The Chanel Style

Gabrielle "Coco" Chanel modernist philosophy, mens-wear-inspired fashions, and pursuit of simplicity planted the first seeds of female emancipation in the early 20th century. In 1920, Chanel took what was considered poor fabrics like “Jersey” and introduced women’s sportswear along with her signature fragrance, Chanel No. 5, the first perfume to have a designer's name attached to it. Her timing could not have been better. The Chanel style was the perfect look for the roaring 20’s flappers, a "new breed" of self-confident young women that challenged the established concept of socially acceptable behavior.

Chanel’s own lifestyle fueled her ideas of how modern women everywhere should look, act and dress. She embodied everything modern and chic with her signature bobbed hair, faux pearls and timeless style. Chanel not only invented the tailored jacket with slacks and the LBD (little black dress), but catapulted the color black into the realm of being indispensably chic. As for all the flashy accessories (Bling) you can thank Coco for making costume jewelry fashionable.

Nine decades later her vision of the contemporary women remains somehow modern, timelessly elegant and irrepressibly chic. The women that uttered the quote, “Fashion Passes, Style Remains” and “Simplicity is the keynote of all true Elegance,” must’ve known that her sense of style would influence women’s fashion to this very day. Today’s fashion designers and hair stylists owe much of their working knowledge to the tiny French women with a stiff upper lip and an extraordinary sense of style.