Throughout her lifetime, Coco Chanel championed artists such as Sergei Diaghilev, Pablo Picasso, Man Ray, and Marcel Duchamp. Fast forward to today, and the prestigious house celebrates its relationships with contemporary art with a beautiful new book dedicated to one of the most important French artists Chanel has collaborated with, Xavier Veilhan.

Xavier Veilhan / Chanel, Haute Couture Shows is published by Flammarion and 7L and reflects on the creative synergies between the artist and Chanel’s visual identity through fashion shows, films and sets. With texts and interviews by Françoise Claire Prodhon who has led and contributed to other titles such as Culture Chanel and Liaigre Création, the book is a must-have which oscillates between personal interviews, textile pages and incredible layouts.

“I first met Xavier Veilhan, some twenty years ago, when he staged Chanel’s “Eléments célestes” collection of Haute Jewellery. I had long desired to work with him, having been familiar with his interests, notably his penchant for Constructivism and geometric shapes, which remind me of Karl Lagerfeld’s artistic obsessions.” Virginie Viard writes in the foreword. The interconnections are based on a shared fascination with music, which plays a large role in the lives of both Viard and Veilhan.

Since the late 1980s, Xavier Veilhan has produced a body of work that spans the full spectrum of media. The artist, who represented France at the Biennale di Venezia in 2017, is influenced by formal classicism, sound, and advanced technology. His works challenge our understanding our perception of reality. His inspiration is the perfect match for Chanel.

This book traces this work by presenting preparatory drawings, collages, and pictures of the collections as well as pictures of the Haute Couture presentations at 31, rue Cambon and the Maisons d’art at le19M, thereby revealing the depth and wealth of an unprecedented dialogue in which a fashion designer and a contemporary artist share a creative vision.

The book closes with a portfolio titled Journey. It features images given to guests of the Fall-Winter 2022/2023 Haute Couture show made of stills from a film in which Veilhan cast friends of the house. Sébastien Tellier, Vivienne Rohner, Charlotte Casiraghi are all featured in vibrant surrealist moments.

A unique opportunity to see three Haute Couture runway presentations created in collaboration Veilhan is the real chance of this fantastic new title. Veilhan was given the task of creating the sets for three Haute Couture shows: Spring-Summer 2022, Fall-Winter 2022/23, and Spring-Summer 2023. This unusually extended ‘dialogue’ with former creative director Virgie Viard, led to a unique visual tale that combines the infinite talent of Viard with Veilhan’s poetic imagination. Discovering his vision of the Chanel galaxy is a truly immersive experience this book showcases so well!

This retrospective books gives readers an opportunity to go behind-the-scenes and see every phase of the creative work for the shows. Preliminary sketches, scenes from the short films, and trailers, pictures of the sets and runway performances are all there.

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