By Gretchen Webster

WESTPORT — A brand that for decades has epitomized haute couture — Chanel — is coming to Westport. 

Plans call for a Chanel boutique to open at 58 Main St., in the building formerly occupied by a Peloton store.

Plans for the luxury brand’s downtown shop were presented Tuesday to a joint meeting of the Architectural Review Board and Historic District Commission, which unanimously approved exterior features for the store. 

The property is owned by Benjamin Birnbaum of Newmark, a commercial real estate firm, and will be leased by Chanel.

A new storefront will be built and the signature Chanel logo will adorn the front of the store, according to Chris Engelmann of CallisonRTKL, an international design and architectural firm, representing Chanel. 

Inside, the building will be entirely remodeled, except for a mechanical room and the existing restrooms, Engelmann said.

According to a spokesperson at Chanel headquarters, where consumers’ questions are answered 24/7, Chanel sells clothing, fragrance and beauty products, shoes, handbags and jewelry. Some the brand’s boutiques sell some portions of the collection, such as shoes and handbags, while others sell fragrance and beauty products, or fashion, for example.  

The spokesperson, who gave only her first name, Layanda, said it was not yet clear what merchandise would be sold at the Westport location.

Chanel was founded in 1910 by Gabrielle Chanel, called “Coco,” who opened a hat shop in her native France, and two years later opened a boutique selling sportswear, according to the Chanel website. 

She continued to open boutiques, launching her famous perfume, Chanel No. 5, in 1921. Through the years her fame and product lines grew introducing makeup, and the famous Chanel jacket. 

The Chanel line of products became a symbol of luxury for movie stars and celebrities, including Marilyn Monroe who famously said that she wore “Chanel No. 5” when asked what she wore to bed.

The history of Chanel can be traced in a series of short videos posted on the company’s website.

Freelance writer Gretchen Webster, a Fairfield County journalist and journalism teacher for many years, was editor of the Fairfield Minuteman newspaper for 10 years and teaches journalism at Southern Connecticut State University.