For Gabrielle Chanel, Paris in the 1920s was imbued with Russian influence as post-revolution émigrés became lovers and friends. Fascinated with their culture and glamorous Slavic style, Coco Chanel created numerous Russian-inspired collections — visions of Russia by Gabrielle Chanel.

Now, Chanel launches a High Jewellery collection inspired by this rich and storied time of opulent Russian influence. The Aigle Protecteur necklace pays tribute to Mademoiselle&#39;s vision of Russian Paris. Crafted in platinum and diamonds, the two-headed eagle keeps watch over the rare shield-cut diamonds and sparkling rows of briolette-cut diamonds. Named after a popular style of dress worn by Russian women, the Sarafane necklace and earrings are inspired by the Russian embroidery that Mademoiselle incorporated into her collections. The necklace&#39;s camellia motif is crafted from diamonds and pearls and centered around a stunning 10.18-carat round-cut diamond that&#39;s colorless and internally flawless. Integral to the creation of Gabrielle Chanel&#39;s Russian-inspired collections was Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna. While exiled to Paris during the Russian revolution, the Grand Duchess and her brother, the Grand Duke Dmitri, met Gabrielle Chanel&mdash;the latter became a love affair; the former, an entrepreneurial endeavor.

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Enthralled with traditional Russian influences and surrounded by Russian lovers and friends, Mademoiselle commissioned the Grand Duchess to create embroidery for her collections&mdash;a reinterpretation of folk motifs and traditional Russian styles, as seen through the lens of Gabrielle Chanel. This marked the beginning of an exclusive partnership between the two women: an embroidery atelier called Kitmir.

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Gabrielle Chanel once declared, &quot;I&#39;ve never done things by halves,&quot; and her passsion for all things Russian was no exception. After her love affair with the Grand Duke Dmitri, Mademoiselle created CUIR DE RUSSIE, a fragrance that evoked their romance and scented the air of the CHANEL boutique on Rue Cambon, where exiled Russian aristocrats became sales associates and models. Lending authenticity to Mademoiselle&#39;s Russian-inspired creations, these Slavic beauties became a living embodiment of Chanel&#39;s vision of Russia.

Le Paris Russe de Chanel

The Russian Paris of Gabrielle Chanel

L'OFFICIEL Latvija #135

L’OFFICIEL BALTIC #41

The Russian Paris of Gabrielle Chanel

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