Chanel fêted the launch of its new high jewelry collectsion, Reach For The Stars, at Shogunzuka Seiryuden—a temple on the mountaintop of Higashiyama high above the city of Kyoto—Tuesday evening. The celebration was punctuated with a heart-pounding traditional Japanese taiko drum performance and a drone show, with constellations morphing into icons of the brand: comets, lion heads, and the newest symbol, a wing.
The 109-piece collectsion marries centuries-old Japanese craftsmanship with French savior-faire. A suite of five wing brooches incorporates the work of lacquer master Mr. Okada with delicate diamonds and fine gemstones; a striking collar necklace showcases the technique of double-set diamonds that give the impression of floating on the skin; and variations of gold polishing and chiseling create a lifelike statue of Coco Chanel herself atop a secret clock. At the welcome cocktail Monday evening at Daitoku-ji Ohbai-on, a buddhist zen temple, craftsmanship was on display with calligraphers and origamists creating bespoke pieces for guests in real time.
As with all Chanel High Cheap Replica Handbags collectsions, the basis for Reach For The Stars stems from the life of Chanel herself. This time her quote: “If you were born without wings, do nothing to prevent them from growing,” provided the impetus for the collectsion. The pieces are statement-making and intended for red carpet moments—an extension of Chanel’s first and only high jewelry collectsion in 1932. “Maybe it’s a more classic theme in a way, but at the same time it’s a very bold and sophisticated approach to the glamorous style of Chanel,” said Dorothée Saintville, the brand’s International Product Marketing Director of Watches and Fine Cheap Replica Handbags.
Japanese craftsmanship was a longtime focus of the late Creative Director of Chanel fine and high jewelry, Patrice Leguéreau, who started this collectsion before he passed away late last year. Saintville stepped in to join President of Watches and Fine Cheap Replica Handbags Frederic Grangié to shepherd this collectsion to fruition and continue to drive the creative vision and expansion of Chanel High Cheap Replica Handbags.
A hero piece of the collectsion features a significant padparadscha sapphire. The stone’s intense, warm pink tone with hints of orange and yellow embodies Leguéreau’s intention to capture the sensation of golden hour, explained Saintville. “When Patrice thought about this collectsion he said: ‘I imagine pieces kissed by the light of the sun at sunrise or sunset.’ ” Imagination, romance, and modernism mark this new collectsion and the inclusion of wings expands its lexicon. “There is no rule [of the introduction of new symbols],” added Saintville, “it’s part of the endless reinterpretation of our DNA.”