The One That I Want: Chanel reveals its new N°5 film featuring Gisele Bundchen
updated the 6 October 2015 à 23:38
Have you seen the latest film for the French house’s iconic fragrance yet? Because trust us, you’ll be transported into a whole other realm.
At first glance, not many would associate Chanel, the omnipresent luxury brand, to be one filled with paradoxes and contradictions. Beyond the quintessential tweed jackets, 2.55 flap bags and iconic N°5 fragrance, the French house has in fact consistently been breaking the chains at every turn. You may tout the move as an audacious streak from Karl Lagerfeld but it is essentially the Kaiser doing his utmost best to retain Coco Chanel’s true vision for the brand. One that doesn’t conform to the norm by any means.
Coco Chanel was a woman who boldly challenged society’s preconceived notions with particular regards to dressing. Her overarching opinion was a woman should be able to wear men’s trousers one day and a fancy dress the other, without any uninvited judgement whatsoever. Ideally, all she sought for was a way to express herself in a wholly different mould from the ordinary.
Chanel’s emblematic enigma followed suit throughout the years and delicately seeps into each collection – from Lagerfeld designing surfboards, to hoola hoop bags, a supermarket set, and pairing sneakers with couture – and campaign, such as the latest Chanel N°5 film, titled, ‘The One That I Want’.
Created as an updated version of the commercial made with Nicole Kidman 10 years ago, the current film, starring Brazilian supermodel Gisele Bundchen and directed by the ineffable Baz Luhrman, brings us through the multiple spaces a woman traverses across – herself, family, career and love. Before, the Chanel woman chose to renounce her innermost desires to return to the harsh reality. Today, through Luhrman’s eyes, we see the Chanel woman who, above all, decides to wholeheartedly embrace romance in her life.
The entire film was laden with clever details to highlight Chanel’s basic sensibilities. Right from the first ‘5’ that we see on Bundchen’s sleek swimsuit, to her photoshoot with the typically unexpected pairing of a stunning gold tweed dress (from the Cruise 2014/15 Dubai collection) with sneakers to the hauntingly beautiful rendition of “You’re the One That I Want”, originally played in an uppity manner in the musical, Grease. Speaking of, the slow, soothing yet spellbinding cover by Lo-Fang created just the perfect spine to the entire concept and essentially gave the film its enchanting soul.
Ultimately, by referencing a multitude of elements that make up the tapestry of Chanel, there’s isn’t a shred in us that wouldn’t be enthralled by this master stroke of a campaign film. Sheer genius we say.
Now, all that’s left to do is play the video on loop.
Tarandip Kaur
