Coco Chanel by Freya Davidson

AD4603 Fashion Culture And Context Coco Chanel and her influence on society 2000 words By Freya Davidson

“In order to be irreplaceable, one must always be different”

Pages 6-9.......... Introduction to Chanel

Pages 10-15........ Coco Chanel and her influence on society

Pages 16-17......... Conclusion

Pages 18-21........ B&W and colour images of Chanel

Pages 22-23....... APA Referencing section

INTRODUCTION INTRODUCTION INTRODUCTION 6

abrielle Coco Chanel was a French fashion designer who ruled Parisian couture for almost six decades. Her elegantly casual designs inspired women of fashion to abandon the complicated, uncomfortable clothes and instead opt for minimalism. Born in Saumur in a poor house hospice in 1883, Chanel was illegitimate. Her mother died when her daughter was 12, and any fortune teller would have predicted a dark and dreary life of sadness for her from that point. But anyone who could read character and willpower would have known the possibility of a different life path. Even as a young girl, she had beauty, which developed into a coquettish style that entranced men throughout her entire life. It’s easy to see where the “coquette” rumor came from. Chanel was an enticing young woman. She was strong willed and independent at a time when women were still burdened by social constraints. The facts of her early days are not easily verifiable. She grew up in a time — the last years of the 19th century — and in a place — rural France — when the lives of the poor were rarely fully documented. So, facts are scarce and, throughout her life, Chanel took advantage of this. She was good at self-mythologizing, and there was much to mythologise. As far as we know, she was christened Gabrielle and legitimised when her parents married a year after her birthday. She was one of five children and the family lived in abject poverty. When his wife died of tuberculosis, the father, an indigent pedlar, dumped his three daughters in the grounds of an orphanage and disappeared. Life in a strict catholic institution run by sadistic nuns, determined to bring all their charge to heel, had no such effect on Chanel except to make her rebel against all forms of discipline and fight to have her own way. They failed to break her spirit but certainly hardened her resolve to take control of her life as soon as she could. 50 years after her death, Chanel is still known as one of the most revolutionary designers to this day. An iconic woman as well as a businesswoman who quite literally changed the face of the earth from being an advocate for women to revolutionizing fashion. Her legacy remains to live on as a result of the impact she left on society, influencing many to wear what they feel comfortable in. To put it simply, Coco Chanel was rewriting the past to pave way a brighter future. Chanel was not afraid to do or be different, after all, she valued individuality, and as we look back in time at how fashion used to be to now, we can already see the big part she played in transforming fashion. Despite the fine details of her life, what seems to resonate with people most is her rags-to-riches story. She rose not only beyond her financial station, but also above the limitations her era put on women. “As a phenomenon, Chanel shoulders a lot of different narratives,”

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s the most influential couturier of the 20th century, Chanel who began by making hats chose to be creative and think outside of the box, leading her into a career that stormed the fashion world, creating a new sartorial style that freed women from corsets and lace frills by offering them sailor shirts and wide-leg pants instead. “Nothing is more beautiful than freedom of the body,” she once said, and her designs lived by these words: Chanel’s silhouettes were fluid and androgynous, her designs loose and - in the case of her iconic little black dress, or LBD - democratic. She wanted women to move and breathe in her clothes, just like men did in theirs. Her work was, in many ways, a form of female emancipation. Without Coco Chanel, fashion as we know it wouldn’t be the way it is today in terms of how much has changed. With the fashion industry being the second biggest industry globally, it is constantly evolving and conforming to society’s standards, not only in fashion itself but in general world views and topics from politics to social media, and beauty standards etc. For this, we have the iconic legendary fashion designer known famously as Coco Chanel to thank for. Chanel was independent and revolutionary in the world of fashion. Everything she did was a departure from the past, as she constantly wanted to improve the lives of women through her creations. It was at the orphanage where Coco learned about simplicity and practicality from learning how to sew, both characteristics that describe the iconic Chanel house. Chanel’s innovations started with the use of the jersey fabric; this material was undesirable at the time as it was mostly used for men’s underwear. Since this was during WWI, there were rations on fabric, and jersey was one of the fabrics still available for commercial use. Being the savvy businesswoman she was, Chanel saw the practicality of the cheap yet also functional jersey fabric. Her dresses would require little seaming in order for them to be comfortable, if made by jersey fabric. She was quoted saying, “I make fashion women can live in, breathe in, feel comfortable in and look younger in.” This use of jersey fabric completely embodies this mindset. This fabric is still used to this day, as one of the most comfortable fabrics. Everything about Chanel is revolutionary, the fact that the fabric used in her designs has a narrative itself is a representation that everything she does is carefully curated and has meaning, the perfect example of a designer who truly takes pride in her business.

Despite Chanel being a luxury brand, women invested in staple pieces such as the ‘little black dress’ as they knew they were getting quality for their money, this kind of design was a style that women wouldn’t think twice about wearing before Chanel introduced it. Therefore, not only did Chanel transform fashion, but she also made women feel comfortable and confident in their own choice of attire. Chanel converted the colour black which was generally associated as a colour of mourning to a staple colour of a woman’s wardrobe. Being a woman in the early 1900s wasn’t always the easiest. Gabrielle wanted to inspire women to flaunt their femininity and allow them to live comfortably and freely. Through the use of fashion and accessories, she inspired and uplifted women.

Aswell as being a huge influence on the women of society, Chanel educated men on how they were equal to women by introducing the concept that menswear could be worn by women too. She demonstrated that women were capable of much more than being a housewife, if given the chance they would easily be able to work and have a job, but they never got the opportunity to prove to men that they were no different to them before Chanel. wrapped up in Chanel’s timeless creation was a sense of her own strong, independent spirit; That desire to be a part of a liberated womanhood and yet distinctly oneself. In her creation of the Chanel suit and tweed jackets for women, the French designer again took typical male clothing and developed them for female bodies and lives. It was a radical act. Chanel was seizing all that such clothing represented – power, privilege, authority – and re-defining them as unapologetically female.

Menswear may have represented power and authority back in the day, but that didn’t mean that women couldn’t acquire those qualities. After all, gender doesn’t define you as a human being, the fact that Chanel changed the stereotypes of men and women not being equal is truly amazing. Although Chanel didn’t see herself as a feminist, her contribution to history certainly helped advance women’s rights. Neither did she allow gender inequality hold her back from making change. “I decided who I wanted to be, and that is who I am.” It was this strength of mind and purpose that led the designer to create clothing that broke away from traditional ideas of womanhood. In addition to the timeless pieces of which Chanel designed herself, jewellery was as important to her as the clothes stating that “costume jewellery is not made to give women an aura of wealth, but to make them beautiful.” Chanel valued the status of costume jewellery in particular due to the fact that it was most commonly worn by those who couldn’t afford authentic diamond necklaces, costume jewellery became a trend as a result of Chanel’s influence making it a fashion trend rather than a reflection of one’s wealth or power. Chanel designed with the purpose to re-define fashion, she despised the fact that fashion was a reflection of one’s status in society, instead she wanted fashion to be a force for change. She wanted fashion to be something that women could feel comfortable in without the worry or guilt. Coco loved to mix high end and low end jewellery, perhaps with the intention of removing the symbol of high and low end, she would mix long strands of pearls with diamond necklaces, this could be a way in which Chanel disguises the hidden status symbol through layers of jewellery. Some may say that Chanel could even be considered an advocate of change within this market just like fashion as her influence resulted in all levels of society wearing authentic and costume jewellery. The wealthy were no longer afraid to mix jewellery which was a big step for them considering that so many were afraid to wear multiple expensive diamond pieces. Chanel’s influence meant that women were able to accessorize more on a daily basis and not just when attending formal events and occasions. Coco also changed the way women wore perfume, with her iconic Chanel No. 5. Back then, women really only wore two scents. The society women would wear a scent that smelled of one single flower and the more sexual women would wear perfume that smelled of musk or jasmine. Coco Chanel wanted to create a scent that would liberate women, one that would allow women to smell like women. She wanted something clean, something that women of all societies could love. The final product is a mixture of jasmine, rose, sandalwood and vanilla, yet with no scent standing out more than the other. Perfume, just like jewellery was a chance for Chanel to encourage women to feel like women and freely express their femininity.

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eing a woman in the early 1900s wasn’t always the easiest. Coco Chanel chose to change this, and it started with her abolition of the corset. She wanted to inspire women to be women, and to allow them to live comfortably and freely. Through the use of her fashion and accessories, she inspired and uplifted women. This spirit of the free woman still lives today in all of Chanel’s vintage and current lines. We, as women, will constantly be inspired by Coco Chanel. Despite being a luxury brand that has not always been affordable to all parts of society, many didn’t care as Chanel was an influential person, not just a designer. Women didn’t have to buy from Chanel in order to have liberty because Chanel’s solitary influence acted as a way out for women, they could wear any clothes or jewellery even if it wasn’t designed by Chanel. Her intention was the opposite to attracting more customers, Coco believed in women and merely wanted to encourage them to be free and make their own decisions. She standardized status symbols through styling high and low end jewellery pieces together and she enacted change by encouraging women to stand up for what they believe in and not to allow men rule them or control their lives.

References Julia Neel. (2017, August 18). Best Coco Chanel Quotes. Retrieved from https://www. vogue.co.uk/gallery/coco-chanel-quotes-and-photos Maggie Maloney. (2017, August 16). 25 Coco Chanel Quotes Every Woman Should Live By. retrieved from https://www.townandcountrymag.com/style/fashion-trends/ news/g1150/14-coco-chanel-quotes-every-woman-should-live-by/?slide=8 Coco Chanel French designer. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.britannica.com/biography/Coco-Chanel Colin Mcdowell. (2015, November 27). Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel (1883-1971). Retrieved from https://www.businessoffashion.com/articles/news-analysis/gabrielle-coco-chanel-1883-1971 ARIA DARCELLA AND BENJAMIN GALOPIN. (2019, August 19). CR MUSE: THE LEGEND OF COCO CHANEL. Retrieved from https://www.crfashionbook.com/culture/ a27525454/cr-muse-coco-chanel/ Runway magazine. (2020, November 9). Coco Chanel Interview 1959. Retrieved from https://runwaymagazines.com/coco-chanel-interview-1959/ CHARLIE ROEMA. (2017, July 19). The influence of Gabrielle or how Coco Chanel changed fashion?. Retrieved from https://theeyeofjewelry.com/chanel/chanel-news/ the-influence-of-gabrielle-or-how-coco-chanel-changed-fashion/ Impact on Fashion. (n.d.). retrieved from https://theworldofcocochanel.weebly.com/impact-on-fashion.html#:~:text=Specifically%20she%20influenced%20women%20 and,could%20dress%20how%20they%20wanted.&text=Coco%20Chanel%20 made%20it%20so,women%20and%20men%20were%20equal. Siobhan Colgan. (2020, November 5). How Coco Chanel Advanced Women’s Rights. Retrieved from https://thriveglobal.com/stories/how-coco-chanel-advanced-womens-rights/#:~:text=Coco%20Chanel%20didn’t%20see,certainly%20helped%20advance%20women’s%20rights. Marianna Cerini. (2021, January 9th) How Coco Chanel changed the course of women’s fashion. Retrieved from https://edition.cnn.com/style/article/coco-chanel-fashion50-years/index.html

Images Figure 1 https://www.vogue.co.uk/gallery/coco-chanel-quotes-and-photos Figure 2 https://www.crfashionbook.com/culture/a27525454/cr-muse-coco-chanel/ Figure 3 https://www.businessoffashion.com/articles/news-analysis/gabrielle-coco-chanel-1883-1971 Figure 4 https://www.france24.com/en/tv-shows/encore/20210114-coco-chanel-thefashion-designer-s-legacy-50-years-after-her-death Figure 5 https://www.thejakartapost.com/life/2021/01/09/strong-whiff-of-wartimescandal-clings-to-coco-chanel.html Figure 6 https://www.crfashionbook.com/fashion/a26551426/history-of-chaneltweed-suit/ Figure 7 http://www.thecallalilydialogues.com/the-dialogues/2016/5/2/designer-coco-chanel-was-she-sleeping-with-the-enemy Figure 8 https://www.vogue.com/article/coco-chanel-tweed-brooch-hat-sunglasses-designer-accessory-style Figure 11 https://www.vogue.co.uk/gallery/coco-chanel-life-in-pictures Figure 12 https://www.marieclaire.co.uk/fashion/coco-chanel-s-25-snappiestquotes-54026