I don't tend to post about bereavements of fashion figures unless I was truly moved/shocked to of someone's passing. I don't particularly want to make a habit of it either as it will all surface up on the major fash news sites. However the death of Jacques Helleu (Chanel's artistic director) on Friday at the age of 69 was something of a shock as apparently he was battling a long illness. It baffles me as he looked so at ease when us bloggers went to Chanel headquarters to meet him less than three weeks ago. Without it sounding like a trite tribute, his personality and charisma shone in that half an hour that we were with him. Hilariously, his mobile kept ringing with presumably his wife on the line and he picked it up and shouted 'Impossible!', obviously dismissing his Mrs with humour. I feel even more honoured that I had a chance to meet him and talk to him. Enough about the tears though as it's best to just view his artistic choices. The adverts You Tube unearthed range from the sublime to the OTT to the cheesy (in a good brie kind of way as opposed to cheddar...). If you want subtle, you won't find it in Chanel perfume adverts...
Ines de la Fressange for me embodied 'Coco' but according to Helleu, she was quite difficult to direct but who knows...? I love the way she bursts into the opera house.
Have you seen a funnier advert for male fragrance? This is the 1990 advert for Egoiste.
I've posted this 1992 Coco advert starring Vanessa Paradis but I absolutely love the composition and structure of this one with a 'Coco' figure making an appearance at the end.
This c. 2000 Chanel No.5 advert probably had the biggest impact on me visually as I saw it enough times when I used to go to the cinema during my teens. It stars Estella Warren and is backed with Danny Elfman's famous Edward Scissorhands soundtrack (does Elfman's music not send shivers up your spine in a good way?)
I wasn't really keen on Nicole Kidman's Moulin Rouge-extension Chanel No. 5 advert, and given that I love Baz Luhrman, I was a little miffed. But hey, it did the trick and Helleu did get it right there...
The latest Coco Mademoiselle advert starring Keira Knightley and directed by Joe Wright which we spoke in-depth about with Mr Helleu...
