Coco Chanel Research Paper

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The Influence of Coco Chanel on Fashion in The 20th Century Chanel, from her original name Gabrielle Bonheur Chanel, was an important French designer of the 20th Century . She was born in 1883 and she died in 1971, those are the years in which she changed the definition of fashion . According to fashion, Chanel was ahead of her time, she was a revolutionist . Coco Chanel was one of the most important designers of the 20th Century because she was not scared to break the old fashion and invent a more practical way for women to dress themselves. She is mostly known for banishing women’s corset, introducing the little black dress, bringing accessories to clothes, creating her perfume and she is a great example of innovation. A general background…show more content…
It all started because she once went to a ball without a corset and all eyes were on her . Not having to wear a corset made her dance more and she was comfortable all night long. In all Chanel’s designs, the corset was banished in order to give more freedom to women . This aspect of her line made her a different and unique since it was a big contrast from the previous centuries . Usually, the robe d’intérieur was the only dress that did not need a corset under and it was only because women would not go out dressed like this . In other words, getting rid of the corset was revolutionary in fashion; Chanel was at the leading edge of changes, which confronted gender norms in clothes . Women’s clothing was looking more like men; some found it outrageous to remove the corset from their…show more content…
By the 20th Century, the domain of millinery, the creation of hats, was becoming more popular . Chanel’s new design of hats was more sports-like which reflected the time frame she was in . The period shaped the way hats were made because in the First World War, designers had limitations on material . The epoch demonstrates that it was not possible to create everything you wanted as stylists had some restrictions. Also, Chanel was not a traditional designer since her hats were exported to the United States, the cost could double only because of exportation fees . However, people were wiling to buy those easy to wear hats. Hats were part of everyday fashion for Chanel, she believed that clothes and hats go together like “hats and handbags matched coats and dresses” . This type of ideology was pretty new in fashion. She changed the old philosophy that jewels and beads are symbols of money, influence and prestige . In her line, she used jewellery and ropes of fakes pearls to make it available to everyone and reduce the symbols linked to shiny accessories . Also, Chanel created, in 1921, a perfume that was and continue to be sold every six seconds . Chanel’s fragrance was the first perfume to hold a designer’s name . Chanel defied the conventions by naming it by her name: Coco Chanel No. 5. This perfume also helped her business during the rough period of World War II in which the revenue

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