we study at today. We have received national recognition for our award-winning campaigns, investigations and surveys, and always strive to provide students with high-quality news, comment and features.

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in articles and comments do not reflect the views of Exeposé Online or the University of Exeter Student's Guild.

        


© 2021
Website design: Harry Caton and Ellie Cook
Webdesign & development: Harry Caton