At Paris Couture week in July 2025, Chanel invited the VIP clients and press to its Place Vendôme maison, where the 'Reach for the Stars' high jewellery collection was presented.
The jewels take an artistic flight of imagination from three symbols rooted in the lore of Mademoiselle Chanel. The comet pays homage to her debut 1932 'Bijoux de Diamants' collection. Wings refer to her mantra: 'If you were born without wings, do nothing to prevent them from growing'. And the lion is her birth sign, Leo, statues of which adorned her rue Cambon apartment in Paris.
'Reach for the Stars' is the last collection by the late Patrice Leguéreau, whose genius marked the house's high jewellery creations since 2009. Rich in narrative, 'Reach for the Stars' doesn't merely use these three motifs woven through Gabrielle Chanel's life; it adds the cinematographic drama of the golden hour, recalling the glamour and radiant California sunsets of the designer's Hollywood era. Patrice Leguéreau said of 'Reach for the Stars': "We wanted to create pieces of jewellery that are illuminated by the rays of the sunset and beyond, with those colours blazing across the horizon. Capturing that magical moment between day and night when High Jewellery sparkles on the skin".
The first chapter is inspired by the comet's freedom to fly, and is the closest reference to Gabrielle Chanel's 1932 'Bijoux de Diamant,' her only high jewellery collection, which featured stars draped across the shoulder, forehead, and around the wrist. Soaring lighter and brighter, chains of gold and onyx free the comet, which softly lands on the body. The Dazzling Star necklace (above) brings a contemporary twist to Gabrielle Chanel's belief that the star symbol is perennially modern. Rings become jewels spanning the entire hand, chokers fly around the neck in a blaze of celestial light, and a meteor shower of diamonds cascades down the body. Black onyx rod-beads recreate the drama of the neckline of a black couture gown in the 'Dreams Come True' necklace, while the cuff features onyx mimicking a quilted fabric cinched by a dazzling diamond-set star.
Read more about Gabrielle Chanel's groundbreaking 1932 Bijoux de Diamant collection
The wings section refers to Gabrielle's love of feathers and their natural elegance. These open-work jewels are as light as lace and gently float on the skin, thanks to sophisticated articulations and barely-there settings. Soft-as-down wings unfurl around the neck in the Wings of Chanel necklace (above) set with a sunset-hued 19.55-carat Padparadscha sapphire and a pendant chain that can be detached and worn as a bracelet. The colours of the enchanting crepuscular moment are captured in luminous pink sapphires in the Pink Hour necklace and a jazzy double ring that combines pearls, diamonds, and pink and yellow sapphires that spell out the word 'star'.
Lions are a recurring favourite in Chanel's universe, roaring out from buttons on jackets or handbag clasps. The audacity of the lion is expressed in two ways: as a sculpted noble profile (above) or a more stylised interpretation of the feline with its resplendent mane surrounded by an aura of stars. The Embrace Your Destiny necklace (main image) features two profiles with a pair of pear-shaped diamonds facing each other. The open necklace falls from the neck like a scarf, echoing the couture daring of Gabrielle Chanel. The Sky is the Limit necklace unites all three motifs of the collection and features the silhouette of a winged lion glittering amidst a cascade of diamonds, adorned with a star.
