"Elegance is not the prerogative of those who have just escaped from adolescence, but of those who have already taken possession of their future." – Coco Chanel
After World War II ended, while Chanel laid low in Switzerland, new design houses took command of Paris. Christian Dior designed dresses with a longer, more feminine look that included a cinched waistline with corset undergarment. He believed that women wanted to return to a more traditionally feminine look after the straight, short skirts worn during the war when fabric was rationed. He wanted to give women back their softer more feminine look, after years of dressing in such masculine fashions. Another designer gaining fame in Paris was Cristobal Balanciaga, a Spanish born designer who enjoyed success with the launch of his line in Paris. In 1946 he introduced a barrel style dress with embroidered bolero jacket. Coco Chanel watched as these designers shaped women's fashion. She viewed their designs as a big step backward, by producing clothes that were not functional for an active woman, not tailored for a woman who wanted to make her own way in the world. She was disgusted by what she considered over- embellished and heavily weighted designs that would slow women down. This was the catalyst she needed to get her designs flowing again. She employed the same ideas as before: functionality for an active woman, clean lines devoid of tremendous embellishment. "When accessorizing, always take off the last thing you put on." In 1953, determined to shape women's fashion once again, she approached the Wertheimer family. They all agreed that if the couture house became a guiding force again, the perfume would also increase in value and sales, and the famous fragrance still paid her 2% dividends. They backed her financially in exchange for complete ownership of all her companies, while she retained total control of the garment designs and fabric selections. Now age seventy, she went to work setting up her atelier in Paris on the Rue Cambon, calling upon as many of her former staff as she could re-hire. On February 5, 1954 she launched her new line inside her shop. From atop the spiral staircase with a cigarette in her hand, Chanel watched as her models walked past the reporters from fashion magazines and newspapers, buyers from high-end stores, and her few dear friends who were still alive. The models walked with Chanel elegance, one hand on their hip, the other holding a card with the number of the outfit they wore, neck outstretched for a beautiful line, moving effortlessly without the aid of music. The European press was less than warm in their reports of her stylings. They had seen it before. It was not the new, fresh fashions being created by the other Parisian designers. However, the American magazines applauded her clean lines, short hem lengths, timeless pearls and chains, and easy to wear fabrics. These were the fashions that truly spoke to the spirit of the American women, the women on the move: Boxy hip-length tweed jackets with a simple braid trim over a clean lined blouse and tweed skirt cut on the bias; Simple jackets and skirts with no embellishment, lined with the same fabric as the blouse; tiered dresses with two-toned low-lift pumps. These looks shaped the fashion of American women who embraced her straightforward style. Flirty and sophisticated, Chanel's haute couture look became the standard for women in the United States.
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 World War II ended, while Chanel laid low in Switzerland, new design houses took command of Paris. Christian Dior designed dresses with a longer, more feminine look that included a cinched waistline with corset undergarment. He believed that women wanted to return to a more traditionally feminine look after the straight, short skirts worn during the war when fabric was rationed. He wanted to give women back their softer more feminine look, after years of dressing in such masculine fashions. Another designer gaining fame in Paris was Cristobal Balanciaga, a Spanish born designer who enjoyed success with the launch of his line in Paris. In 1946 he introduced a barrel style dress with embroidered bolero jacket. Coco Chanel watched as these designers shaped women's fashion. She viewed their designs as a big step backward, by producing clothes that were not functional for an active woman, not tailored for a woman who wanted to make her own way in the world. She was disgusted by what she considered over- embellished and heavily weighted designs that would slow women down. This was the catalyst she needed to get her designs flowing again. She employed the same ideas as before: functionality for an active woman, clean lines devoid of tremendous embellishment. "When accessorizing, always take off the last thing you put on." In 1953, determined to shape women's fashion once again, she approached the Wertheimer family. They all agreed that if the couture house became a guiding force again, the perfume would also increase in value and sales, and the famous fragrance still paid her 2% dividends. They backed her financially in exchange for complete ownership of all her companies, while she retained total control of the garment designs and fabric selections. Now age seventy, she went to work setting up her atelier in Paris on the Rue Cambon, calling upon as many of her former staff as she could re-hire. On February 5, 1954 she launched her new line inside her shop. From atop the spiral staircase with a cigarette in her hand, Chanel watched as her models walked past the reporters from fashion magazines and newspapers, buyers from high-end stores, and her few dear friends who were still alive. The models walked with Chanel elegance, one hand on their hip, the other holding a card with the number of the outfit they wore, neck outstretched for a beautiful line, moving effortlessly without the aid of music. The European press was less than warm in their reports of her stylings. They had seen it before. It was not the new, fresh fashions being created by the other Parisian designers. However, the American magazines applauded her clean lines, short hem lengths, timeless pearls and chains, and easy to wear fabrics. These were the fashions that truly spoke to the spirit of the American women, the women on the move: Boxy hip-length tweed jackets with a simple braid trim over a clean lined blouse and tweed skirt cut on the bias; Simple jackets and skirts with no embellishment, lined with the same fabric as the blouse; tiered dresses with two-toned low-lift pumps. These looks shaped the fashion of American women who embraced her straightforward style. Flirty and sophisticated, Chanel's haute couture look became the standard for women in the United States.
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.
