Established 2008

Couture Monday: Chanel Camélias

This Monday I'm looking at Chanel's Camélia palettes, which feature four colors molded into the shape of Coco's favorite flower.  The first of these, a lip palette, was released for the 2007 holiday season, while the second came out in spring 2008 and featured eye shadow rather than lip color.

Camelia palettes

Camellias figure prominently in Chanel fashion – the brand even has an entire jewelry collection featuring the flower.  From bags to sunglasses to scarves, the ubiquitous camelia has become a Chanel icon.  

Camelias copy

(top photos from chanel.com) 


But why the camellia?  According to the Chanel website, "The camellia appealed to Mademoiselle's taste for provocation due to its reference as the forbidden flower, both androgynous and ambiguous.  Without perfume or thorns, the camellia seduces by its simplicity.  Mademoiselle adored the camellia for its almost geometrical roundness and the regular perfection and classical order of its pure white petals."

There you have it.  I think it was about time Chanel spread this famous icon from accessories into their beauty line.  The only problem with it is that when one actually uses the palette, the camellia pattern will disappear.  We can hope that Chanel will come out with a limited-edition compact in the shape of a camellia or at least put the camellia design on the compact, rather than on the makeup itself.  This way people can enjoy this Chanel symbol over and over again instead of ruining it with one use.   You can have your camellia and eat it too!  

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