beauty: insider

Chanel's Nouvelle Vague

Launched in French cinemas in March, Chanel’s Le Rouge commercial film, directed by Bettina Rheims, is a tribute to the Nouvelle Vague work of Jean-Luc Godard
all photographs and images courtesy Chanel

CHANEL has always, con­scious­ly or not, conveyed a sense of French­ness and its latest 45-second promo­tional film, marketing its Rouge Allure lip­stick, is expressly inspired by Jean-Luc Godard’s Le Mépris, which starred Brigitte Bardot.

The 21st-century version introduces Geneva-born model Julie Ordon, who claims Marilyn Monroe is her favourite star. If Monroe only wore Chanel No. 5 to bed, then Ordon has followed in those footsteps by wearing only the company’s Rouge Allure in her bed scenes, as she asks, ‘And my lips—do you love my lips?’

Instead of Bardot’s cigarette, Ordon has her lip­stick—but at no time do you feel this is a parody, but a real tribute.

Chanel has bought into the film aspect—only in one place in its promo­tional material did we spot the word adver­tising—though like many French publi­cités, the produc­tion values are immense­ly high.

Famed photographer Bettina Rheims takes the director’s chair this time, while Chanel’s Jacques Helleu, who created Rouge Allure and oversees the perfume and beauty division’s image, art-directed.

Georges Delerue’s music from Le Mépris has been reused for the 45-second promo.

Typographically, it follows the iconic Chanel house style.

Rouge Allure itself is available internationally in 26 shades, not just the one donned by Ordon in the film.

The film was shot in Paris between November 6 and 9 last year. It was first shown on French television on March 4 and in cinemas on the 21st. •

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Left: The making of the Chanel film, directed by Bettina Rheims, art-directed by Jacques Helleu, and modelled by Julie Ordon. Above: Shots from the final 45-second film.