Coco Chanel:From The Poor House to World Popularity by Sean Canterbury

Fashion & Being a Woman in The Late 1800s and Early 1900s

sscanterb — 2024-03-09 16:55:56 UTC

During this time period, women's fashion was restrictive and uncomfortable. They would often wear layered dresses complete with corsets. However, if you look at early photos of Chanel during this period, you would almost think that she lived in the present day with her more simply style and often adorning more traditional masculine clothing(Lyons, 2021).

Her line of fashion, and indeed her life story, was often a struggle against what was considered normal of her era. When war broke out and people were expected to give up high fashion, she made chic clothing out of cheap material. When the stress was on color and accessories, Chanel channeled her energy around simple yet chic (Anderson, 2020). At a time when women were expected to be financially dependent on their husbands and could not own a business nor bank account, she used her boyfriends name to establish herself and live a life of her own making and of luxury (Lyons, 2021).

"My life didn't please me, so I created my life."

sscanterb — 2024-03-09 16:56:56 UTC

Born in the late 1800s, Chanel initially lived a life of poverty. Her father was a travelling salesman who went from town to town selling clothing. In an effort to help keep her family afloat, she learned how to sow.

Her creativity first blossomed with her retelling of her life story as she grew up. She would often lie or conceal information about her family, and who raised her. These stories would become more elaborate with age (Lyons, 2021).

One example of this was that she was raised by her aunts, rather than growing up in a one-bedrooom home and then later shuffled to a convent for orphans(Lyons, 2021).

In a pursuit of comfort and creative outlet, she would often cut up her boyfriend's male clothing and fashion it to her own liking. Such an idea was unheard of, but being poverty-stricken and dependent on her male lover, it was either that or showing the world her financial standing. She took that as a challenge. This technique of crossing and mixing men and women's clothing becomes a feature in her fashion line (Lyons, 2021).

"Luxury must be comfortable, otherwise, it is not luxury." - Coco Chanel.

sscanterb — 2024-03-09 17:20:18 UTC

Chanel made her fashion line stand out by emphasizing comfortable, lightweight garments and a pared-down silhouette. This made her fashion line extremely profitable during the first World War when women took to the factories and everyday jobs that their husbands once occupied. Women's fashion was previously centered on being long, hot, multilayered and not suitable for walking let alone working. With the coming of war, the change in gender roles, and the lack of expensive fabric, Chanel's aesthetic rose to fame. Her style showed European women that comfort and simplicity could be just as valuable as exquisite silk. Moreover, none-traditional materials could be used. Europe finally caught up with Chanel (Lyons, 2021)!

“Before me, no one would have dared to dress in black.….. A black so deep, so noble that once seen, it stays in the memory forever.” —Chanel

sscanterb — 2024-03-09 17:20:24 UTC

While her rivals advertised and enticed buyers and fashion enthusiasts with colors and fabulous frills, Chanel redirected her energy to simple yet refined. At the time, black was only ever seen as a color of mourning. You would not wear all black unless death had passed your house (Anderson, 2020).

However, much to the public's shock, Coco Chanel's little black dress portrayed the color, or lack thereof, as something that was fashionable, comfortable, and everyday article of clothing. The little black dress took women around the world by storm, and forever cemented her fashion line through the ages. It transformed the Art Deco Movement, simple yet artistic work, into something you could wear (Anderson, 2020).

"A woman who doesn't wear perfume, has no future." Coco Chanel

sscanterb — 2024-03-09 17:20:57 UTC

Before Chanel, perfume came in two distinct scents depending on what signal a woman wanted to sent to the larger community. One was flower-scented for moral woman, and the other was animal-musk scented perfume for courtesans. Coco Chanel decided to change this, and introduced a perfume line along with her clothing. It was marketed towards the flappers and free spirit women of the time, and was called Chanel N.5. It became an overnight success, and is responsible for so many different scents and brands of perfume being available today. To this day, it remains one of the most sold perfumes in the world (Mazzeo, 2010.)

"In order to be irreplaceable, one must always be different." - Coco Chanel

sscanterb — 2024-03-09 17:21:11 UTC

Coco Chanel's line became synonymous with shock value and standing out in a crowd. In a gender-segregated world, she would often intertwine traits from both sides to create masterpieces in her fashion line. One of the most iconic pieces to come out of her creativity and need for comfort was the Chanel suit. Originally developed in the 1920s based off her boyfriend's clothes, it gradually developed and changed with time. Over the years, the fabrics, style, and colors have changed, but the allure of the simplicity, yet business-like air about the outfit still attracts buyers and fashionistas. Even today, the outfit is evolving and changing with the newer generation. You can find the Chanel suit in all forms and fashions to suit one's needs and taste (Vernose, 2023.)

"I don't care what you think about me. I don't think about you, at all." - Coco Chanel

sscanterb — 2024-03-09 17:21:18 UTC

Before the Chanel 2.55, all that was available to women were strapless handbags. They were annoying to carry, especially if one needed their hands to be free. Drawing inspiration from the soldier handbags she saw when sang in the cabaret, Chanel designed the bag to be both durable and, like her clothing, comfortable.

During World War II, in an effort to save her industry and the life she fought so hard to build, she cozied up with Nazi general Baron Hans Günther von Dincklage (Lyons, 2021). After the war, due to her involvement and relocation to Switzerland, she needed a comeback to win against her new fashion opponents such as Dior. Her answer was a redesign of the Chanel 2.55 (Petersen, 2006.) !

The bag had a quilted diamond on the exterior, and special stitching to give it its shape and volume. The pattern is supposedly designed with the cushions of her childhood apartment in mind. The chain strap, originally a leather one before the second World War, was inspired by the chain Chanel saw the nuns use to dangle keys from in the convent (Petersen, 2006.)

“A girl should be two things: classy and fabulous.” ― Coco Chanel

sscanterb — 2024-03-09 17:31:48 UTC

The 1920s marked a great change for women, with one of the most recognizable symbols of that area being flapper fashion. It stood as a symbol for freedom from the shackles of tradition and encouraged sexual freedom. This trend may have been started by Coco Chanel herself when she began wearing masculine clothing because they were more comfortable.

Chanel believed that you can have your cake, and eat it, too. You can be comfortable and simply dressed while also being stylish. Flapper fashion is a good example of this, as it blended female and male clothing, which was then accessorized by various jewelry to bring out the femininity of the woman wearing it.

In order to accessorize, Chanel created "illusion jewelry." While traditional clothing restricted movement and cut the body into two parts, long necklaces helped emphasize the visual flow of the torso and body.

Works Cited

sscanterb — 2024-03-09 17:32:17 UTC

Anderson, C. (2020, October 25). Coco chanel—the little black dress . Classic Chicago Magazine. Retrieved March 8, 2024, from https://classicchicagomagazine.com/coco-chanel-the-little-black-dress/.

Coco Chanel - Fashion Icon. https://www.1920s-fashion-and-music.com/Coco-Chanel.html

Lyons, C. (2021, December 22). Coco Chanel: How world wars built a fashion empire. Lyons Feel. https://www.lyonsfeel.com/essays/2020/5/18/coco-chanel-how-world-wars-built-a-fashion-empire

Mazzeo, Tilar J. (2010). The Secret of Chanel No. 5: The Biography of a Scent. New York: HarperCollins.

Pedersen, Stephanie (2006). Handbags: What Every Woman Should Know. Cincinnati: David & Charles. pp. 128 pages

Vernose, V. (2023, July 26). The history of the Chanel Tweed Suit. CR Fashion Book. https://crfashionbook.com/fashion-a26551426-history-of-chanel-tweed-suit/

Quotes

Goodreads. Coco Chanel quotes (author of Coco Secondo Coco). Goodreads. https://www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/3004479.Coco_Chanel