Coco Chanel retrospective at London's V&A Museum breaks presale records

The Victoria & Albert Museum in London is hosting a major retrospective of Gabrielle 'Coco' Chanel, featuring over 200 original creations spanning 60 years from 1909 to 1971. The exhibition, titled 'Fashion Manifesto', includes costumes from the 1924 ballet Le train bleu, tweed sportswear, Hollywood star outfits, and a dedicated room for the iconic N.5 perfume launched on May 5, 1921. Curated by Oriole Cullen, the show is a collaboration between the V&A and the Palais Galliera in Paris, expanding on the earlier Paris exhibition 'Gabrielle Chanel. Manifeste de Mode' (opened October 1, 2020) with over 160 new outfits and objects. That Paris show later traveled to the National Gallery of Victoria in Melbourne (December 2021–April 2022) and the Mitsubishi Ichigokan Museum in Tokyo (June–September 2022). The London edition places special emphasis on Chanel's relationship with Britain, where she founded British Chanel in 1932 and maintained friendships with the Duke of Westminster, Winston Churchill, King Edward VIII, and the future King George VI and Queen Elizabeth II. The exhibition is divided into 10 sections featuring jewelry, photographs, drawings, letters, and various objects. A rich catalog accompanies the show, detailing Chanel's life and career with anecdotes about her different periods, creations, and commercial products. The V&A reports a record number of presale tickets sold.