£6 I ISSUE 46 MAR/APR 2015
GISELE X CHANEL
G ise l e b ü n d c h e n x c h a n e l N o. 5 ‘Revolutionary, changing women’s relationship’s with their bodies and their ways of life’
“M
adame Gabriel Chanel is above all an artist in living. Her dresses, her perfume, are created with a faultless instinct for drama. Her perfume No.5 is like the soft music that underlies the playing of a love scene” (Chanel, 2015). Choosing to be photographed as the wearer of her fragrance in its first campaign, Chanel changed the face of fragrance advertising and the modern day woman as we knew it. Established in 1910, in just under a decade, Chanel was fast becoming one of the most sought out fashion houses. Radicalising fashion and introducing a female sportswear range in 1913, described on the Chanel website as, ‘revolutionary, changing women’s relationship’s with their bodies and their ways of life’ (Chanel, 2015). This is an attribute Chanel wished to portray through her iconic scent, Chanel No.5. With its first un-official release in 1921, it was a fragrance moving away from the normality of everyday life and offering women a modernised scent, in-keeping with the current fashion movement of the time. The fashion industry found women embracing a new style, taking comfort over formality and suddenly sporting the ‘garconne look’; a boyish style and a revolution in women’s glamour. (glamourdaze, 2014).
TEXT BECKY MURPHY
Fig1.
Coco Chanel was an empowering woman. Her strength and determination is found in the heart of Chanel, with her ultimate focus being on timelessness and sophisticated elegance. In a recent interview, Baz Luhrmann speaks about the iconic brand saying, “That’s what I love most about Chanel - it comes from an actual person and the things that she felt and that were real to her. She really changed fashion.” (Vanityfair, 2014) I find this quote in-keeping wth the campaign under discussion, Chanel No.5 S/S 2015 film campaign staring Gisele Bündchen and Michiel Huisman. The big idea behind the campaign is still centered around fashion and fantasy however this short film, directed by Luhrmann, aims to highlight the real women of today and their struggles of juggling hectic lifestyles. WWD state that Chanel’s choice of casting is down to Bündchen’s “natural beauty and modern femininity,” (WWD, 2014), whilst Baz Luhrmann states, “it’s never so much about the fragrance itself but about the woman who wears that fragrance”, “Gisele is the Chanel woman—she’s being crowned as the woman that represents Chanel No. 5 now.” (Vanityfair, 2014). The 2004 campaign staring Nicole Kidman in a Moulin Rouge inspired short film, set in a past time New York, focuses on an established actress who finds herself in a love affair, leaving the romanticised life style for her
fig2.
role as a successful career driven woman. This is a vast contrast to the ideas depicted in the new 2015 campaign, in which we see Bündchen in a very different set change, epitomising all the conflicts a modern day woman may face in her day-to-day lifestyle. As the print edition of the campaign is yet to be released, I have selected a number of strong stills to accompany my analysis. Using Roland Barthes’ theory of semiotics (Barthes, 1957), I am able to deconstruct the image and highlight particular aspects that have worked together harmoniously when creating the big idea behind this campaign. Figure 2 successfully embodies all areas of the short film. At first inspection we see a sophisticated, well-dressed female who is the main focal point of the image, filling the majority of the frame. It appears she is focusing on something out of frame, leaving the viewer to decide whom that may be; her facial expression exudes determination and excitement, leading us to believe she is looking at her loved one. Her powerful stance and expression has been further exaggerated through the use of a low camera angle, in contrast to Laura Mulvey’s theory of the male gaze (Mulvey, 1975). We see the female almost de-sexualised through this chosen angle, as the focal point has been taken away from her body and onto her face. This has also been strongly lit, highlighting Bündchen’s incredibly angled facial structure.
The styling of this image encompasses the classic Chanel style. Bündchen is adorning the iconic ‘little black dress’, (figure 3) which made its debut in May 1926, with a pen and ink drawing, by designer Coco Chanel, (fashionencyclopedia, 2015). Buxhaum stated that, “It represents modernism in its rejection of sentimentality, feminism in its dignity, and individualism in its resistance to blending in with the colourful mass of humanity” (Buxhaum, pg41). This quote encapsulates the meaning behind the campaign, focusing on modern femininity in a new and refreshing way. Buxhaum also stated “Fashion consultants have for decades hailed the little black dress as a slimming garment, as a bridge between day and evening wear, and as the ideal backdrop for accessories” (Buxhaum, pg41). The addition of accessories is an area of styling that is of high importance in this shot, exaggerating the glamour present, whilst simultaneously connoting elegance and wealth.
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“It represents modernism in its rejection of sentimentality,
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feminism in its dignity, and individualism in its resistance to blending in with the colourful mass of humanity” The choice of casting and location within this campaign has worked together perfectly, composing the identity of the modern day Chanel woman, whilst still paying homage to Coco herself. The inspirational settings ranging from the opening surf scene in Fiji (figure 6), to the classic Brooklyn Bridge setting, similarly found in The Great Gatsby. The location I found the most inspiring is the one in which we see Bündchen appearing in figure 2. A 1920’s art deco theme is strong throughout, apparent mostly in the interior decoration (figure 4). As stated by Rosalind Ormiston “It symbolised elegance, wealth and luxury, opulent ornamentation and modernity available not just for the rich but middle class, too” (Ormiston, pg64). The campaign is successful in exuding decadence and elegance; the casting choice of Gisele Bündchen modernised the campaign whilst still retaining the classic origin and historic values of the brand. I found the quote above encompassed everything the campaign and fragrance strives to achieve in its target consumer. Word Count: 975
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References
Bibliography
Books
Books
Barthes, R., 1967. The Death of the Author.
Ormiston, R., 2014. 50 art movements. Munich, London, New York: Prestel Publishing
Mulvey, L., 1975. Visual pleasure and narrative cinema. Influential British film theory journal Screen. Buxaum, G., 2011. Icons of fashion. Munich, London, New York: Prestel Publishing Buxaum, G., 2011. Icons of fashion. Munich, London, New York: Prestel Publishing Haye, A. and Tobin, S., 1994. Chanel, The Couturiere At Work. London: The Victoria & Albert Museum. Ormiston, R., 2014. 50 art movements. Munich, London, New York: Prestel Publishing Baudot, F., 1996. Chanel. London: Thames and Hudson Ltd. Websites
Barthes, R., 1967. The Death Of the Author.
Mulvey, L., 1975. Visual pleasure and narrative cinema. InfluChanel, 2015. Chanel No.5 Advertising: The Many ential British film theory journal Screen. Faces of Chanel. Available at: http://inside.chanel.com/ en/no5. [Last accessed 24th Mar 2015]. Tóth, Mike, D’Amato, Jennie., 2003. Fashion Icons: The Influence and Power of Graphics Design. Gloucester: Rockport. Chanel, 2015. Inside Chanel: Timeline. Available at: http://inside.chanel.com/en/timeline/1913_deauville. Leymarie, J., 1987. Chanel. New York: Skira/Rizzoli [Last accessed 23rd Mar 2015]. Koda, H., Bolton, A., Garelick, R., 2005. Chanel. London: Metropolitan Museum of Modern Art. Stevie McGlinchey, 2014. The Evolution of the 1920s Silhouette. Available at: http://glamourdaze.com/ Zelanski, P., 1999. Colour. London: Herbert history-of-womens-fashion/1920-to-1929#key-styles. Last accessed 25th Mar 2015 Websites SunHee Grinnell, 2014. A Conversation With Baz http://www.vogue.co.uk/beauty/2014/10/14/chanel-no5-camLuhrmann. Available at: http://www.vanityfair.com/ style/2014/09/a-conversation-with-baz-luhrmann-on- paign-with-gisele-bundchen https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=lauren+bacallchanel-no-5-s-the-one-that-i-want#6. Last accessed famous+hair&client=safari&rls=en&biw=1280&bi23rd Mar 2015. h=660&source=lnms&sa=X&ei=QRAOVYXoBILoaubegRosemary Feitelberg & Jennifer Weil, 2014. Baz Luhrmann and Gisele Bündchen Take Five. Available at: http://wwd.com/fashion-news/fashion-scoops/bazand-gisele-take-five-7692136/. [Last accessed 22nd Mar 2015]. Fashion Encyclopedia, 2015. The Little Black Dress. Available at: http://www.fashionencyclopedia.com/ fashion_costume_culture/Modern-World-1930-1945/ Little-Black-Dress.html. [Last accessed 21st Mar 2015]. Images Fig 1- http://www.vogue.co.uk/beauty/2014/10/14/ chanel-no5-campaign-with-gisele-bundchen Fig 2-http://www.vogue.co.uk/beauty/2014/10/14/ chanel-no5-campaign-with-gisele-bundchen Fig 3- http://www.fabaudrey.com/tag/little-blackdress-2/ Fig 4-http://www.vogue.co.uk/beauty/2014/10/14/ chanel-no5-campaign-with-gisele-bundchen Fig 5- http://www.vogue.com.au/beauty/news/ the+first+teaser+images+of+gisele+bundchens+chanel+no+5+campaign+are+here,33641
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