Rebirth of the Fashion King

Chapter 69 The Private Interactions Between the CEO and the Art Director

"Good afternoon, Carl."

"You've lost weight, Maureen."

Maureen Shika nodded in acknowledgment and then smiled, "June, it's normal."

She turned to look at Virginie.

"This scarf is nice, is it new?"

Virginie shook her head: "I had the workshop make something from the leftover scraps from haute couture."

"How about making one for me too?"

"This is the only one."

Maureen smiled and looked at Li Xun.

"Good afternoon, little Rhine."

Good afternoon, Ms. Maureen.

Li Xun put down his knife and fork and used a napkin to wipe his mouth and the corners of his lips.

She smelled of Coco Mademoiselle perfume, the one the PR department had just launched last year, the patchouli in the base notes hadn't completely dissipated yet—he moved a little to the right.

Just as Maureen Shika was about to speak, her secretary came over and whispered something in her ear; she nodded.

He said to the three of them, "I'm going to answer a phone call."

After she left, there was a few seconds of silence.

The Empress Dowager picked up her teacup, but didn't drink it.

"She doesn't look like she's here to eat."

Li Xun picked up his fork and put a piece of fish into his mouth.

"I don't look like it either."

What do you look like?

"A tailor having lunch?"

Virginie chuckled upon hearing this, and the old lady shook her head after listening.

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When Maureen returned from the restroom, she sat down at the table next to hers, which her secretary had already arranged. She didn't order any food, just a glass of soda.

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"Carl, did you guys see that movie?"

"Chane I's Secret Love Story, the closing film at Cannes last month."

Li Xun remembered that this movie was quite famous in the fashion industry.

"Coco Chanel & Igor Stravinsky" was the closing film of the 62nd Cannes Film Festival in 2009, and premiered as the festival's finale on May 24 of that year.

This film focuses on a passionate yet secretive romance between fashion icon Coco Chanel and music maestro Igor Stravinsky, weaving fashion, music, and passion into a glamorous historical tapestry.

Director: Jan Kounen

Screenplay by Chris Greenhalgh, adapted from his novel *Chanel & Stravinsky*.

Starring: Anna Mouglalis as Coco Chanel.

Mads Mikkelsen plays Igor Stravinsky.

The story is set in 1913 at the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées in Paris.

When Stravinsky's ballet "The Rite of Spring" premiered, its avant-garde and wild music and dance caused a huge stir among the audience. Chanel, who was in the audience, was deeply shocked and remembered this rebellious composer.

They reunited in 1920.

By this time, Chanel was already an iconic figure in the fashion world, while Stravinsky was in exile in Paris due to the Russian Revolution and lived in poverty.

Chanel offered her help, inviting Stravinsky, his ailing wife Catherine, and their four children to move into her villa, Bel Respiro, in Garches, a suburb of Paris.

Under the same roof, Chanel and Stravinsky fell irrevocably in love.

The film offers a delicate and compelling portrayal of this secret relationship: from their restrained eye contact to their passionate embrace in a minimalist room filled with Cambon-style black and beige tones.

This relationship was both a collision of artistic souls and accompanied by guilt and betrayal towards their families.

Meanwhile, creative inspiration struck, and the film cleverly linked the creation of Chanel No. 5 perfume with this relationship.

In the film, the perfumer presents her with several perfume samples, and the small bottle marked "No. 5" that she ultimately chooses seems to have found olfactory resonance in passion and music. On the other hand, Stravinsky's musical creation also enters a new stage under the drive of passion.

Ultimately, Catherine resolutely left with her child, and Chanel's relationship with Stravinsky also came to an end. Years later, the two only looked at each other from afar in the world of fame and fortune, and that secret love affair was sealed away in each other's greatest works.

In fact, this relationship was not entirely fictional.

Historically, Chanel did have an ambiguous relationship with Stravinsky, and she generously supported the composer's family, but the details have always remained a mystery.

Based on the novel, this film employs a highly stylized imagination, directly linking the romance to Chanel No. 5 and Stravinsky's creative transition, giving this secret history a mythical quality.

The reason Cannes chose it as the closing film is likely because it possesses a rich French cultural heritage, a dazzling cast (starring the official Chanel ambassador), and a high level of artistic quality, making it very suitable for presenting a grand and elegant sense of ceremony on the last day of the Cannes Film Festival.

Although it did not compete, it attracted the attention of the global fashion and film industries as the closing film of the non-competitive screening.

Anna Mugellis, who plays Chanel, was Karl Lagerfeld's muse and a global ambassador for the Chanel brand for many years.

Her temperament, eyes, and figure are widely recognized as being the closest to Coco Chanel herself. The clothing worn in the film are all authentic replicas or vintage garments provided by the Chanel Archive, giving the film's fashion presentation a documentary-like sense of authority.

Director Jan Gould is able to recreate Chanel's iconic minimalist aesthetic.

The villa's interior design is completely "Chanel-ized," featuring a large area of ​​black, white, and beige, paired with mirrors and straight lines. It even replicates the ebony lacquered screens and books from Chanel's Rue Cambon apartment. The visual style is cold and restrained, while the passionate scenes are full of power, creating a strong contrast.

The film's core is music. The soundtrack makes extensive use of Stravinsky's works, especially the primal, explosive rhythms of "The Rite of Spring," which serve as an auditory metaphor for the two characters' emotional and artistic impulses.

In addition, it incorporates elements from other works such as "Firebird".

The film score, with some arrangement and original composition by Gabriel Yared, blends seamlessly with Stravinsky's music.

"It seems you've all seen it. Actually, I received a lot of inquiries from the media on the first day of the release. I had the public relations department reply that the ChaneI brand would not comment on any cinematic interpretations of the founder."

"A very correct reply," the old lady nodded in response.

"What are you thinking?"

Li Xun continued eating his fish; he had no intention of joining the conversation.

"It's just a movie."

"Our archives were used in the movie."

"Authorized."

"Including the formula behind perfume No. 5?"

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"It's an implication, not the recipe."

Maureen took a sip of soda water.

"The film hints that the creation of perfume No. 5 is related to Stravinsky."

"This is an artistic creation."

"The audience won't see it that way. After watching the movie, they'll think that this is the most important commercial product in Chanel's history—" He glanced at Li Xun as he said this, and then continued.

"One of the inspirations came from an extramarital affair."

Virginie put down her knife and fork.

"Maureen No. 5 perfume was created in 1921. Stravinsky did live in Garches from 1920 to 1921, which matches the timeline. However, Chanel met perfumer Ernest Beau in the summer of 1920 through Grand Duke Dmitri. Beau had previously worked at the Tsar's court and went into exile in the south of France after the 1917 revolution. Coco met him when she went to Cannes."

"The film weaves the two storylines together."

Maureen nodded.

Therefore, it is inaccurate.

"No, CoCo herself did a very good job of concealing what happened in 1921."

The Empress Dowager took over the conversation.

"CoCo never explains; she only tells the version she wants to tell. Regarding the creation of No. 5 perfume, she herself has given at least three different versions: it was discovered by chance in the Grasse laboratory, which led the perfumer to add aldehydes to the formula; another version is that she intuitively chose the fifth bottle from twenty samples."

"So that one is real?"

"It doesn't matter; what matters is that she made this decision in 1921."

After finishing his meal, Li Xun looked at this scene and sighed.

Although we have disagreements at work, we are quite normal in private, and there is no "it's either you or me" atmosphere.

After all, one is the global CEO of Chanel, and the other is Karl Lagerfeld, the soul of the brand.

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