Chanel Transformed Womenswear by Breaking into A Man’s World
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Back in the sixties, women wore uncomfortable bodices and long dresses that withheld them from mobility. Coco Chanel never conformed to these ideologies on how women should dress. She always turned to the comfort of the men in her life’s wardrobes. From their flowing suit pants, to jersey knit fabric, Chanel knew she could make a change in women’s fashion whether society liked it or not.
Growing up, Chanel was not a rich woman. She was a “Torpedo girl” at her local bar known as “Alcazar” to make some money. Men would come and throw money at Chanel and her friend to dance and sing. Tired of the constant disrespect from her boss, Chanel made a connection with Balsan, a wealthy man she met at the bar, and auditioned for a new gig. While Chanel and her partner were practicing their new dance before the audition, Chanel realized how uncomfortable and stiff the dresses she took from her job at Alcazar were. To mend this issue, Chanel cut the lacing of the back of the dress, and from then on, she began defying the norms of women’s attire, not caring what others thought, and putting her own comfort first.
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Chanel began her career making straw hats and tailoring dresses. It soon transitioned into her infamous little black dress, tweed suits, soft trousers, sweaters, and beach pajamas. Besides eyeing the comfortability and ease of menswear, Chanel also found inspiration in beach town sailor attire in Deauville, France the summer of 1913.
In 1919, as Chanel put it, was the time she woke up famous. People from Spain came to buy her clothes aside from her French customers.
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Chanel created the Chanel suit in 1924 from jersey originally, then tweed. In this same time period, she also experimented with perfume. Her first major perfume, No.5 smelled like modern women. She used to spray it on women when she went out for dinner as her way of marketing the product. People fell in love immediately. However, she did not invent the perfume, she licensed it. Pierre and Paul Wertheimer were the ones who produced the perfume.
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Then came the little black dress. The LBD was called “little” because it was simple and versatile for work and evening wear. Chanel became one of the first pioneers of popularizing the color black for new purposes.
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Chanel had a store on 31, Rue Cambon in 1928 with 35 people working for her and her own textile company. During WWII Chanel had closed down the shop for unknown reasons. Some to this day question if she was a Nazi spy, collaborator, or just a woman in love.
In 1954 Chanel had made a comeback with her first collection since 1939. Each year was something new from then on. In 1955, her 2.55 quilted handbag rose to fame. In 1956 the tweed suit as we know it today was seen everywhere, and in 1957, the two-toned pump that goes with any article of clothing, anytime of day became popular.
In 1971, Chanel passed away, but her designs and many interviews have lived on. Chanel will always be a classic, timeless look.
