Chanel Brings the Sparkle Back to Newbury Street

By Ari Garber

Boston, MA- The walls of the new Chanel Boutique at 6 Newbury Street in Boston were dressed even more finely than the guests at its December 6 opening celebration. New York architect Peter Marino, who designed the store’s mirror clad walls, attended the party, as did French artists Johan Creten and Jean-Michel Othoniel, who created the rich and evocative sculpture installations that adorn the boutique. A cascade of glass baubles hang in front of a shining black stone wall on the first floor. This piece by Othoniel obviously refers to Coco Chanel’s trademark pearl necklaces, but like the music playing alongside the clatter of high heels on the tile floor and the champagne bottles popping in the kitchen behind the scenes, they pack a modern energy that transports classic elegance into a new age. Nearby, Creten’s golden sculptures look like molten lava, fueling the fire of this high fashion environment. The work fuses a history and a future of glamour and luxury. The selection of these two artists, who both hail from France, also honors the legacy of French glamour icon, Coco Chanel, and the history of French luxury that predates her. Othoniel is currently working on a sculpture installation to be built at the palace Versailles. This will be the first construction at the historic property in several hundred years. In light of this, the mirrored walls of Boston’s Chanel store recall the famous hall of mirrors at the former home of Louis and Antoinette. Carrying this legacy up through the ages, Creten and Othoniel preserve a history of luxury that Chanel embodies. (The Chanel Boutique is located at 5 Newbury Street, Boston. For more information, call (617) 859-0055.)