Goude Via Chanel

1883: Birth of Gabrielle Chanel

1910: Chanel opens her first store
Rue Cambon Nº21, Paris
Creating hats under the name of “Chanel Modes”

1921: Chanel presents her first fragrance
The iconic Chanel Nº5

1935: Coco Chanel in the peak of fame.

1940: Birth of Jean Paul Goude

1945: World war II starts, forcing some 
Maison Chanel Boutiques to close

1954: Welcome Back; At 71 years of age, Chanel prepares 
to reopen her Maison de Couture

1955: Pour Monsieur; The only masculine fragrance 
produced during the life of Coco Chanel

1960: Celebrities wear Chanel
The Fascination for Chanel
continues to grow

1968: Goude started working for
Esquire Magazine as an art director

1971: “May my legend prosper and thrive; 
I wish it a long and happy life!”
She dies; 10^th January

1977: Goude meets Grace Jones
his future muse and lover

1981: Jacques Polge is nominated perfumer
master of the Chanel house

1983: Karl Lagerfeld is nominated artistic director 
of Maison Chanel. Designer of all collections. 

1983: Jungle Fever is published.
The book includes some his photographs
and and also his artistic depiction
of ethnic minorities. It’s divided into
chapters showing how his work
progressed from concept to reality.

1984: Chanel launches COCO, 
the first feminine fragrance 
created by Jacques Polge.

1985: Citroen CX ad
featuring Grace Jones
The cars drives into a gigantic
Grace Jones head robot’s mouth

1987: With the launch of the PREMIÈRE
watch, designed by Jacques Helleu, 
Chanel launches its first line of watches. 

1989: First encounter of Goude and 
Chanel encounter suggested a year earlier
by Jacques Helleu, “the all-powerful art
director of Chanel Fragrance and Beauty.

1990: EGOÏSTE: Goude’s first work with Chanel
The perfume which defies the conventions
of men’s fragrances. Egoïste means selfish. 

1991: Coco
Fragrance ad for stars Goude then muse
Vanessa Paradis in a bird cage.

2001: Chanel Nº5 fragrance ad 
stars Estella Warren

2003: Chance ad
The name ‘Chance’ was recommended
by Spike Lee and it’s like a mirror reflection
of the letter of the name Chanel

From the birth of Gabrielle Chanel to Goude’s there are 57 years apart and even though he didn’t get the opportunity to meet her personally, he states “her personality is so present in my unconscious mind that I feel she’s always there and that I am working for her spirit. That’s why she often appears in my pictures, it seems natural for me. “The couturiere certainly occupies a special place in Goude’s imagination.”

 In the new the book, Goude: The Chanel Sketchbooks, you can see some of his images where the spirit of Coco Chanel appears. The book contains never before seen drawings and sketches of his iconic perfume Campaigns.

In this book you can also see many of his sketches, for other successful fragrance campaigns of his with Chanel, like ‘Coco’ starring his then muse Vanessa Paradis released in 1991, as well as, ‘Chanel Nº5’ starring Estella Warren and ‘Chance’. This was a relationship that lasted for more than thirty years.

Looking through the book at the beautiful art done by Jean-Paul Goude gives an intimate insight into the work of a true artist.

If you want to read more creative pieces, here’s one: Slide in the DM’s

Goude: The Chanel Sketchbooks Jean-Paul Goude and Patrick Mauriès Published by Thames & Hudson