Chanel in Charlotte

An evening dinner suit by the House of Chanel; silk net lace over wool. A gift of Mrs. Charles Wrightsman to the Mint Museum.

Visit MintMuseum.org for details on the exhibition Chanel: Designs for the Modern Woman.

Cocktail dress with over wrap (1998-2004); wool boucle and silk chiffon. Gift of an anonymous Palm Beach donor to the Mint Museum.

An evening dinner suit by the House of Chanel; silk net lace over wool. A gift of Mrs. Charles Wrightsman to the Mint Museum.

Photo: Mint Museum

If you live anywhere in the vicinity of Charlotte, North Carolina, and you happen to admire the fashions of designer Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel, consider yourself lucky. Charlotte’s Mint Museum is displaying Chanel garments from its collection in the exhibition “Chanel: Designs for the Modern Woman." The exhbition has been extended to February 26, 2012, so there's plenty of time to make a visit.

The garments featured range from the 1920s to the present day and draw entirely on the museum’s Historic Costume & Fashionable Dress collection. Alongside an ensemble said to have been constructed by Chanel herself is the iconic little black dress, several of her legendary two-piece suits, fashion accessories, and perfumes. Much of the vintage pieces were created in the 1960s and 1970s, but a few of Chanel’s rarer couture pieces from the 1920s and 1930s are also included.

For more details on the exhibition, including a career-spanning video of the designer’s fashion shows, visit the Mint’s Wiki and click on "Chanel: Designs for the Modern Woman" in the topic list.

Do you love the designs of Chanel? Do you prefer her earlier work or the design house's more recent collections? Have you ever seen a Chanel design up close? Will you be visiting the Mint Museum's exhibit?

Stephani Miller, associate editor
Posted on Nov 25th, 2011 in design, garment construction, museum, exhibition, Chanel

Comments (6)

SLMiller writes: Leigh, that is excellent news! Thank you so much for sharing--I will update the post with the new ending date.
Posted: 9:52 am on November 30th

russellgibson writes: Wow wish that I was in that area sad on me
Posted: 3:57 pm on November 29th

decoratrice writes: I found a 1999 Chanel haute couture pants suit in a thrift shop. Yes! It fits me, but I had to let out the waistband. Seeing the layers of support inside, all hand stitched, was a religious experience. Duplicating it in the extension was a privilege!
Posted: 3:27 pm on November 29th

denise writes: love the black dress, love them all but the. Black. Dress is me
Posted: 3:21 pm on November 29th

sealkisser writes: I went to see this in July. It's a great exhibit! I was so happy to see in person how detailed couture clothing really is. This museum is great in general and there might still another exhibit on clothing from the 1800s right next to the Chanel room. I just wish the museum had a picture book of the clothing!
Posted: 9:56 pm on November 28th

LeighDyer writes: Great news: Effective today, The Mint Museum has extended the run of the Chanel exhibition to February 26! We just got word so I wanted to share it with your readers. --Leigh Dyer, Public Relations Manager, The Mint Museum
Posted: 4:55 pm on November 28th

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