Gabrielle ‘ Coco ‘ Chanel was firm believer of the ideology that “ Luxury is not luxury if not comfortable.”
Hence she always tried to revolutionize women’s clothing by replacing uncomfortable and heavy clothing such as corsets or seamstress , with something more practical and comfortable to wear such as trousers , straight cut jackets and skirts or little black dress as shown below in the images .
When WWI broke out in 1914, though women who worked within the public sector wore Heavy skirts, many women who took on more manual labor roles began to wear trousers and overalls in the workplace. Coco Chanel loved wearing trousers herself, often borrowing her boyfriend’s suits, and she began designing trousers for women to wear while doing sports and other physical activities. Soon trousers became a fashion choice for women rather than merely a functional garment thanks to Coco Chanel’s initiative to design and market it for women .
In 1925, she introduced the now legendary Chanel tweed suit with collarless jacket and well-fitted skirt. Her designs were revolutionary for the time—borrowing elements of men’s wear and emphasizing comfort over the constraints of then-popular fashions. She helped women say goodbye to the days of confining garments which were dominating women’s fashion then .
Another 1920s revolutionary design was Chanel’s little black dress. She took a color once associated with mourning and showed just how chic it could be for evening wear.
Madame Coco passed away in 1971 in Paris , but she left a legacy behind that women would never have to chose between looking beautiful and feeling free . Her shrewd understanding of women’s needs and enterprising ambitions are being carried forward by Karl Lagerfeld , head designer at Chanel house since 1983 .
By Shaleen BAINS
BIBLIOGRAPHY :
Inside Chanel : Youtube channel
Judy Webster : A History of Chanel . Harper’s Bazaar UK , 2016
Alice Casely-Hayford :Ten ways Coco Chanel changed fashion .Hungertv.com . 2016
Madsen, Axel. Chanel: A Woman of Her Own. Holt Paperbacks. 1991.
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