Coco Chanel Research Papers

The 18th century, more precisely between 1715 and 1789, was a significant time period in the fashion sphere for women in France. The time period itself was a mark of great change for the history of France due to various political reasons as well as various art movements and often times fashion, despite being a branch of art, is overlooked by most viewers. However, fashion during this time excelled in France and was essentially the symbol of a new era in this domain; French fashion was now snowballing into something much greater that still echoes to this today. Ultimately, the goal of this essay is to describe women’s fashion during the period of 1715-1789 and the shifts it made through the analytical use of various sources including artwork, literature, museums’ online archives and internet sources.

In this essay I want to examine how the corset evolved from a staple of the British feminine wardrobe of the Nineteenth Century into a symbol of an outmoded tradition – only to later return as a statement of female liberation. I am going to look at different aspects of this development including technological advances, economic facts, external events, particularly the First World War and changes in social, political and aesthetic attitudes. I will also look briefly at the role of Chanel on the silhouette and how this impacted on the corset: focusing on the trend to towards ‘opulent androgyny’ in the 1920’s. Finally I will examine the resurgence of the corset

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

Throughout the 1920s through the 1950s Women’s clothing in America was affected by World War II, which lead to the exploration of different styles, the encounter of new trends and the exchange of ideas and new styles.

After the War Chanel returned to Paris in 1953 to find that Parisian women were obsessed with Christian Dior and the “New Look”, which is a very feminine

Though in her later life she came to be regarded one of the world's most influential designers of all time, Chanel's earlier life was far from glamorous. Coco Chanel was born sometimes in the year 1883 though she later disputed the same as her birth date (replacing it with 1893). Chanel's mother passed on when she was aged 6 years old leaving the young Chanel and four of her siblings under the care of her father. Soon after, her father put her in an orphanage run by Catholic nuns. It is here that the young Channel learnt the art of sewing something that would prove to be much helpful in her later undertakings. When she attained the age of eighteen, Chanel left the orphanage and later on, she secured a job as a seamstress. However, Chanel would occasionally put her other talent, singing, into use by performing at a cabaret. Soon, Chanel moved to Deauville where she become romantically involved with Etienne Balsan and later on became his mistress at the age of 23. It

At this time Paris was fun and careless before the French Revolution of 1789 released its horrors on it. But the outbreak of the revolution changed everything, and with all of the violence around, she fled France with her daughter to find safety in Italy (Moffat and Mossman). When she returned, Paris was a completely different place. However, the demand for her art had not changed. Vigee Le Brun is considered a painter of the rococo period. Rococo is best described as an eighteenth century art style that places importance on the carefree life rather than grand heroes. Originally the rococo fashion started in Paris, where Vigee Le Brun was born. It changed the way people looked at art and the world in general (Bleiberg). Vigee Le Brun not only used the rococo style in her art, but also to influence fashion, persuading women to wear simple, high waist shifts, which would be an important stepping stone in changing fashion forever. By refusing to put powder in her hair, she made being natural beautiful. If it weren’t for her innovations we might still be wearing Victorian gowns and wigs. She made fashion and styles for young women, such as herself, more daring and interesting (Steadman).

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

Coco Chanel was born as Gabrielle Bonheur Chanel on August 19, 1883 in Saumur, France. Chanel was raised on a French countryside by both of her parents. Raised in a modest lifestyle, she was one of five children in her household. By the age of six years old her mother had passed away leaving her father to raise her and her siblings on his own. Not soon after Gabrielle was abandoned by her father and left at an orphanage. While living in an orphanage she learned how to sew by the nuns who raise her. As a young adult she spent many years working in a café as a singer, thus earning the name Coco. Before working as a café singer, Coco worked as a shop girl for a short period of time. By the year of 1910, Coco had opened up her first store titled Chanel Modes and was selling hats. She was able to establish her name and build a

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

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