Deauville's advocate
Coco Chanel was among the first to revel in a French seaside town that has been drawing the biggest names for more than a century. Mathew Scott looks for its star attractions
Coco Chanel always seemed to be one step ahead of the game and when the future fashion icon decided on the French seaside town of Deauville as the venue for her first boutique, Parisian eyebrows were, apparently, archly raised.
That was 101 years ago – back in 1913 – as Deauville was starting to establish itself as the pre-eminent coastal playground for the high society of the French capital. A train line finished in the late 1800s had cut travelling time between the two places to about two hours (modern trains have now reduced that to a little over one) but the pieces that would lay the foundations for the town’s future – the sprawling casino, the two racetracks, the hotels and the private villas – were still falling into place.
The story goes that Chanel wanted to make her own way in the world, free from Paris and the men whose cash had set her career in motion, while remaining connected to the people who really mattered – the rich and famous, with their insatiable passion for the latest in fine clothing.
Looking down Deauville’s Rue Gontaut Biron today, Chanel’s decision to begin here still seems inspired. Only a tiny plaque marks the site of that first boutique, but a glance towards the centre of town reveals the standard of fashion house that followed her lead, among them Louis Vuitton, Hermès and Dior. That they share the streetscape with cafes, galleries and patisseries tells you that this is a place in which to consume life at a leisurely pace, far removed from the capital’s clogged pedestrian arteries, and that Deauville remains swathed in style.