A Fashion Icon for ALL Women

The ultimate fashion icon. The revolutionist of fashion. Whether you wear or own an item of hers or not, all women should worship her: Gabrielle 'Coco' Chanel (1883-1971).

She created clothes that were functional- clothes that women could move, live, and work in.

Her inspiration? Men's clothing.

She added a masculine touch to women's clothing by creating tailored separates. The use of cotton jersey and tricot for formal daywear was unheard of until Chanel used them in her tailored pieces. They were durable and practical and liberated women from their homes- and their corsets. She not only reworked the landscape of fashion, but Chanel, to some extent redesigned that of the female body. Whereas clothing previously used to emphasize bosom, waist, and bottom, hers did not cling at all, giving only a suggestion of the body that lay beneath.

Chanel's ultimate goal was to simplify the overall look of the twentieth-century woman. She believed that elegance came from purity rather than decoration and embellishment. In fashion this is called minimalism (creating pragmatic and functional but technically sophisticated womenswear).

Minimalism in fashion provides a way of working and dressing that makes the feminine existence easier.

Remember: LESS IS MORE.

Nonfunctional (Women in the 1800s)

Functional (Thanks to Chanel!)