Reliving Legacy: Coco Chanel
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| (Picture Source: Vogue, atrl) Gabrielle Bonheus Chanel; Coco Chanel |
-Coco Chanel
Coco Chanel, a rebel, a fashion icon and a legend! Gabrielle Bonheus Chanel is a French designer that is famously known for making big drastic changes in our current world of fashion, thus became one of the key figures of the 20th century!
If you're wondering what did Coco Chanel do that made her soooooo inspiring and important here are a list of things that the Fashion Icon did that definitely made a lasting impression in the fashion industry.
1. Introducing Jersey fabric in Women's Fashion
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| (Picture Source: Nouvellegamine, The Wall Street Journal) "FORD" Dress by Chanel, Photographed by Karl Lagerfeld |
During World War I, fabric was expensive and was getting harder and harder to get because most of the fabrics were used to make soldier's uniforms. Because of her financial situation, Chanel decided to use jersey to create her clothing due to it's low cost. Her choice of fabric shocked many, because back then Jersey was only used to produce Men's Undergarment! Imagine wearing that fabric and thinking about men's undies! Jersey was a suitable fabric because it has good drape and it is a very comfortable fabric. Furthermore, her design manage to free the female body from the uncomfortable corset!
2. Pants, pants and more pants!
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| Picture Source: Miss by Gabriella, Wjxu's Blog |
When men was sent to war, women had to replace men at the workplace which also means more female factory workers! And dresses did not help women at work at all! Being a rebel, Coco Chanel decided to wear pants at a beach resort and was also the first woman ever to wear trousers in public. If it wasn't for Chanel, us, girls would have not been able to wear pants and trouser and I wouldn't be wearing them now!
"I gave back to women's body his freedom, this body was sweating in clothes parade, lace, corsets, underwear, upholster."
-Coco Chanel
3. Sun Tanning
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| Picture Source: evelinecharles.com |
It was pretty much an accident, but for Chanel everything she did, women followed! During the 20th century, female are preferred to have pale and fair skin. If you have brown skin you were considered to be associated with the lower classes. In 1923, Chanel accidentally got herself tanned while cruising on the French Riviera and her friends admired her glowing skin and BAMM, suntanned suddenly became a sign of wealth and beauty.
4. The Perfume aka Chanel no.5
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| Picture Source: The Indepentent, Adclassix.com |
Chanel was a very picky woman, she often complained about other women's body odour. In 1920, Chanel met a a perfumer named Ernest Beaux. Beaus managed to come up with 10 different samples for Chanel and they were numbered from 1 to 5 and 20 to 24 accordingly. Chanel picked the perfume labeled number 5 and thus it was later released in 1921, entitles Chanel no.5.
5. Costume Jewellery
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| Picture Source: Pinterest Tiana Campuzano, The Hill Hangout |
Even though Paul Poiret was the first designer to use costume jewellery, but it was Chanel's fake pearls and glittering gemstones that took the cake. Chanel always believed that it is best to have a pile of imitation jewels than to stick with only on or two expensive jewellery.
6. The LBD (Little Black Dress)
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| Picture Source: Pinterest Tess Thompson, Pinterest Malavika Patel, imgkid.com |
Black, was not you typical fashion palette back in the early 1900s. Black was regarded as an attire of mourning in the West and during Queen Victoria's reign in England, the Queen spend almost half of her life wearing black dresses as mourning clothing due to her husband's death. During World War I, women wear adjusted to wearing black mourning attire as a result of economic constraints and as a need to be productive and mobile at work. In 1926, Chanel designed the first ever LBD with slashed neckline, short dress with diagonal pin-tucks made out of Crepe De Chine. In Chanel's point of view, black is the only appropriate colour for good economically perfect attire.
7. The Chanel Suit
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| Picture Source: Pinterest House of Marbury, Cheltenham Fashion Week |
The Chanel suit was the first suit ever to borrow designs and structures from menswear. During the 1940s and 50s, Dior released a new design called the "New Look" an example? Cinderella. Chanel hated the look and during the 2nd World War, again, women were back at the workplace and Chanel found that the "New Look" was unsuitable for the post-war modern women. In 1954, Chanel reintroduced the Chanel suit back to the public and it was the perfect outfit for the post-war women who are trying to build a career in the male-dominated workplace. The Chanel Suit made a mark in history when Jackie Kennedy wore this suit on the day her husband, President John F. Kennedy, was assassinated.
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| (Picture Source: A.G. Nauia Couture) Jackie Kennedy wearing the Chanel Suit on the day her husband, President John F. Kennedy was assassinated. |
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