the things i’d do to be a chanel girl…

Chanel has a cult following. And rightfully so.

It’s Chanel. C h a n e l . The one and only fashion house which everyone undoubtedly knows of, and can spot its [easily and illegally reproducible] double C logo. The brain child of Gabrielle Coco Chanel, and now under the reign of Karl Lagerfeld. You can’t quite help but be sucked into the hype and [happily] fettered by the chains of their classic 2.55 quilted handbags and a whiff of the only perfume (need I even say the Chanel No. 5?) a woman should ever wear. Even if you tried resisting the magnetic pull of the Chanel-obssesed cult of the fashion world. You’d fail, miserably, and rather painfully. There is no use in trying to avoid the sequined hot shorts and Jade nail varnish from the Spring/Summer collection of 2009 (I think); believe me. Personal experience never lies.

But seriously. The things I’d do to wander through Coco’s home, to be Betty and Shini, to flip through Karl Lagerfeld’s sketchbook and inspiration notes, to saunter the streets of Paris eating delicate macarons from paper bags carrying a cream-colored 2.55 in the crook of my arm. I’d sip café au lait from the shoppe on the corner below my apartment, leaving lipstick stains from my Rouge Coco, and nibbling on croissants du chocolat whilst flipping through French Vogue. Ah, c’est la vie.

{ image source: g o o g l e s e a r c h i m a g e s }

Anyway. This advert is perhaps one of my favorite Chanel has ever done for its cosmetics line; Vanessa Paradis looks absolutely stunning in this campaign. I’m beyond obsessed with this particular shot – it’s a breath of fresh air: feminine, effortless, sensual, yet effervescent and whimsical at the same time. Amazing, isn’t it, how the one image can capture the very essence of both Chanel and the French woman impeccably so. From the simple updo – sophisticated, chic, and effortless – to the flawless complexion and makeup, au naturel.

I really am infatuated with this advert. I can’t stop admiring it, even as I write this. I want it hanging by my vanity, to inspire and remind me of this innately fabulous and carefree French woman where sensuality is achieved without much effort. I’m quite enamored with the light dusting of a taupe shadow (NARS’ Bali eyeshadow, perhaps?) over the lids paired with mascara – liner would only darken and make heavy the look. And that lipstick. Incroyable. I need it.

Which shade is she wearing? Could it be No. 5 (five is the lucky number, after all), Mademoiselle? Let me know. Even though I’d buy Mademoiselle just for the name (and color, of course)…

♥

bisous,

La C.