The boutique at 18 Place Vendôme is an apt reflection of the brand's identity. Facing the Ritz, where Gabrielle Chanel once lived, it embodies a very symbolic journey from 1932 to 2022. The store’s reopening also coincides with the 90th anniversary of the brand’s first-ever high jewellery collection, Bijoux de Diamants, which was unveiled by Gabrielle Chanel in her private apartment in 1932.
To celebrate last year’s 100th anniversary of its N°5 perfume, Chanel dreamt up a 55.55-carat diamond necklace inspired by the fragrance’s iconic bottle. Carved from a 170-carat rough stone, the jewel took over a year to shape and polish before it could be mounted onto a custom-made setting. Fast forward to today and the necklace, which is not for sale, is on permanent display at the fashion house’s newly renovated flagship boutique at 18 Place Vendôme.
“18 Place Vendôme is more than just a boutique,” says Frédéric Grangié, Chanel’s president of watches and fine jewellery. “Creation lies at the heart of what we do at Chanel and it was important to us that we offer a space that could do justice to the full spectrum of the savoir-faire of the house.”
Space dedicated to Fine Jewellery and High Jewellery. In the centre: "LA Borne" in bronze by Joahan Creten, 2011. (Photo: Courtesy of Chanel)
Chanel acquired the three-story townhouse in 1997 to showcase its expanding watches and jewellery collections. Just a stone’s throw away from the townhouse is the Ritz Paris where Gabrielle Chanel lived for 34 years, in a suite on the second floor decorated with gilded lions and coromandel screens. “The boutique at 18 Place Vendôme is at the heart of our [Chanel’s] story,” explains Grangié. “Facing the Ritz, where Gabrielle Chanel once lived, it [the boutique] embodies a very symbolic journey from 1932 to 2022.” New York-based architect Peter Marino spearheaded the renovation of 18 Place Vendôme, which has had its retail surface doubled to 10,600 square feet. Describing Marino’s work as “fantastic”, Grangié adds: “Peter Marino is so knowledgeable about the history of Chanel as well as this building, which he previously reimagined in 2007. He has spent countless hours exploring every facet of what 18 Place Vendôme represents for the house today.”
Space dedicated to Fine Jewellery and High Jewellery. In the centre: "LA Borne" in bronze by Joahan Creten, 2011. (Photo: Courtesy of Chanel)
Photo: Courtesy of Chanel
First floor, space dedicated to watchmaking and fine watchmaking. On the left" "Hemada Low" table by Jean-Luc Le Mounier (Photo: Courtesy of Chanel)
Second floor, two suites of Japanese flowers and lotus leaves in gilded wood with bronze vases. XIXe century (Photo: Courtesy of Chanel)
Second floor, Salon Vendôme (Photo: Courtesy of Chanel)
Photo: Courtesy of Chanel
Tweed-patterned carpets soaked in beige and umber complement a grand staircase that’s inlaid with bronze and rock crystal panels. Works of art include a collage of camellias—Gabrielle’s signature flower—by Peter Dayton and a bronze column from Johan Creten. A one-of-a-kind bust by American artist Joel Morrison, titled Coco Chandelier, playfully depicts the couturier with a double C as a nose ring. When it comes to Chanel’s Place Vendôme flagship, it’s what’s on the inside that counts.
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