In Les Années folles de Coco Chanel running from 19 June to 5 October at Villa Paloma, the Nouveau Musée National de Monaco explores the prolific creativity of Gabrielle Chanel in the specific context of the French Riviera in the 1920s.
The exhibition, which is the brainchild of Célia Bernasconi, is based around three key themes: outdoor living and the rise of seaside resorts; the Ballets Russes and the influence of Slavic culture; and the invention of Riviera Style.
This summer, I found myself transported, almost dreamlike, into the golden haze of the 1920s French Riviera, where elegance met rebellion and fashion redefined freedom. The portal? Les Années Folles de Coco Chanel, the breathtaking exhibition hosted at Villa Paloma in Monaco. I went expecting to admire beautiful clothes; I left feeling immersed in a world where timeless style and all expressions of art collided.
The setting alone set the tone. Perched above the sparkling Mediterranean, Villa Paloma already feels like something out of time. But inside, the exhibition transcends history – it breathes it. With over two hundred works, it’s not merely an homage to Coco Chanel’s designs but a sweeping dialogue between her creative universe and the vibrant visual arts scene of the 1920s.
I was immediately struck by the interplay between Chanel’s fashion pieces and modern art from the same era. The clothes didn’t just share space with works by Picasso, Van Dongen, Laurencin, or Delaunay; they spoke to them. It was as if Gabrielle Chanel’s liberated silhouettes, bold textures, and pared-back elegance had sprung from the same artistic fire as these painters and photographers.
Photographs by Man Ray and Edward Steichen added an intimate texture to the experience. There she was Coco Chanel, embodying her own vision, relaxed and confident, her look effortlessly chic yet unapologetically modern. And then came Chloé Royer’s contemporary sculptures, startling in their presence, as if echoing Chanel’s legacy by reinterpreting the female form through bronze, glass, and ceramic. These new creations felt like quiet conversations between past and present, reminding us that Chanel‘s spirit lives on not only in what we wear but in how we see ourselves.
The exhibition unfolds across three themes, and each left its own impression. The first Outdoor Life celebrated Chanel’s response to a cultural shift, when seaside leisure and women’s sports became accessible. Through garments made of jersey and linen, she reimagined luxury as movement, comfort, and ease. Standing before a mannequin dressed in a marine-striped top and loose trousers, I imagined Chanel herself walking along the Riviera, pearl necklace gleaming in the sun, redefining what elegance could look like under blue skies.
The second section brought in the heady glamour of the Ballets Russes and the influence of Slavic cultures. Costumes, sketches, and art reflected Chanel’s friendships with Jean Cocteau, Serge Diaghilev, and Igor Stravinsky. It was an era of audacious collaboration—and it showed. Cocteau’s 1924 ballet Le Train Bleu, for which Chanel designed the costumes, stood as a brilliant symbol of this cross-disciplinary energy.
But it was the final theme Riviera Style that captivated me most. The Côte d’Azur was more than a backdrop for Chanel, it was her playground, her refuge, and eventually, her home. Seeing artifacts from her Monte-Carlo boutique, photos from her villa La Pausa, and those signature little black dresses, I could feel the birth of something timeless. Vogue wasn’t wrong to call that now-iconic dress the “Model T” of fashion – it revolutionized everything.
The last room dazzled with fringe, sequins, and tulle – a reminder that while Chanel favored simplicity, she was never afraid of drama. These weren’t costumes; they were statements. Pieces made to dance, to shine, to belong to a new era of women who were, finally, writing their own rules.
Leaving the exhibition, I felt not just inspired but oddly seen. Chanel wasn’t designing clothes for mannequins or museums; she was building a wardrobe for real, independent, dynamic women. A century later, that message is still thrilling. If you find yourself anywhere near Monaco this summer, do not miss Les Années Folles de Coco Chanel at Villa Paloma. It’s not just fashion history – it’s a reminder of what happens when elegance meets rebellion, and when art becomes a way of life.
by Olga Barrale