On the Rue Cambon, Chanel No. 5 was sprayed every morning when the doors opened. It was the aroma of a boudoir, of love. And of a hive: at Chanel, every bee worked in the service of the queen. The saleswomen wore black, and the workers and the models between fittings wore white overalls. And both the customers and “la patronne” wore a tweed outfit which “Mademoiselle” insisted on calling a “suit.” It has been copied countless times but never matched. Her employees were like an army ready to march at the slightest gesture from its general. Mademoiselle... To my knowledge, there was only one other like her in French history: the cousin of Louis XIV, who had the nerve to fire cannons on the king’s army. She was called La Grande Mademoiselle. Mine was hardly grand. Some called her Coco, remembering the sparrow she once had been. I would never have thought of it. Mademoiselle was a queen indeed.

Willy Rizzo died on February 25, 2013.

Read the full article on the French version of Le Journal.

Willy Rizzo - Les Instants Chanel
From March 6th to May 15th, 2013
Studio Willy Rizzo
12 rue de Verneuil
75007 Paris
France
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contact@willyrizzo.com
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