Coco Chanel -- Game Changer Extraordinaire

Coco Chanel is the designer who arguably had the most influence on the radical change in women's fashion in the early 20th century. Her use of jersey to fashion entire outfits was revolutionary. Her introduction of elements of menswear into women's clothing, and an emphasis on comfort drove her her design aesthetic. She is the only fashion designer ever to make the list of Time Magazine's top 100.

Coco Chanel

Gabrielle Bonheur Chanel was born in August, 1883 in Samur France to an unmarried couple. Her father, a street peddler by trade, placed her in an orphanage at the Abauzine convent in Central France after her mother died. Gabrielle was 12 at the time.The nuns who ran the orphanage taught her how to sew.

After she had to leave the orphanage at age 18, Gabrielle sang in clubs for a while in Vichy and Moulins. She acquired the nickname "Coco" from the songs she sang. She pursued a stage career for a while, but her singing voice was marginal and she realized that it was not to be.

Early Chanel Jersey Dress

Chanel was a free spirit and lived an unconventional life. She was 23 and supporting herself as a seamstress when she met Etienne Balsan, the wealthy heir to a textile fortune and became his mistress. In 1910 he helped her open a millinery shop on 31 Rue Cambon in Paris. She eventually left Balsan for one of his wealthier friends, Englishman Arthur "Boy" Capel. Both of these men were extremely important in helping Chanel launch her career. Capel was the true love of her life. She said she never recovered from his death in a car accident in 1919.

Chanel saw the clothing women wore in the Edwardian era as restrictive, oppressive, and designed by men. Women had a hard time moving or even eating because of the corset. She borrowed from the good tailoring and tastes in Capel's clothing, transforming elements of menswear into clothing for women. It is said that the shape of the bottle for Chanel No. 5 was designed after the rectangular, beveled lines of Capel's toiletry containers.

The First Chanel Suit, 1926

Her breakthrough came when she made a dress out of a piece of jersey on a chilly day in Deauville. When women began asking her where she got the dress, she offered to make them. By then she had shops in Paris, as well as Deauville and Biarritz. She is quoted as saying "my fortune is built on that old jersey that I had put on because it was cold in Deauville."

The "Chanel" look became popular during WWI as women moved into traditionally male dominated jobs. They needed less restrictive attire. Coco gave them that, while still maintaining elegance and femininity. She used vertical lines to flatter the female figure without the need for a corset.

Chanel Store at 31 Rue Cambon

Along with Paul Poiret, Chanel is credited with getting women out of the heavy corsets and layers of restrictive fabrics and popularized the acceptance of a sporty, more casual chic for women that became dominant after World War I. The striped boatneck, two-toned shoes and the well known quilted purse are all Chanel designs.

Chanel Shoes and Bag

It was in 1925 that the iconic suit, with a collarless jacket and well fitted, simple skirt, was first introduced. She emphasized chic yet comfortable attire. She said that "luxury must be comfortable, otherwise it is not luxury".

She also took black, long associated with just mourning, and began using it in elegant evening attire. It was Coco who gave women everywhere the little black dress, and turned black into a chic, stylish color. Along with many ropes of pearls, the look is now timeless.

1920s Black Dress

Chanel was greatly involved in high society of pre-WWII Paris. She had several lovers, including the Duke of Winchester and the composer Igor Stravinsky. She was popular with the literary and artistic giants of her day -- she counted Picasso as one of her friends. She designed costumes for the Ballets Russes and for Jean Cocteau's play "Orphee". She was at the highlight of her life.

When WWII began she closed her shops and fired all of the workers. Scandal came when, during the German Occupation of France, she had an affair with a German officer and got special permission to stay in her apartments at the Hotel Ritz. After the war she was interrogated as a possible collaborator -- but was not charged. Still, the damage to her reputation was done. She fled to Switzerland and remained out of the public eye for some time.

1950s Chanel Suit

At the age of 70 she made a triumphant return to fashion with a line of clothing that got scathing reviews from the critics but her feminine and easy fitting designs won over the hearts and pocketbooks of customers. Chanel died in 1971 at the age of 87. Her empire is now in the steady hands of Karl Lagerfeld.

1950s Chanel Dress

Vintage Chanel Bag, CatApolinar Vintage, Etsy

Vintage Chanel Earrings, Carnaby Vintage Jewels, Etsy

She is of course, a legend. A lesson in how one visionary and incredibly talented woman changed the course of fashion history. We take for granted so much of what she bequeathed to women's attire; ease, comfort, sophistication. Fabrics like jersey that flow and move. Coco Chanel and the freedoms women first tasted during WWI worked like glove-in-hand to change forever the crimped and confining nature of women's clothing-- and she never lived by anyone else's rules. This article is a very shallow dip into the rich, long life of Coco Chanel. If you are interested in learning more, please visit the references provided below, especially the Wikipedia article. Also, a tip of the pen to Mary Ellen Frey, of Vintage Vogue Treasure on Etsy who suggested Chanel as a topic for this blog and provided resources and notes.