Chanel: A Couturière in Profile

Coco Chanel circa 1929.

 It is inarguable that the practical, yet multi-faceted, elements of Coco Chanel’s influence of style cannot be untangled from her personality. Chanel was a pioneer not only in the design of women’s couture, but also in the development of business and fashion merchandise operations in the post-war era. It was uncommon for her to draw her designs, and she preferred instead to position her stylistic visions on the human body rather than on the sketching pad. Chanel’s design choices of simplicity and comfort were not lost on Parisian women, and in 1919, she opened the couture house which she had aimed to create before World War I.

The sensible aspects of Chanel’s designs, including pockets for utility and practicality, costume jewelry as a replacement of precious gems, and men’s sweaters, contributed to a certain air of realism and sophistication. The clothes she created were of an easy, fairly relaxed fit, with an elected understatement to correspond to the challenges of the times. The working class also provided a creative source for Chanel’s ideas. She used components of men’s sweaters and of mechanics’ overalls to achieve a mathematically simple idea of style. But this vision was not to be without a prevailing sense of femininity. This was seen in the tailored wool suits Chanel favored, in the oversize cardigan sweaters without excessive ornamentation, and in the reductionist components of an easily translatable and socially empowering aesthetic.

The geometric lines for which Chanel is known can be seen in this emerald mini dress from the 1990 collection. A utilitarian choice of an emerald color scheme with navy blue lining along the neck, cuffed wrists, pockets, and hem, the design is archetypal of Chanel’s erudition in a comfortably structured manner for women active in social and professional life. A subtle sex appeal completes the design, as the thigh-high hem diverges from the restraint of the reserved round neckline.

Another design, a tribute to the well-known Chanel quilted suit, is a pink and mocha crocheted suit with an accommodating fit, rectangular pocket flaps, and solid brass buttons to parallel the rigidly grand presence of the suit. Indeed, the house of Chanel envisioned the creation of apparel as a fairly democratic exercise, and Chanel herself transcended the impenetrably elite boundaries of stylistic perception by licensing her name to companies which catered to the middle market.

A study in contrasts, Chanel’s progress addressed pragmatism and sophistication, unapologetic realism and constructed textile imagery. Her work blurred the traditionally accepted definitions for the constructed apparel and accessories previously available to women. Chanel’s essence of style and artistic impact continue to inspire modern visionaries, and her ideas of straightforward, effortless, and uncluttered panache endure to challenge perspective and convention in design.

-Blog post contributed by Ivayla Ivanova

 1929 Coco Chanel portrait from Chanel: A Woman Of Her Own by Axel Madsen

The Next Best Thing To Paris

A friend of mine on Long Island once told me this wonderful anecdote:

Her aunt lived in New York in the 1920s & 30s. As a young woman, she was a fashion buyer of sorts. Her crafty mission was to shop Bergdorf Goodman for the very best designs, purchase one of each, and take them back to the sewing department where she worked at a lesser-priced department store. Then the seamstresses would copy each gown, line for line, and make up copies of the designers' originals.

Such investment in "the latest from Paris" was once a matter of course, when French fashion was the pinnacle of style. It wasn't until mid-century that the notion of an American designer climbing the ranks was even considered here in the US. For example, this 1940s suit speaks volumes about the French influence:



Its label is clearly inspired by Paris, yet just below "The French Shops" it tells us a much more mundane origin - Filene's Department Store in Boston. Yet the look is exquisitely Parisian, wonderfully executed. Back in the 40s we could wish for a French name to the point of emulation like this, even if we Americans couldn't technically create it or afford it.

A 1921 advertisement for a "millinery copyist". Such plagiarism of fashion
was more blatant before branding and licensing grew in importance.

Even Hollywood starlets were hard pressed to purchase French originals. Marsha Hunt, an ingenue signed by Paramount at the tender age of 17, had the difficult task of existing in the limelight with a limited budget for her personal wardrobe. It was 1934, and the cameras were focused on her. She writes "the choice arose: whether to splurge on a very few fine originals, or for the same money to buy a much greater variety of less expensive things".

Marsha Hunt in 1937, wearing a pretty frock probably from her own wardrobe - and probably a copy!

Of course our friend from Long Island could've copied all the "fine originals" and made a wardrobe for Ms. Hunt for much less. And this is indeed the direction Marsha went. She shopped "often and carefully" at department stores and smaller shops, always seeking and finding more than she could afford. Indirectly, the couturiers must have been dismayed at such activity. But at least, thanks to the copyists, there was even the possibility!

Source: The Way We Wore: Styles of the 1930s & '40s and Our World Since Then by Marsha Hunt