Doing it in style: the NGV’s Coco Chanel exhibition

The spirit of Coco Chanel is all around you at the National Gallery of Victoria’s landmark exhibition.

Mesmerising: the portrait of Chanel from the exhibition

She stands at the edge of a blazing fireplace, left hand on hip, right arm snaking along the mantel, eyes gazing away from the camera with an expression that is more fierce than friendly. We see it all; those arched eyebrows she once described as menacing, the neatly pinned hair that’s “blacker than the devil”. And her painted lips “like a crevice out of which pours a heart that is irritable but unselfish”.

It’s Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel (1883-1971), so of course you notice the opulent setting of her Ritz Paris apartment and the detail in her long black dress, cinched at the waist with a satin bow. Surrounding this larger-than-life portrait hanging in the National Gallery of Victoria is a sample of a lifetime of Chanel’s work, more than 230 exhibits from the signature tweed suit and little black dress to the two-tone shoes, the quilted purse and distinctive perfume bottles. We stop and we admire, we lean in close to the glass to examine the lace and silk, feathers and sequins. And we read how she led the march away from the restrictive corsets and frills of the time, introducing functional elements that she borrowed from menswear. But there’s something in this black and white fireside photograph from 1937 that draws you back to stand before it, to mentally connect the finery draped on lifeless mannequins with the lively trailblazer who created it.

Chanel outfits in the exhibition. Picture: Tom Ross

Portraits of the couturière are strategically placed in this exhibition, the first to be dedicated to Gabrielle Chanel in Australia. There she is, hands casually resting in suit pockets or placed on hips, fag in mouth, masculine stance with feminine touches of pearls and brooches, artificial flowers in her hair. “The hardness of the mirror reflects my own hardness back to me,’’ she once said.

It’s an exhibition that is not just for the fashion lover. It’s part social history, part design, part personal exploration. Apart from anything else, it’s a sheer joy to be back at the NGV. Its last major exhibition, featuring 100 masterworks of French Impressionism, was seen by a fortunate few visitors until one of 2021’s interminable lockdowns relegated viewing to digital tours. Now, at our pre-Christmas visit, the café is busy, crowds are immersed in the life and work of Coco Chanel and staff are enthusing about the second summer show, Bark Ladies: Eleven Artists from Yirrkala, which draws on the gallery’s collection of work by Yolngu women artists from North-East Arnhem Land.

Melbourne is geared up for visitors. The city’s long Covid trials didn’t stop a rush of new hotels: W Melbourne, Next Hotel, Quincy, Ovolo South Yarra, Movenpick. I’m staying at the 244-room Hilton Melbourne Little Queen Street which launched last March in the heritage Equity Chambers building and a new adjoining 16-level tower. The public areas are all 1930s glamour – marble, velvet, European Oak panelling, ceiling moulds, decorative metal work – with New World touches: a large-scale mural by local graffiti artist Kitt Bennett is captured in bronze panels at the hotel’s laneway entrance. A playlist from the era captures the mood as you move through Luci, the inhouse restaurant set in the former grand hall, to the Douglas Club, the moody Art Deco lounge bar where mixologists do their thing. Look up to see contemporary Melbourne scenes flash by on two digital screens mounted to the ceiling.

King Premier Room at Hilton Melbourne Little Queen Street. Picture: Paul Gosney

In your room, leather pull handles on the joinery provide a nice touch along with all the five-star amenities – Hilton king bed, chaise lounge, rain shower, smart TV. The geometric carpet design mirrors patterns found in the Equity Chambers facade, and prints by Roger Arnall showcase Melbourne architecture. Unlike some inner-city properties, street noise is not a problem and good window furnishings obscure my view into an office building across the way.

From here it’s a short walk to the sights of Melbourne. A quick dash through a summer rainstorm lands me at Little Collins St and Chancery Lane Bistro, the latest offering from Scott Pickett that continues the old-world feel in the historic Normanby Chambers. Leather banquettes, candelabras and lamplight... it’s a sexy space with a concise menu of Eurocentric dishes: try the smoked kingfish with pickled cucumber and the whole flounder with sauce vierge (tomato and herb dressing). The place is full, with a celebratory, indulgent feel in the air. And when you look through the gilded archways to the sleek marble bar, you can almost picture a woman standing there in a long black chiffon gown, gold chain handbag over her shoulder, two-tone shoes, long string of pearls, looking a picture of elegance.

Perfect for: Style lovers.

Must do: Explore the cocktails at the Douglas Club; visit the Gabrielle Chanel: Fashion Manifesto and Bark Ladies exhibitions (until April 25).

Chancery Lane Bistro. Picture: Instagram

Dining: In-house, try the Italian inspired Luci restaurant; for an interesting twist on south-east Asian food, Sunda Dining in Punch Lane; Gimlet, Society and Chancery Lane Bistro are also highly recommended.

Getting there: Hilton Melbourne Little Queen Street is at 18 Little Queen St in the CBD.

Bottom line: Until April 25 book an “I am Fashion” stay which includes overnight accommodation for two, breakfast at Luci restaurant, and tickets to the NGV’s Chanel exhibition. From $365.

melbournelittlequeenstreet.hilton.com; ngv.vic.gov.au