Wednesday 3 December 2014

COCO CHANEL

Gabrielle Bonheur Chanel (19 August 1883 – 10 January 1971) was a French fashion designer and founder of the Chanel brand. She is the only fashion designer listed on Time magazine's list of the 100 most influential people of the 20th century. Chanel was known for her lifelong determination, ambition, and energy which she applied to her professional and social life. She achieved both success as a businesswoman and social prominence thanks to the connections she made through her work. Chanel was raised in an orphanage and taught to sew. She had a brief career as a singer before opening her first clothes shop in 1910. In the 1920s, she launched her first perfume and introduced the Chanel suit and the little black dress.

                "I don't do fashion I am fashion"

COCO CHANEL is remembered for many massive trends which shocked the world and will never be forgotten.

These are:
Jersey fabric
Chanel's initial triumph was the innovative use of jersey fabric, a machine knit material manufactured for her by the firm Rodier.. Chanel's early wool jersey travelling suit consisted of a cardigan jacket, and pleated skirt, paired with a low-belted pullover top. This ensemble, worn with low-heeled shoes, became the casual look in expensive women's wear



The Chanel Suit

The Chanel tweed suit was built for comfort and practicality. It consisted of a jacket and skirt in a matching Scottish tweed and a blouse and jacket lining in jersey or a silk crepe. The jacket was piping and gold buttons. The tweed she used was supple and light. She did not stiffen the material or use shoulder pads. She also cut the jackets on the straight grain, without adding bust darts. This allowed for quick and easy movement. She designed the neckline to leave the neck comfortably free and also added pockets that could actually hold things. On most other suits, pockets were just for show. For a higher level of comfort, the skirt had a grosgrain across the hips, instead of a belt.




The Little Black Dress

After the jersey suit, the concept of the little black dress is often cited as a Chanel contribution to the fashion lexicon and as an article of clothing survives to this day. Its first incarnation was executed in thin silk and had long sleeves. Chanel started making little black dresses in wool or chenille for the day and in satin, crepe or velvet for the evening. The dress was fashionable, yet comfortable and practical.





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THE COCO CHANEL FRAGRANCE is one of Channels biggest successes. Chanel No. 5 was the first perfume launched by French couturier Gabrielle "Coco" Chanel. The chemical formula for the fragrance was compounded by Russian-French chemist and perfumer Ernest Beaux. Coco designed the bottle and said she wanted to it look expensive and classy; which is exactly what it was. The first bottle produced in 1919 differed from the Chanel No.5 bottle known today. The original container had small, delicate, rounded shoulders and was sold only in Chanel boutiques to select clients.




Coco Chanel was one of the most influential fashion designers of the Twentieth Century worldwide. For over fifty years, Coco Chanel was considered to be the "Grande Mademoiselle" of the fashion and society scene. Chanel's hair was often bobby pined and covered with a sailor hat. Usually, fashion designers follow the trends of society in order to be successful in the marketplace but Coco Chanel crossed the fashion boundaries and did her own thing. she strayed away from 'normal' and created her own sentimental fashion trends which are still around today. 





Channel's designs are still walking down the catwalk to this day, whether they've been altered or tweaked slightly to compliment today's fashion they will always be around.



 








"A girl should be two things, classy and fabulous"
"In order to be irreplaceable you must always be different"
"A woman can be over dressed but never over elegant"
"Every day is a fashion show and the world is the runway"