This month's big screen biopic, ‘Coco Before Chanel’, charts the style icons's rise from destitute child to celebrated couturier, and has been eagerly awaited by anyone with even a vague interest in fashion.
It is difficult to imagine fashion without the imprint of Gabrielle "Coco" Chanel. The woman described as “A bit of a tyrant ... viciously uncompromising” quite simply changed the face of fashion forever.
Her ideas are often described as classic, something which would have thrilled the headstrong designer. Even today her influence is as compelling as at the height of her career - if not even more so. From the Little Black Dress, to a string of pearls, to the nautical look, to the tweed suit, to elegant eveningwear, modern fashions key looks has its roots with Coco Chanel.
It’s mind boggling to think that Chanel was born in the era of Gibson Girls and died surrounded by mini and maxiskirts in 1971 - but she was a true style visionary who was not afraid to challenge convention.
Born into an impoverished family, with a womanising salesman father, Chanel was always determined to escape the humdrum existence which could have been her fate. After a failed attempt to be a singer, she took off - orphan to milliner to fashion icon.
The film explores Chanel’s life as she grew up in an orphanage in rural France and scraped her way to Paris, via odd jobs and affluent men. It records her transformation from little more than a peasant girl to a woman who became known for her style and the embodiment of chic.
Coco Chanel wasn't just the great vehicle for change in women's fashion in the 20th century; she was also its most mutinous figure.
Mischievous and always out to shock, she simplified female dress by ignoring what women thought they wanted and giving them what she knew they should have: a new dress code based men’s tailoring. It was a sensational move, considered anarchic, when she made it in the 1920s - but women loved her easy to wear elegant looks and she was an instant hit.
Chanel’s styles began with simple jersey dresses and black fabric. In her small shop, Chanel offered a different style of dress: men's pullover sweaters, sailor jackets, and straight skirts. She believed that women should be able dress simply and be comfortable.
Chanel’s influence on the high street is undeniable, even today,
with hallmarks of her unique style on chic tailoring, pretty party dresses and glamorous knitwear in all the big stores - meaning that you can recreate that classic Chanel style, without having to spend a fortune.
A tiered peach dress in soft silk is perfect for summer nights. A tweed jacket looks modern teamed with jeans and a string of pearls and a traditional Breton top with a jaunty sailors cap looks just as chic as it did 100 years ago, when Chanel first championed the style.
Fashion is a topsy turvy world filled with outrageous catwalk creations and cheap fast fashion - but Chanel instinctively knew what women really wanted.
In the words of the Mademoiselle herself: “Fashion passes, style remains,”
