Its all about the Chanel dress not Coco at the NGV

The French Revolution has finally arrived in Australia, led by the sharp lines of a little black dress instead of a guillotine. More than 240 pieces for Gabrielle Chanel. Fashion Manifesto, opening at the NGV International on December 4, have been unpacked in Melbourne revealing how pockets, matching suits and unmatched sophistication changed the world for women.

“I am always struck by the timelessness of Chanel’s work,” said co-curator Miren Arzalluz, who oversaw delivery from the refurbished Palais Galliera in Paris, where the exhibition opened last year. “There are 1930s dresses that you could see today on the catwalk. That was her modernity. The timelessness of her work.”

Ellen Doyle, textile display specialist, prepares a pink suit (Spring 1966) from the NGV’s own collection for the upcoming exhibition, Gabrielle Chanel. Fashion Manifesto.Credit:Eddie Jim

With Gabrielle Chanel. Fashion Manifesto making its international debut in Melbourne, Arzalluz is reclaiming Chanel’s reputation as a designer, which has been clouded by books and biographies exploring romances, her behaviour as a “horizontal collaborator” during the Nazi occupation of Paris and films where she has been played by a diverse roll call including Audrey Tatou, Kristen Stewart and Shirley MacLaine.

“We didn’t want to talk about the legend. We didn’t want to talk about Coco Chanel. So, we reclaimed her name Gabrielle Chanel. We wanted to talk about her as a designer and not the legend.”

Work from the early 19th Century through to the ’70s, including pieces from the NGV’s own collection will be dotted throughout six rooms. For Arzalluz there is a special fascination with the oldest designs.

A beige jacket and skirt (Spring 1971) being prepared by textile specialist Vicki Car at the NGV.Credit:Eddie Jim

“There is a silk jersey jacket blouse in an ivory colour. It is the ultimate subjugation of the silhouette. Silk jersey was only used in men’s underwear at that time, so it is quite radical. She had such a clear vision from the beginning and established the principles that guided her work. That’s what makes it a manifesto.”

Some fragile pieces from the original exhibition were unable to travel from Paris, so Arzalluz and the NGV raided Chanel’s archives and rifled the wardrobe of a generous private collector in New York to supplement the remaining items.

“It’s exciting. The exhibition is a little different, but it still follows the same themes,” said NGV curator Danielle Whitfield. “There’s about 100 garments, plus 50 or so items of jewellery plus perfume and accessories. Every facet of her career and her design language, the iconography, the brand, the Chanel codes, the Chanel style, is here.”

There are, of course, little black dresses, but Arzalluz hopes that other garments will linger in the memory like the rose and jasmine scent of Chanel No.5.

“We keep talking about the little black dress, the pearls and the suit of course, but we’ve discovered this richness and an endless sophistication to her work,” Arzalluz said. “When she uses feathers, sequins and fringes, she does it in a way that doesn’t compromise the simplicity. She uses these decorative elements more as a material than as an adornment.”

The exhibition focuses on the work of Gabrielle Chanel rather than her extraordinary life.Credit:André Kertész/NGV

Chanel’s terrific and torrid biography may be exiled from the exhibition but the force of her personality, even 50 years after her death, elbows its way into almost every conversation and every item of clothing.

“She designed for herself, even before becoming a designer. She went to the essentials. We always talk abut pockets which she introduced early on. They were not only decorative, they were also useful, and you see her often in photographs with her hands in her pockets. Being relaxed in public was a privilege of men, so this was radical in itself.”

The exhibition finishes, with Chanel’s last collection in 1971, long before the arrival of Karl Lagerfeld as creative director and current designer Virginie Viard. Gabrielle Chanel. Fashion Manifesto is about one woman’s talent. Other people, including her wealthy lovers have received enough credit over the years.

“Everyone seems to think that her achievements were because of a man in her life, which is offensive,” Arzalluz said. “We don’t talk about male artists in the same way. People think that she discovered jersey because of Boy Capel or tweed because of the Duke of Wellington. Give her some credit. She was extraordinary.”

Gabrielle Chanel. Fashion Manifesto exhibition from December 4 â€" April 25 at NGV International, Melbourne

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