panamaJess
New in Town
- Messages
- 49
- Location
- Midwest
Never knew that Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel, a French fashion icon, had such an incredible story! If you haven’t seen Coco Before Chanel with Audrey Tautou, you must watch it. It connects Coco’s beginnings at an orphanage and her desire for independence to her fashion innovations.
She bucked societal norms, which required restrictive, ostentatious clothing for women, preferring elegant clothes and a simple hat over the gaudy large-brimmed umbrellas typically worn. She said "No!" to corsets (and for that, we are eternally grateful).
So modern!
What an inspiring woman! She overcame poverty, personal tragedy and abandonment, and early 20th Century sexism to create an enduring fashion empire.
Coco popularized black at a time when women's clothes looked like wedding cake icing. She said black is a color that "has it all"; everyone else associated it with funerals. She designed and created according to practicality and convenience. She pioneered straps on purses, women’s suits, women’s trousers, and looser clothing for freedom of moment. She said:
"Luxury must be comfortable, otherwise it is not luxury."
Coco dressed like a modern woman in a time when fancy women were expected to dress like the one below. But she was going for elegance, not conformity. She said, "Elegance in clothes means freedom to move freely." Of course, in order to move freely, she would have to abandon plumed affairs like this one:
(pretty ridiculous!)
Coco actually began her career in millinery. Her simple hats garnered the attention of actresses and other high-society ladies.
So if you'd like to see beautiful shots of vintage hats and Coco Chanel’s hats, modern even by today’s standards, check out the French movie Coco before Chanel.
She bucked societal norms, which required restrictive, ostentatious clothing for women, preferring elegant clothes and a simple hat over the gaudy large-brimmed umbrellas typically worn. She said "No!" to corsets (and for that, we are eternally grateful).
So modern!
What an inspiring woman! She overcame poverty, personal tragedy and abandonment, and early 20th Century sexism to create an enduring fashion empire.
Coco popularized black at a time when women's clothes looked like wedding cake icing. She said black is a color that "has it all"; everyone else associated it with funerals. She designed and created according to practicality and convenience. She pioneered straps on purses, women’s suits, women’s trousers, and looser clothing for freedom of moment. She said:
"Luxury must be comfortable, otherwise it is not luxury."
Coco dressed like a modern woman in a time when fancy women were expected to dress like the one below. But she was going for elegance, not conformity. She said, "Elegance in clothes means freedom to move freely." Of course, in order to move freely, she would have to abandon plumed affairs like this one:
(pretty ridiculous!)
Coco actually began her career in millinery. Her simple hats garnered the attention of actresses and other high-society ladies.
So if you'd like to see beautiful shots of vintage hats and Coco Chanel’s hats, modern even by today’s standards, check out the French movie Coco before Chanel.
