ART DIRECTION: DIJANA SAVOR PHOTOGRAPH: EDWARD URRUTIAabrielle “Coco” Chanel rightly
earned her place in the
proverbial fashion hall of fame,
but she, like so many of us,
couldn’t have achieved such lofty levels of
success without her best friend by her side.
That friend was Misia Sert, née
Godebska, a Russian beauty once called
the Queen of Paris. She was both patron
and muse to some of the greatest artists
of the early 20th century (Coco included)
and counted Cocteau and Picasso,
Stravinsky and Nijinsky among her closest
friends. She also clocked up three husbands
in her 78 years, but her most enduring and
enriching relationship was undoubtedly
her friendship with Chanel.
Through Sert, Chanel encountered great
artists, but was also introduced to the
magical world of the Ballet Russes, the
itinerant French ballet company that
performed until 1929. It was also Sert who
suggested the idea of a Chanel fragrance,
and thus the idea for Number 5 was born.
Now, almost a century later, the house of
Chanel is paying its respects to Coco’s
long-standing BFF with the release of
Misia, the latest addition to the collection
of Les Exclusifs de Chanel. Misia is the
debut fragrance from the maison’s new
perfume director Olivier Polge, son of
Jacques Polge, who held the coveted post
from 1978 until January this year.G
WORDS: ALICE CAVANAGHCher
ami
Behind every great WOMAN
is often another, so in his
first creation for the French
house, Olivier POLGE gives
rise to Chanel’s confidant.▲Chanel Les
Exclusifs de
Chanel Misia
EDT, 200ml
for $350.116 – MAY 2015vogue BEAUTY