Gabrielle Chanel’s childhood may not have been all roses, but wheat always kept a special place in her memory. Her date of birth for instance, August 19th, is during the harvest festival. This celebration of the end of summer is a symbol of abundance and a renewal of riches. “The orphan” Gabrielle would always remember her father for whom wheat was a good thing indeed. This “goodness” would resonate with her for her entire life. That’s how wheat became a sort of lucky charm for her, and with Chanel, lucky charms also communicate a certain identity. She invented brand communication avant la lettre.
Her apartment on rue Cambon and her suite at the Ritz were covered with it. Natural, made of wood, bronze, or painted by her friend Dalí, wheat was present in a number of forms. At the foot of her fireplace lay a bundle of dried wheat as well. Wheat tells the story of her roots, of her origins that she never ceased to reinvent. But wheat always remained, immortal, watching over her. Today, it’s this very same spirit that the High Jewelry collection “Les Blés de Chanel” is celebrating. Synonymous with abundance, resistance, chance, and prosperity, wheat is taking on a number of Chanel’s jewelry pieces. These 62 pieces come together within an inspiration that rings out like an ode to nature. Like a field of wheat, the pieces seem to sway in the wind, lighting up the path of the one who wears them!
The “Premiers Brins”, “Brins de Printemps”, and “Brins de Diamants” pieces pay homage to wheat and evoke the beginning of spring. Diamonds, crystal zirkonia, and aquamarine play with transparency, enchanting the skin like blades of wheat in the first rays of summer. The harvest is evoked through the “Moisson Ensoleillée” series which gracefully traces the movements of wheat. The “Fête des Moissons” line celebrates the subtle magnificence of braided heads of wheat. Each part of this collection sumptuously brings wheat into Chanel’s jewelry universe.
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