In the age of the internet, the word ‘iconic’ peppers conversations with ever-increasing frequency. The irony is, there’s not much that actually warrants use of the word.
But some things simply demand it. Case in point? The – yes – iconic CHANEL handbag.
There is no other word to describe the staying power of a CHANEL handbag, which are as undeniably chic and modern today as they were decades ago, when back in 1955, Coco Chanel made handbag history with the creation of the iconic 2.55.
In homage to the CHANEL bag’s perfect balance of classic and modern, CHANEL’s new Iconic Handbag campaign draws inspiration from French cinematic history. A tribute to Claude Lelouch’s 1966 film A Man and a Woman – a story of spine-tingling lust and desire – the campaign brings together two icons of cinema themselves: Penélope Cruz and Brad Pitt.
“I think it was a revolutionary film visually,” says Cruz. “Then you later find out about how hard it was for them to make it, on such a small budget. I think there were only 10-15 people in the crew. You can only do something like that when you have his kind of talent. I think it was such a modern film for its time and always will be. Some kids will be discovering this film and saying, ‘My God, this is so cool and so modern.’ At the same time, it is very deep in terms of how Claude deals with that love story. It’s not just that it’s so visually rich, it has so many layers. It’s just a great film from start to finish.”
“The more you know about how they are made and what it takes, the more you value the effort and the talent. I think that’s why wearing a CHANEL bag can make you feel that way. It’s everything that is behind it – creating something new all the time, but at the same time, keeping the essence of CHANEL 100% intact.”
Penélope Cruz
It’s a film, says Cruz, that will never not be modern. “It’s impossible” she says, attributing that to Lelouch’s unique eye and talent. “It’s what we were talking about in terms of Claude Lelouch’s vision, his eye. It is a very modern film, the way he showed it, and there is a lot of unexpected decisions in terms of where he put the camera. I think all his films are like this, but here it’s even more so because of the choices of how to shoot the car races, some times he hides the camera in really unexpected places, and I love that. That’s what makes a director unique and original and special,” she adds.
The same could be said of the iconic bag it features. In the original film, the bag worn by star Anouk Aimée was her own favourite CHANEL, which she wore both on and off screen. And the similarities don’t end there. A Man and A Woman was set in the seaside resort of Deauville; the very same Deauville in which Mademoiselle Chanel opened her hat boutique in 1912. “I’m falling in love with Deauville,” says Cruz.
A classic film and an iconic bag, with a shared lineage – to Cruz, this collaboration was meant to be. “I love working with CHANEL,” she says. “Over the years we’ve done many exciting things together. But when they told me this was the story for this campaign, I could not believe it.”
The campaign, photographed and directed by Inez & Vinoodh, brings French sensuality to life in black and white. The result is as timeless as the bag itself, as modern today as it was on screen in 1966.
“I feel very lucky wearing these pieces,” says Cruz, who wears the 11.12 handbag in the campaign. Just like making films, “The more you know about how they are made and what it takes, the more you value the effort and the talent. I think that’s why wearing a CHANEL bag can make you feel that way. It’s everything that is behind it – creating something new all the time, but at the same time, keeping the essence of CHANEL 100% intact.”
The new campaign in a word? ICONIC.
To find out more about the CHANEL Iconic Handbag campaign, go to chanel.com
