Tweed. The multi-toned Scottish fabric is stitched into the design language of Chanel, but how to represent its ever-changing colours with gems? “My dream was to create a tweed set with precious stones,” says Patrice Leguéreau, director of the Fine Jewellery Creation Studio, of the 63 new “Tweed de Chanel” high jewellery pieces he has created.
Coco Chanel fell in love with tweed when she visited the Scottish Highlands with her lover the Duke of Westminster in the 1920s. She was photographed wearing one of the duke’s tweed jackets and admired how its practicality and comfort provided a soft armour against the harsh Scottish climate. Chanel soon transported the outdoor fabric to the couture ateliers of Paris and crafted it into her signature suits. Leguéreau has reproduced its suppleness, weave and subtle colour changes in glittering gems. The savoir faire is spectacular. His atelier has crafted ingenious articulations, minuscule hinges and rings in gold and platinum thread, enabling the jewellery to be worn with the comfort and fluidity of cloth.
Using gemstones in gradients of colour and size to create the texture of tweed, the pieces appear embroidered, fringed, laced with openwork or woven just like a precious fabric.
Issue 71 of 10 Magazine – FASHION, ICON, DEVOTEE – is on newsstands September 7. Pre-order your copy here. For the reveal of the inaugural issue of 10 USA, click here.
CHANEL HIGH JEWELLERY: TWEED BLAZE
Photographers ANTOINE AND CHARLIE
Fashion Editor SOPHIA NEOPHITOU
Text CLAUDIA CROFT
Model HODY YIM at Milk Model Management
Hair HIROSHI MATSUSHITA using Oribe
Make-up PEP GAY at MA+ Group using AW 2023 Collection Equinoxe de CHANEL and CHANEL Hydra Beauty Micro Crème Yeux
Manicurist SASHA GODDARD at Saint Luke Artists using CHANEL Le Vernis in Ballerina and CHANEL La Crème Main
Fashion assistants SONYA MAZURYK, BELLA KOOPMAN and CHRISSIE TRAPPL Hair assistant MAIKO KOMORI
Make-up assistant JURI YAMANAKA
Casting SIX WOLVES
Production ZAC APOSTOLOU
