Very
recently I have watched Coco Chanel the movie for the very first time and was
really amazed by all the things that Coco (originally Gabrielle) went through
and shaped her to the iconic figure she still remains. Today everybody
recognises the two famous interlocking ‘C’s as those of the logo for the great
Chanel. But unfortunately not everyone knows the great sacrifice that lead to
the legacy as we know it today. She was the one who freed the female figure
from all the tightness of corsets to more flowing and comfortable clothing.
Women
were of the idea that “Beauty requires a bit of suffering” so that they would
please as well as not insult the men. For instance having their ankles
completely covered otherwise they would be indecent and look cheap. But on
seeing this on her first work place Coco realised that that was not what women
actually wanted. Male fashion designers used to be the ones who came up with
female fashion garments, in fact, according to the movie, during a polo game
Coco had an argument with Paul Poiret regarding this point in which he states
to “Let Paul Poiret to determine what a woman wants to wear”, which in response
Coco responds with “you mean what you want them to wear, but are you sure
that’s the same thing”. This was all because she was going against the norm of
that time by wearing a straw hat for something as elegant as a polo game. She
was simply following her needs irrespective of what society said.
By
also following her needs she was the one who introduced trousers to women which
initially it was something only worn by men. The reason behind it was that she
was being restrained by the skirt whilst in trousers she could do anything and
were more practical.
In
one particular scene Coco is showing her hat to Jacques Doucet, a French fashion designer known for his elegant dresses,
in hopes that he would use one of her creations in a movie he was designing the
clothes for. At one point the “actress” is in front of a mirror with both
Doucet’s and Chanel’s woks and on the dress is visible a butterfly. It made me
think of another Art Nouveau designer, Rene Lalique’s jewellery. Doucet was
strongly influenced by the opulent era but he might have as well encountered
works by Lalique in Paris.
Here is showing similarities of the designers’ works. Since it was the era of Art Nouveau, artists were being influenced by nature as well as portraying the female figure. It was not just in relation to ornaments but also enhancing the delicate female figure herself. Such element is brought out in Doucet’s dresses which reflect the elegance, softness and simplicity of a woman’s body, by making use of flimsy translucent materials in superimposing pastel colours.
Later
on Chanel opened her first shop in Paris in 1913 with the help of one of the
male admirers, who provided financial support and social connections over the
course of her career. This lead to another shop opening in Deauville, which was
a resort for the elite few. She also made dresses shorter which catered for
everyone both rich and poor, the rich didn’t have maids to dress them and the
poor needed to work. There she had
dedicated clients who made her sports wear a great success very quickly. This
was due to the fact that the people who moved there did not bring maids with
them thus the task of wearing corsets and elaborate dresses was much more
difficult now and needed something more practical. To shock society even more
her garments were made out of jersey, which was an unusual choice of fabric but
due to her financial situation it was what she could afford. Before she started
using it for her designs jersey was used for male underwear. But even after she
had established herself well she continued to make use of jersey due to its
qualities which draped well and suited her designs perfectly since they had to
be simple and practical.
The
shortened skirts, allowed women to leave their corsets behind and
freed them for the practical activities made necessary by the war. Elements of
these early designs became hallmarks of the Chanel look. Chanel took great
pride as a woman in designing for other women, and by 1919, at the age of
thirty-two, she enjoyed huge success, with clients around the world. Soon
after, she relocated her couture house in Paris to 31 Rue Cambon, which remains
the center of operations for the House of Chanel today.
To
this day the look of Chanel is one that stands out. The elegance. The
simplicity of it all. It is Chanel.
One
of Chanel’s famous quotes is “to be irreplaceable one must always be different”
and she sure was.
Nothing
ever really disappears. After Boy died she designed a little black dress. She
went on with her business. Everything was handmade and still is to this day so
that everything is perfect. After the war her first collection was a total
disaster and was not accepted by society. She was going to lose everything and
another company was going to buy her out of her own business but she never gave
up. She could lose even more money by breach of contract if she carried on with
the second collection, but regardless she didn’t give up and carried on with
everything she had in mind. She designed her second collection and brought it
to the whole world to see. It was a sensation which lead to the great legacy we
know today.
After
Chanel’s death her assistants carried on her work with the same idea as she
had, looking back at all the works she has created personally. Where her spirit
and character will live on forever through her creations and continuity of her
ideas and beliefs.
Jessa Krick, 2013. Heilbrunn
Timeline of Art History: Gabrielle "Coco" Chanel (1883–1971) and the
House of Chanel [online]
Available at: http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/chnl/hd_chnl.htm [Accessed on 31st October 2013]
Sainsbury centre. 2005. World Art Collection Exhibitions. [online]
Available at: http://www.scva.ac.uk/collections/anderson/index.php?collection=29&collection_object=124
[Accessed on 31st October 2013]
The movie Coco Chanel portrayed by Shirley MacLaine
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