Crushing on Coco

Chanel’s flirty new line of rings and bracelets brings the art of quilting to the modern age

Coco Chanel loved quilting so much that she made it famous with her 2.55 handbags. This year, Chanel fine jewellery line pays homage to the well-known matelassé pattern with a fun collection of cuffs and stackable rings called Coco Crush.

Chanel first fell in love with the quilted design in the early 1900s when she visited the stables of her friend Etienne Balsan, a horse owner and breeder. Mademoiselle would ride—chicly attired, of course— taking note of the comfortable, padded quilting used in saddle cloths, horse blankets and grooms’ jackets.

Quilting debuted on the Chanel runway in the 1920s, employed initially as a textural contrast for linings, collars and cuffs, and then worked into dresses and robes. The diamond checkerboard print also popped up in collections of the 1930s. Quilting became an integral part of the Chanel look, from the handbags, to the tweed jacket, shoes, and sunglasses and even in eye shadow palettes. It would also be highlighted in fine jewellery featuring twinkling pave stones in the place of the stitches on a golden framework, or set with another house icon, pearls.

With Coco Crush, five rings and a broad cuff bracelet are crafted in 18K white or yellow gold in a stylised quilted pattern. The design is simple, modern and wearable, echoing the spirit of refinement that has always defined the house of Chanel.