• Fashion
  • Beauty
  • Watches & Jewellery
  • Culture
  • SUSTAINABILITY
  • Female TV
  • Fashion
  • Beauty
  • Watches & Jewellery
  • Culture
  • SUSTAINABILITY
  • FemaleTV
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
Subscribe Now!
  • Also available at:
Privacy Menu 1
  • About Us
  • Advertise with Us
  • Contact
  • Conditions of Access
  • PDPA
  • Privacy Policy
SPH Media

MCI (P) 032/12/2022. Published by SPH Media Limited, Co. Regn. No. 202120748H. Copyright © 2023 SPH Media Limited. All rights reserved.

  • Fashion
  • Beauty
  • Watches & Jewellery
  • Culture
  • SUSTAINABILITY
  • Female TV

Fashion

How Coco Chanel Changed The Way We Wear Costume Jewellery

Generic selectors
Exact matches only
Search in title
Search in content
Post Type Selectors
Generic selectors
Exact matches only
Search in title
Search in content
Post Type Selectors
Fashion

How Coco Chanel Changed The Way We Wear Costume Jewellery

A crash course on how one woman made wearing costume jewellery a part of our style vocabulary.

by IMRAN JALAL  /   May 24, 2020

In a way, all of us – from the fashion peacock to the intellectual dresser – have Gabrielle Chanel to thank for when it comes to how we accessorise today. For had it not been for her rule-breaking ways, wearing costume jewellery would still be considered a faux pas; they were once deemed as being only for women who couldn’t afford the real thing. Yeap, people were judgey back then.

Fast forward to 2020 and the market for bijoux – as costume jewellery is also called – is a voracious one with some designs crossing the four-figure mark. According to a report released by Reportlinker in February this year, the global market for costume jewellery is projected to grow by US$11.3 billion (S$16.0 billion) this year and reach over US$17.9 billion (S$25.3 billion) by 2025.

Portrait of Gabrielle Chanel in her costume jewellery finery. Photo: The Cecil Beaton Studio/Archive at Sotheby’s

Chanel upended the conservative approach to how and what jewellery should be worn during her time when she started pairing precious jewellery pieces with the faux stuff. It was her way of confusing others and a gave her a provocative delight in dressing up. By the 1920s, the first Chanel bijoux designs started appearing in stores, marking the time costume jewellery started becoming in vogue.

While her brand of ready-to-wear is synonymous with understated elegance, Chanel’s personal taste for jewellery could not be more different. She revelled in bijoux that were flashy and multi-faceted with designs that featured a profusion of stones, faux pearls and precious metals such as vermeil and bronze. She drew inspiration from her circle of bohemian friends and developed a taste for opulence by piling on her necklaces and sautoirs and layering her brooches and cuff bracelets – something the street style crowd of today has perfected.

“Costume jewellery isn’t made to provoke desire, just astonishment at most. It must remain an ornament and an amusement.” – Gabrielle Chanel

Chanel and Duke Fulco di Vedura – her head of jewellery design – loosely based the house’s iconic Maltese cross motif on the star of the Knights of Malta. The motif continues to be reinterpreted until today.

She famously declared: “Costume jewellery isn’t made to provoke desire, just astonishment at most. It must remain an ornament and an amusement.” Her pieces highlighted the function of the ‘costume’ in costume jewellery: bijoux were considered finishing touches for an outfit. For instance, her iconic cuff bracelets were meant to replace the cuff of a shirt, while a jewelled belt served to embellish the waist, and a cleverly placed brooch could alter the way a dress fell.

Gabrielle Chanel’s taste for opulence – by piling on her necklaces and sautoirs and layering her brooches and cuff bracelets – is something the street style crowd of today has perfected. Photos: Showbit.com

The imprints left by the various collaborators that Chanel worked with also make the maison’s costume jewellery special. The Sicilian nobleman Duke Fulco di Verdura, with whom Chanel had a close friendship with, designed the brand’s iconic Maltese cross in 1927 which continues to make its appearance each season. Then there was jewellery designer Suzanne Gripoix who Chanel first approached for reproductions of Byzantine jewellery and maintained a working relationship with for years. For Chanel, Gripoix created a special irregular glass pearl to which she gave a mother-of-pearl sheen.

But it was the maison’s ties to the goldsmith Robert Goossens, which began in 1954, that has remained as the brand’s most high-profile one and has stood the test of time. That partnership saw Chanel expanding her repertoire of costume jewellery to include baroque-leaning designs, including the iconic “nest” earrings which remain a popular item among vintage hunters. Today, Goossens is one of the more than two dozen ateliers that specialise in the various metiers d’art for the house.

Now, remind us again who said wearing costume jewellery was a faux pas?

Related Articles

Watch Video: Calling All Chanel Jewellery Fans, Here's The 4-1-1 On The Maison's Camelia Jewellery

The Story Of Goossens, Jeweller To Chanel

The New Flossy Bling: The Boyfriend Chain

https://www.femalemag.com.sg/gallery/fashion/coco-chanel-costume-jewellery-history-cuff-goossens-chains/
How Coco Chanel Changed The Way We Wear Costume Jewellery
Coco Chanel at work in 1937. Her uniform of understated clothing was always completed with a profusion of stones, faux pearls and metals such as vermeil, plated metal and bronze.
image

Photo Roger Schall

Coco Chanel at work in 1937. Her uniform of understated clothing was always completed with a profusion of stones, faux pearls and metals such as vermeil, plated metal and bronze.
image

Photo Roger Schall

Before Jennifer Lawrence broke the Internet by wearing her necklace backwards at the Oscars in 2013, Mademoiselle Chanel was already styling her pearl necklaces in that way.
image

Photo Boris Lipnitzki/Roger Viollet

In this 1939 photo, Chanel demonstrated her flair for opulence when it came to her bijoux, layering necklaces and sautoirs together.
image
Photo George Hoyningen-Huene
One of Chanel's mantra when it came to wearing costume jewellery was to always mix things up by combining real gems with faux ones. Any guesses if Mademoiselle was wearing real pearls in this photograph taken in the Chanel atelier in 1962?
image

Photo Douglas Kirkland

Gabrielle Chanel began collaborating with the goldsmith Robert Goossens in 1954 which marked the start of a stronger baroque and Byzantine-inspired slant in the designs.
image

Photo Roger Schall

Virginie Viard continues the tropes of Chanel's costume jewellery today, punctuating designs with the double Cs, camellias, ribbons, pearls and chains interlaced with leather.
image
For Spring/Summer 2020, the house's signature chains interlaced with leather get a more street edge.
image
Expect fun pearl jewellery for Fall/Winter 2020, such as this cuff and bracelet which are adorned with tear drop-shaped resin baubles.
image
A graphic monochromatic take on the Maltese cross for Fall/Winter 2020.
image
A metal necklace with glass and strass from the Fall/Winter 2020 collection.
image
The warm gold hues of the Fall/Winter 2020 pieces call to mind vintage Chanel bijoux from the '80s.
image
The warm gold hues of the Fall/Winter 2020 pieces call to mind vintage Chanel bijoux from the '80s.
image
This Chanel No. 5-inspired design is from this year's Metiers d'art collection and features a embossed quilting effect on the pendant.
image
A statement choker from the Metiers d'art 2020 collection made from metal, glass, resin and strass.
image
  • TAGS:
  • bijoux
  • coco chanel
  • costume jewellery
  • gabrielle chanel
SHARE THIS ON

Trending

Fashion

Howl's Moving Castle Is The Star Of Loewe's Final Collaboration With Studio Ghibli

Fashion

At Fendi, A Poetic Art Project That Pays Homage To The Brand's Roman Roots

Fashion

We Asked The Fashionable Guests At Singapore Art Week 2023 What They're Wearing

Fashion

Bunny-Themed Bags To Tote Around For Your Chinese New Year House Visits

Fashion

A Sneak Preview At The Uniqlo U Spring Summer 2023 Collection

Fashion

We Say Yes To The Croissant Bag Craze

Fashion

In Singapore, Valentino Unveils A Surprise Tie-up With Artist Pinaree Sanpitak

Fashion

Malaysian Indie Label Ghostboy Debuts Its Biggest Chinese New Year Capsule Line

Fashion

Micro, Small And Tiny Hobo Bags Make For The Perfect Fashion Showpieces

Fashion

10 Heart Shaped Bags You Will Fall In Love With

Fashion

30 Best Buys From Lunar New Year Collections If You're Still Feeling Festive

Fashion

Yayoi Kusama Shows Why She's Fashion's Most Important Art Collaborator

Editor’s Picks
  • Fashion Howl's Moving Castle Is The Star Of Loewe's Final Collaboration With Studio G...
  • Fashion At Fendi, A Poetic Art Project That Pays Homage To The Brand's Roman Roots
  • Fashion We Asked The Fashionable Guests At Singapore Art Week 2023 What They're Wearing
  • Fashion Bunny-Themed Bags To Tote Around For Your Chinese New Year House Visits
  • Fashion A Sneak Preview At The Uniqlo U Spring Summer 2023 Collection
  • Fashion We Say Yes To The Croissant Bag Craze
Female Newsletter
Sign up for one of our free newsletters to receive the latest news, commentary and fashion features straight from FEMALE.

By signing up, you indicate that you have read and agreed with our Privacy Statement
Footer Menu
  • About Us
  • Advertise With Us
  • Contact Us
  • Conditions of Access
  • PDPA
  • Privacy Policy
SPH Media

MCI (P) 032/12/2022. Published by SPH Media Limited, Co. Regn. No. 202120748H. Copyright © 2023 SPH Media Limited. All rights reserved.