"Fashion is architecture: it is a matter of proportions." – Coco Chanel
After Capel's untimely death, Coco Chanel withdrew from public life and sank into a dark depression. Concerned for the designer, her dear friend Misia Edwards boldly insisted Chanel join her and famed artist Jose-Maria Sert as they honeymooned in Venice. The newlyweds took Chanel from one museum to the next and gave her an incredible education about art and life. They introduced her to royalty, artists, poets, writers, choreographers, dancers, composers and the list went on. These were the world’s elite including Pablo Picasso, Jean Cocteau and Igor Stravinski. Surrounded by these creative minds on the cutting edge of their arts, she was accepted in a manner she had never been accepted before. When she was young, she was the poor girl sitting separately from the privileged. As a courtesan to wealthy men she was never accepted as an equal, never taken to elaborate balls or even fancy Parisian restaurants for she was regarded as not having the manners nor the class. With her new found clique she could be herself, speak her mind and know she was heard and respected as an equal. Her minimalist approach to clothing, with simple lines and functional materials, were the fashion equivalent to what the other artists were creating by throwing away conventional design and challenging tradition. They accepted her for her mind and the thoughts she voiced at their gatherings. "The most courageous act is still to think for yourself. Aloud." For the first time her humble beginnings did not matter. She opened up and gave herself to these people. When Igor Diaghilev could not afford to restage his favorite ballet, "Le Sacre du Printemps" (The Rite of Spring), Chanel privately went to him with enough money to cover what he needed and she asked only that the gift be kept private. She costumed the balls for the aristocracy, and even gained invitations as a guest, becoming the first couturier to do so. She collaborated with Cocteau to costume his plays "Antigone" and "Le Train Bleu." She commissioned famous artist Jacques Lipchitz to create a bronze bust of her. Two books were inspired by Coco. First, Lewis and Irene was based on Chanel's love affair with Boy Capel. Then Le Garçonne was about a shrewd and successful businesswoman who "thinks and acts like a man." Appalled that she should be regarded as a masculine mind instead of a strong feminine mind, she tied a ribbon into a bow around her head to drive home the point that she was indeed feminine. The look was an instant success and she incorporated the headband into numerous fashions. No longer mourning Capel, Chanel became romantically involved with Dimitri Pavlovich. He was the grandson of Czar Alexander II, the nephew to Czar Nicholas II, a former member of the elite Russian horse guard, and living in exile as one of the accused assassins of the Czar's adviser Rasputin. Still holding the title of Grand Duke, his prestige and connections followed him. His sister, the Grand Duchess Marie, was highly skilled in embroidery, and like the Grand Duke, she was left near broke from having to flee Russia. Marie became the head of a special workroom Chanel established for Russian emigres who embellished Coco's creations with elegant embroidery and beadwork. This allowed Chanel to compete against the more expensive French embroidery being fashioned by her rival, Elsa Schiaparelli. Even the knit hats created by the Russian women became wildly popular for the House of Chanel. But the best was yet to come.
This color coordinated collection of fashion fabrics was first featured in our Vogue Fabrics By Mail Early Spring 2011 catalog of swatches. Subscribe to receive home delivery of these catalogs every other month.
After Capel's untimely death, Coco Chanel withdrew from public life and sank into a dark depression. Concerned for the designer, her dear friend Misia Edwards boldly insisted Chanel join her and famed artist Jose-Maria Sert as they honeymooned in Venice. The newlyweds took Chanel from one museum to the next and gave her an incredible education about art and life. They introduced her to royalty, artists, poets, writers, choreographers, dancers, composers and the list went on. These were the world’s elite including Pablo Picasso, Jean Cocteau and Igor Stravinski. Surrounded by these creative minds on the cutting edge of their arts, she was accepted in a manner she had never been accepted before. When she was young, she was the poor girl sitting separately from the privileged. As a courtesan to wealthy men she was never accepted as an equal, never taken to elaborate balls or even fancy Parisian restaurants for she was regarded as not having the manners nor the class. With her new found clique she could be herself, speak her mind and know she was heard and respected as an equal. Her minimalist approach to clothing, with simple lines and functional materials, were the fashion equivalent to what the other artists were creating by throwing away conventional design and challenging tradition. They accepted her for her mind and the thoughts she voiced at their gatherings. "The most courageous act is still to think for yourself. Aloud." For the first time her humble beginnings did not matter. She opened up and gave herself to these people. When Igor Diaghilev could not afford to restage his favorite ballet, "Le Sacre du Printemps" (The Rite of Spring), Chanel privately went to him with enough money to cover what he needed and she asked only that the gift be kept private. She costumed the balls for the aristocracy, and even gained invitations as a guest, becoming the first couturier to do so. She collaborated with Cocteau to costume his plays "Antigone" and "Le Train Bleu." She commissioned famous artist Jacques Lipchitz to create a bronze bust of her. Two books were inspired by Coco. First, Lewis and Irene was based on Chanel's love affair with Boy Capel. Then Le Garçonne was about a shrewd and successful businesswoman who "thinks and acts like a man." Appalled that she should be regarded as a masculine mind instead of a strong feminine mind, she tied a ribbon into a bow around her head to drive home the point that she was indeed feminine. The look was an instant success and she incorporated the headband into numerous fashions. No longer mourning Capel, Chanel became romantically involved with Dimitri Pavlovich. He was the grandson of Czar Alexander II, the nephew to Czar Nicholas II, a former member of the elite Russian horse guard, and living in exile as one of the accused assassins of the Czar's adviser Rasputin. Still holding the title of Grand Duke, his prestige and connections followed him. His sister, the Grand Duchess Marie, was highly skilled in embroidery, and like the Grand Duke, she was left near broke from having to flee Russia. Marie became the head of a special workroom Chanel established for Russian emigres who embellished Coco's creations with elegant embroidery and beadwork. This allowed Chanel to compete against the more expensive French embroidery being fashioned by her rival, Elsa Schiaparelli. Even the knit hats created by the Russian women became wildly popular for the House of Chanel. But the best was yet to come.
This color coordinated collection of fashion fabrics was first featured in our Vogue Fabrics By Mail Early Spring 2011 catalog of swatches. Subscribe to receive home delivery of these catalogs every other month.
