Bright idea! Chanel kicked off Art Basel 2021 with an over-the-top-fabulous light show at Faena beach in Miami on December 1.
The installation, dubbed No.5 The Right Number, was held in celebration of the 100th birthday of the Chanel No.5 fragrance. It featured symbols inspired by Chanel mastermind Gabrielle Chanel’s love of talismans, telling the story behind the brand’s notable double C monogram, the camellia flower in the French fashion house’s designs, the significance of the Place Vendome and more. Attendees (including celebs, influencers, editors and art enthusiasts) were treated to the sight of hundreds of drones synchronized to music under a spectacular Miami Beach sunset.
But No.5 The Right Number isn’t the only art event led by the French fashion house at this year’s Art Basel (which came back with a bang following a hiatus during 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.) In another major move that matches the monumental occasion of 100 years of an iconic fragrance, Chanel commissioned artist Es Devlin to create the Five Echoes installation at the Miami Design District’s Jungle Plaza. Open to the public, the chicest maze ever seen will be able to be navigated through December 21. The unique multi-sensory experience was inspired by beauty and nature, two of Gabrielle Chanel’s favorite things.
Of course, these are just two ways the brand is celebrating the centennial anniversary of their best-selling fragrance. Last month, an interactive retrospective of the perfume’s history, Chanel No.5 In the Stars, took over New York City’s Rockefeller Center, complete with a launch party featuring legendary singer Mary J. Blige and a red carpet packed with young Hollyood’s elite style stars, including Dylan Penn, Kristine Froseth and Kelsey Asbille. (Check out the Yellowstone beauty’s makeup transformation for the event below!)
