In this year’s Best of the Best, we continue to honour the brands and people who have continued to create covetable products, even in the midst of a global pandemic. Here, we have Chanel win ‘best historical reference’
Venice’s spectacular ambience has inspired creators for generations. Coco Chanel was no exception. She made the first of many voyages to the floating city in 1920, so it’s fitting that the company’s Escale à Venise collection not only pays tribute to that era around its centennial but also takes cues from her treasured Italian escape.
The best example is the Eblouissante necklace (pictured) in 18-carat pink gold and platinum adorned with baguette and round-cut diamonds in a hard-edged, graphic art deco pattern. The piece also plays into Chanel’s signature quilting style while simultaneously evoking the symmetrical patterns of Venetian palace facades and mosaic floors.
But a masterpiece can’t rest its laurels on design alone. A dazzling asscher-cut 10.41-carat D FL type IIa diamond nestles in the V-shaped collar, while two asscher-cut D IF diamonds (totalling 10.52 carats) dangle beneath. The latter two can be detached and worn on a matching pair of earrings. The piece can also be shortened by dropping the lower diamond-shaped pink-gold structure and the string of diamonds. Versatility and ease with a serious wow factor are, ultimately, the greatest tribute to the French house’s founder.
