Unraveling the Fascinating History of Chanel
- Abbie Grace
- Nov 16, 2023
- 3 min read
Updated: Nov 23, 2023
There is no denying that Gabrielle Bonheur Chanel, more commonly known as Coco Chanel is an absolute icon in the world of fashion, even known by those who have no interest in fashion. Chanel was a French fashion designer known for changing the direction of women's fashion by loosening the corsets and giving women a fashionable alternative allowing them to breathe! Many credit Chanel for bringing about equality between men and women. Here I will get into what exactly Chanel did for the fashion community and how she impacted the fashion industry in both positive but also negative ways with her many controversies.
The Little Black Dress. AKA, the LBD.
Most women will have a little black dress in their wardrobe but not many know where it originates, it is Coco Chanel who brought this timeless item to life in 1926, and there is no doubt that it will continue to be an absolute essential in any woman's wardrobe that gets you out of trouble when you have nothing to wear last minute and for any occasion.
As mentioned previously the little black dress was a more masculine style that attempted to lift the constraints that society placed on women for them to dress a way in which pleased men and not themselves. Without a doubt, the little black dress will be around forever!!
Trousers.
Trousers first came about because of World War One, while the men were at war women had to work instead so as a result, they wore trousers as they were more practical. Practicality was the only reason to wear them until Chanel decided to make them popular. She liked wearing trousers as she often borrowed them from her male lovers... So, she essentially made them for herself. It is said that she created this new wave of feminism as wearing trousers at this time in the 1920s for women was often banned in many places, however, she never considered herself a feminist. There is a photograph of her wearing a bathing suit with wide-leg trousers over the top, along with her exaggerated pearl jewellery which was often seen on her. She was already well-established within the fashion industry at this point, so all the young fashionable women did the same as her moving feminism forward. She craved clothing that made her feel liberated and represented power and privilege, which in my opinion is the beauty of fashion and the reason we all buy clothing and enjoy it, when we like our outfit, it makes us feel confident and liberated and this message came through in all of Chanel's inventions.
Controversies.
There's no denying that Chanel had had a fair few blips in her career. This impacted her reputation, in particular, amongst the French people and still today people haven't forgiven her.
In Summer 22, I visited a fashion museum in Mialet, France, dedicated to Coco Chanel. I had a private tour of the museum while I was there in which the owner, Vanessa, told me all about these controversies and I carried this on to my French studies in which I did presentations on the impact she had on the fashion industry. I was told that she had an affair with a Nazi German officer named Dinklage, during World War 2, Dinklage enabled her to stay at the Ritz hotel which at the time was German headquarters. The French people felt betrayed by her since Germany had conquered France and she was thought to be anti-semitic. More accusations arose stating that she was a German spy with the code name Westminster, however, it was never confirmed. If you are interested in Chanel's Story, I thoroughly recommend anybody to visit the museum! Here are a few photos from my visit:
Below are the details of the owner of the museum:
Email: yourfrenchstay@gmail.com
Opmerkingen