"Fashion is not something that exists in dresses only. Fashion is in the sky, in the street, fashion has to do with ideas, the way we live, what is happening." – Coco Chanel
Coco Chanel changed much in the way of women's fashions in the 20th century. She shortened hem lengths and edited the layers at the turn of the century to lighten the load women had to carry both on their bodies as well as atop their heads. Her designs glorified her tomboy, thin, flat-chested frame, as opposed to the prior fashions that amplified more voluptuous figures. She transposed men's fashions into a more feminine fit, by adapting the pull-over sweater into a cardigan and tailoring women’s blouses to mimic the lines of men's dress shirts. She wore a lover's Polo coat to a match on a chilly day and cinched the waist with her belt, posed for the paparazzi, then re-created the look to sell at her atelier. She dressed her famous friends in her fashions to be photographed at special events to get her name out as being the top fashion house for the celebrities. She was the first to popularize the "Little Black Dress" that is still such a staple of today's fashions. Beforehand, black had been reserved for mourning or for the nuns. Chanel used soft silk crepe de chine or charmeuse paired with fluttering chiffon to create a feminine look for evening, adding simple lines of beaded fringe, or trimming the edges with exotic furs including monkey, ermine and leopard. For day she preferred her beloved jersey knit as well as sweater knits to create sophisticated looks women could wear while being productive. As the century progressed, her hem-lengths continued to rise for day. She popularized the knee-length pleated skirt with matching cardigan. She loved to use the same fabric of her dress or blouse as the lining for the jacket to create a complete ensemble. Coco Chanel had an uncanny ability to view the world around her to find fashion. She looked at the sailors on her lover’s yacht and designed pants for women in a similar style. She introduced the notion of women wearing trousers in public by creating flowing wide legged pants she called pajama pants out of jersey to wear to the beach or out of silk to the fashionable restaurants at night. Chanel popularized the sweater jacket and incorporated her trademark turned back pointed cuffs inspired by men’s French cuffs. She recognized that when women wore men’s clothes, they either felt, in the words of Janet Wallach, "emphatically feminine, like a fragile doll wrapped in a masculine aura, or erotically androgynous." She felt like she was empowering women and freeing their libido. Having been raised tight laced and well covered, she rebelled and designed sleeveless, knee-length dresses with deep necklines in the front and back, showing off the fact the women were not wearing traditional undergarments. As a fashion pioneer, she was routinely knocked off for the lower priced market. She loved being imitated, for she felt it made her brand more special and more well known. Being copied meant she was not only continuing to set the tone for fashion’s direction, she was also still setting the bar that consumers tried to reach. "Fashion changes, but style endures." Chanel worked up until she died on January 10, 1971 at age eighty-eight. Her style endures.
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.
Coco Chanel changed much in the way of women's fashions in the 20th century. She shortened hem lengths and edited the layers at the turn of the century to lighten the load women had to carry both on their bodies as well as atop their heads. Her designs glorified her tomboy, thin, flat-chested frame, as opposed to the prior fashions that amplified more voluptuous figures. She transposed men's fashions into a more feminine fit, by adapting the pull-over sweater into a cardigan and tailoring women’s blouses to mimic the lines of men's dress shirts. She wore a lover's Polo coat to a match on a chilly day and cinched the waist with her belt, posed for the paparazzi, then re-created the look to sell at her atelier. She dressed her famous friends in her fashions to be photographed at special events to get her name out as being the top fashion house for the celebrities. She was the first to popularize the "Little Black Dress" that is still such a staple of today's fashions. Beforehand, black had been reserved for mourning or for the nuns. Chanel used soft silk crepe de chine or charmeuse paired with fluttering chiffon to create a feminine look for evening, adding simple lines of beaded fringe, or trimming the edges with exotic furs including monkey, ermine and leopard. For day she preferred her beloved jersey knit as well as sweater knits to create sophisticated looks women could wear while being productive. As the century progressed, her hem-lengths continued to rise for day. She popularized the knee-length pleated skirt with matching cardigan. She loved to use the same fabric of her dress or blouse as the lining for the jacket to create a complete ensemble. Coco Chanel had an uncanny ability to view the world around her to find fashion. She looked at the sailors on her lover’s yacht and designed pants for women in a similar style. She introduced the notion of women wearing trousers in public by creating flowing wide legged pants she called pajama pants out of jersey to wear to the beach or out of silk to the fashionable restaurants at night. Chanel popularized the sweater jacket and incorporated her trademark turned back pointed cuffs inspired by men’s French cuffs. She recognized that when women wore men’s clothes, they either felt, in the words of Janet Wallach, "emphatically feminine, like a fragile doll wrapped in a masculine aura, or erotically androgynous." She felt like she was empowering women and freeing their libido. Having been raised tight laced and well covered, she rebelled and designed sleeveless, knee-length dresses with deep necklines in the front and back, showing off the fact the women were not wearing traditional undergarments. As a fashion pioneer, she was routinely knocked off for the lower priced market. She loved being imitated, for she felt it made her brand more special and more well known. Being copied meant she was not only continuing to set the tone for fashion’s direction, she was also still setting the bar that consumers tried to reach. "Fashion changes, but style endures." Chanel worked up until she died on January 10, 1971 at age eighty-eight. Her style endures.
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.
