Chanel's Influence On Fashion Essay

There have been and still are hundreds of fashion designers in the world. But only a few of them have had any major impact on fashion industry today. And even fewer have revolutionised the fashion industry completely. One of these revolutionaries is the renowned Christian Dior. He reestablished Paris as the centre of the fashion world, and created his name as a symbol of elegance, quality, and modernity. I will be looking into how Dior’s context informed his practice, by using three of his most iconic and popular designs; The Bar Suit, Venus Dress and the Cygne Noir dress. And how these were a direct representation of 1945-1950 France.

C. A lot of women know Chanel and they are fascinated of Chanel products, but how many people know about Coco Chanel, the first designer of Chanel?

People often ask me, "When did you first become interested in Coco Chanel?" and if I'm honest, I was fascinated long before I started researching her biography more than a decade ago, all the way back to my earliest memories in childhood. For there on top of my mother's dressing table stood a bottle of Chanel No. 5, beyond my reach but not out of sight, and I knew from the moment I began to discern its mysterious letters and number that there was something magical to the black-and-white cipher. I'm not alone in that discovery -- Chanel has come to represent the essence of everywoman, whether in the scent of her perfume or her choice of bold red lipstick or the perfect little black dress -- but the story of Coco feels somehow entwined with

Born into dire poverty and aged 11 when her mother passed on, Coco Chanel has come to be recognized by some as the epitome of success in the fashion industry. Indeed, she has such a huge following of admirers that in some instances, fans have made pilgrimages to one of her preserved apartments in Paris. As Tracy, a professed "timeless fan" of Chanel notes, "Chanel's fashion spirit will forever remain immortal." Further, her timeless designs also continue to be hugely popular today.

The 1950s clothing contributed so much to modern-day fashion. The prettier the clothes are, the more beautiful the person is. The main theme for beauty in the 1950s was femininity and refinement. During the 1950s, the runway became an important way of showing fashion. The younger buyers bought the "beat look" with flat pedal pusher shoes and the pumpkin skirt. This shows that younger people in the 1950s bought these types of clothes. Chanel made a come back in the 1950s with her cardigan jacket suits. Chanel is still worn today in the world. Chanel makes the gilt chain quilted leather handbag in 1957. Also, she made the

The French leader of the fashion frontier, Gabrielle “Coco" Chanel built an empire of fashion for women all around world, changed how society viewed women. With her boyish style, Chanel inspired women

Jackie O’ Kennedy was one of the biggest fashion influencers of the 1960s. Jackie was the wife of John F Kennedy. Since she was married to John and she was able to be in the white house this put her in the spotlight. This made is to many people around the world could see her clean and feminine style. She was one of the most influential people in fashion ever. She was in plenty of magazines for her chic style which put her in the spotlight which made it possible or people all around the world to view her style and made it possible for women to be able to show more skin and be more feminine.

CoCo Chanel had many achievements in the fashion world. This was brought forth by her creative leadership. CoCo was an orphan and originally learned how to sew there. She created a product that was attractive and desired. CoCo managed to be a wealthy businesswoman in a time where there were few opportunities for her to succeed. CoCo Chanel had enough confidence in herself to rely on her own judgement. This can be to blame for her success. CoCo was a leader instead of a follower. She did this by leading women away from impractical clothing (corsets), and instead introduces clothing that emphasized comfort, functionality and high style. CoCo used these skills and others to break through the male barrier in women's fashion. She is also responsible

She was the only fashion designer to ever be on Time magazine's list of the 100 most influential people of the 20th century. In the 1920s Gabrielle launched her first perfume ever called Chanel No. 5 which became a huge success, and still is. Also in the 1920s, Gabrielle started a new piece of clothing, which will change women’s outfits completely. It was the little black dress. Before she introduced this to everyone, black dresses were associated with funerals and deaths, not eveningwear. This was soon the end of corsets and thick clothing women had to wear out. Then in 1925 she created a more legendary piece the Chanel suit with a well-fitted skirt and jacket. It was called the “little boy look.” During the 50s, her spring collection received the Fashion Oscar at the 1957 Fashion Awards in Dallas. She was announced the most influential designer of the 20th

Coco Chanel’s career blossomed amidst political and social change. After World War I ended in 1918, many western states including the United States of America were fighting a new battle. Women’s suffrage and equality in the work force were gaining steam. Liberation was needed in more than one way. Women’s suffrage in 1920 was only the beginning. Chanel started a revolution of her own. In Tejvan Pettinger’s biography on Coco Chanel, he quotes the designer saying, “Most women dress for men and want to be admired. But they must also be able to move, to get into a car without bursting their seams!” (2009). Up until World War I women wore long dresses and skirts with a constricting corset. The doing away with the corset is one of the many things that has been attributed to the influence of Coco Chanel.

Coco Chanel, born Gabrielle Bonhuer Chanel, on August 19, 1883 in Saumur, France was an amazing woman who redefined fashion as we know it today. She was a clothing designer who revolutionized the fashion industry with her suits, little black dresses, and avant garde flare. Because of this quickly in her young life she became well know, and rose to be the fashion icon that she is today. From the timeless designs that are still popular to this day, and the sophisticated outfits that can be paired with great accessories Chanel has done it all. When it comes down to it though it was Coco Chanel’s philosophy that “luxury must be comfortable, otherwise it’s not luxury” that lead to her success. (“Coco Chanel”)

It wasn’t until Chanel started to create jackets which not only had the purpose of being worn closed, she created jackets that looked good opened, closed or hanging over the shoulders. She emphasized on this style by making blouses to serve the complete outfit. She was also the creator of the “Little Black Dress”, which was a relatively simple black dress made by elegant materials such as lace, tulle, weightless silk and even embroidery in a new, more tailored way. Chanel is today world known for its high quality designs and has women of the 21th century dependent on its classical style (Rennolds Milbank 120-121).

Coco Chanel, born on August 19, 1883 in Saumur, France, influenced 1920s fashion greatly through her trademark pieces such as “little black dress” and jersey suits and many more. These key fashion pieces are still very popular in our current day time in women’s fashion. Before Chanel became well known, most women would wear corsets that would leave them feeling stiff to give them more of a hour glass look as well as skirts with long hems that would reach the floor. Chanel went past the social boundaries of most women, and created different and diverse pieces. She disregarded societies idea of

This essay will be considering the historical development of haute couture by analysing Charles Frederick Worth’s (father of haute couture) key factors in the success of haute Couture. I will then discuss Coco Chanel’s thriving impact on haute couture as well as ready-to-wear caused by the second world war. Saint Laurent’s drift to ready-to-wear and the high street fashion system will also be discussed in order to answer if haute couture is relevant in fashion today. The books I will be analysing and referencing are ‘A Cultural History of Fashion in the 20th Century’ by Bonnie English, ‘Couture’ by Ruth Lynam, ‘How Fashion Works’ by Gavin Waddell. Which will thoroughly breakdown the evolution and historical development of fashion by cultural, economic, environmental and social changes to finally come into a conclusion.

August 19, 1883, Saumur, France (“Coco Chanel”): this is the date of when Gabrielle Bonheur Chanel was born. While Chanel’s aesthetic in her later years was glamour, glitz, and glam, her early years were not the same. Chanel's mother died when she was twelve, and due to her peddling father, she and her two other sisters went into foster care (Collage). There she was raised by nuns who taught her how to sew (“Coco Chanel”), a skill that will benefit her later in life. Before Chanel entered the fashion world, she was briefly a nightclub singer. This is where she coined the nickname “Coco” and met a very important man to her career (“Coco Chanel”). This man was the wealthy business man Arthur “boy” Cape, and