Opened in September 2013, the inside-chanel.com website uses short documentaries to retrace the history of Gabrielle Chanel and her iconic creations, such as the N°5 perfume she created in 1921 presented in a simple laboratory bottle or the tweed jacket inspired by a masculine model that she launched in 1954 to give women complete freedom of movement. In the meantime, she designed her first and only collection of diamond jewellery, breaking away from her reputation of being the queen of costume jewellery laden with coloured pearls or crystals. Making the frames as light as possible, she acreated some amazingly supple gems inspired by ribbons, fringes, feathers and to a great extent, constellations. Today, the diamonds and symbols of that era remain an inexhaustible source of inspiration for the creation of both jewellery and watches. The clearest example of this is the Mademoiselle Privé watch collection which, among other decorative touches linked to the world of Chanel, summons the stars to light up its dials. It owes its name to the engraving on the door of Gabrielle Chanel’s workshop at the Rue Cambon, Paris.

Additionally, three chapters on the site, entitled “Coco”, “Mademoiselle” and “Gabrielle Chanel” summarise the designer’s life, her childhood in an orphanage, her thirst for freedom, her loves, her travels, her encounters and her influences.

In conclusion, the floor is given to Karl Lagerfeld, artistic director for the House of Chanel since 1983. In two short documentaries, “Coco by Karl” and “Chanel by Karl”, he shares with us his vision of the woman and her creations and explains to us how, in perpetuating her values, he renews a style that can be recognised anywhere.