Screen Time

Chanel has unveiled a new high jewellery collection inspired by the coromandel screens in Gabrielle Chanel’s apartment. Terence Lim snagged the rare chance to peek into its jewellery workshop to understand the creative process behind the Coromandel collection

There we stood on place Vendôme in Paris, awed by the Vendôme Column and the plethora of venerable luxury watchmakers and jewellers flanking the monument. But one brand stood out in the square—fashion house Chanel, one that is among the strongest and most influential today. But instead of stocking its iconic 2.55 bags or tweed jackets, 18 Place Vendôme focuses solely on watches and jewellery, a part of the maison’s business that it is slowly but steadily growing. (Its Rue Cambon flagship is a mere 5min walk away.) As we walked through the gilded doors of the boutique, we were greeted by showcases stocked with various beautiful iterations of the Boy.friend and Premiere watches, and the highly popular Coco Crush jewellery pieces. Business was thriving with sales staff kept busy by the incessant flow of tourists and customer enquiries. But today’s visit was for a different purpose. Along with the official launch of the Coromandel high jewellery collection, we were given the rare opportunity to visit Chanel’s jewellery workshop at Place Vendôme, where the pieces are crafted and manufactured. Here are our takeaways after spending an afternoon in the atelier.