There’s no better emblem for Coco Chanel’s style. Pearls, whether the sacred originals or faux pretenders, have a special signification to the double C brand. Within the Ritz, the venue for the presentation of the 2017 Métiers d’Art collection, the extra-long pearl necklace appeared like Proust’s madeleine. While these silhouettes were going down the runway within the last abode of the eternal Mademoiselle, it’s without a hint of nostalgia that Karl Lagerfeld evoked the go-to provider of jewelry and accessories to couture houses to bring Chanel’s signature back to life.
Desrues was first established in 1929 – they would soon be collaborating with the biggest Parisian couturiers of the day. After all these years, the brand has been able to maintain its savoir-faire and dedication to its exceptional craft. There wasn’t a single piece of Coco’s personal jewelry, given to her by the Grand Duke Dimitri Romanov or the Duke of Westminster, that wasn’t interpreted or reinterpreted here for the clientele of today. Today’s necklace comes in both a gilded metal and a nacre pearl version; this is Desrues at its finest, signing off on a highly desirable piece for Chanel.
Preserved as heritage to keep handing down all the aesthetic of a timeless woman, even today, these extra-long necklaces with sparse sprinklings of pearls fit perfectly into the brand’s grammar. As Chanel’s runway took place on the Place Vendôme, the headquarters of French fine jewelry, all of Gabrielle’s sleek frivolity was incarnated in the room. Symbol of femininity and purity, pearls – ever appreciated by Coco – are today the absolute symbol of French refinement.
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