FAMED for her invention of the little black dress and Chanel No 5 perfume, Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel’s appeal has endured for almost a century so far, and there is no sign of her influence waning.
Chanel was a free thinker, wearing loose, boyish clothes because they suited her.
She didn’t demand that people follow her – in fact her original hat designs for other people were the same confections of frills and lace as were seen in other Edwardian fashions.
It was the hats she wore – plain straw boaters with a dashing ribbon attached – that people asked her for.
Her plain, convent school dresses, as well as adaptations of her boyfriend’s outfits stood out, and it was her attitude and the way that she wore them that made them chic.
She pioneered the use of black and white in accessories, and wore all-white dresses as often as all black ones, although it is the little black ones that have come down to use.
She loved long ropes of pearls among her other jewels, and her signature fabrics were tweeds and easy, practical jerseys. Clean, unfussy lines ruled her look, with the iconic double CC logo still being recognised worldwide today.
Chanel was credited with liberating women from the constraints of the “corseted silhouette” and urging the acceptance of a sportive, casual chic as the feminine standard in the post-World War I era.
A prolific fashion creator, Chanel’s influence extended beyond couture clothing. Her design aesthetic was realised in jewellery, handbags, and fragrance.
Chanel’s perfumes are also a worldwide brand.
Marilyn Monroe famously announced that at night, she wore only “five drops of Chanel No 5”.
This proclamation sent women rushing to anoint themselves with it.
She designed for The Ballet Russe and for plays by Jean Cocteau, although was never a success in Hollywood.
Some parts of her legacy are difficult to trace, since she often changed her story.
She died in 1971, and Karl Lagerfeld took up the reigns of Chanel a little over a decade later, which he has headed, to great success, ever since.
Emma Brown is the owner of My Vintage, The Circus, Darwen
Telephone: 01254 774701 Website: www.myvintage.co.uk
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