Coco Chanel: Building a Fashion legacy

after World War II women were expected to leave the Working World to once again become domestic Housewives Koko Chanel's designs provided an outlet for women to rebel against structured ideal Society set out for them before Chanel wom's fashion was restricted by corsets and extravagant dresses from 1883 to 1971 chenel modernized women's fashion she was the first designer to design a simple little black dress in 1926 six and brought styles that were before only found in men's wardrobe and made them feminine and elegant her Timeless designs thrive on today along with her company Koko's leadership in the fashion industry liberated what was considered normal for women to [Music] wear Coco Chanel born Gabrielle Bor Chanel to unwed parents Jean B and Albert Chanel on August 19th 1883 in Samir France at the age of 12 Chanel lost her mother to tuberculosis after her mother's death her father left her and her siblings in a strict Catholic orphanage the nuns there taught Chanel how to sew she lived there for 6 years and during that time she mastered the art of sewing which would be the foundation of her career Chanel was able to leave the orphanage at the age of 18 and move into a boarding house for Catholic girls where she found a job as a seamstress Chanel also worked as an Entertainer at a cabaret it was there that she got her nickname Coco which comes from the French word coet which means kept woman chenel was rumored to have many relationships with wealthy men at age 23 she started an affair with a teen balson who was a rich textile Heir while she was living with him in his Chateau she was inspired to start designing hats as a hobby then in 1908 Chanel began dating Arthur Edward boy Capel a famous polar player and very successful businessman he helped Chanel open her first shop in Paris in 1913 followed by another in the resort town of duville in her new shops she sold hats and a limited line of clothing that would begin her Legacy during the turbulent time periods of World War I and World War II women's roles in society were changed dramatically men went off to fight in the war leaving women to take over their roles in society in World War I women needed to replace restricting corsets and dresses popular in women's fashion for work clothes suitable for labor and industry jobs so they could support the war efforts Koko Chanel recognized the need and designed clothes for the new modern women women found Liberation in Chanel's new designs so after World War II when women were expected to go back to the Norms of society women decided to rebel against the norms and continue to wear her designs this new found fashion would be known as sportswar Chanel's designs rebelled against fashion and Society norms and modernized the ideals of women's fashion her designs paved the way for women to be accepted and to start accepting themselves as someone who would take place in what was once a male dominant Workforce by 1919 and at the age of only 32 she enjoyed huge success with her designs and had clients not only in France but around the world during that time she relocated her cure house in Paris to 31 R cambone which to this day is still the center of operation for the house of Chanel when Chanel became a designer and started to be recognized for her work Chanel's designs allowed women to rebel against fashion norms and to start wearing what they want to wear rather than what they were expected to wear Chanel's designs gave women a sense of Freedom not only in fashion but in society Coco Chanel created modern style for women a style that was previously thinkable she designed clothes that empowered women to change not only their wardrobe but the roles they took in the workforce she broke the gender barrier through fashion her design set the course for women's fashion in the 20th century and Chanel's lifetime she created Timeless designs many of which are still popular today she paved the way for future designers and women to think beyond the constraints of what should and should not be worn her designs made it okay to be different Coco Chanel was the first designer to use the knit fabric called Jersey for anything other than men's underwear during World War I and World War II fabric was in short supply but Jersey was inexpensive and could be purchased in bulk the fabric was comfortable simple easy to wash stretched when you moved and less expensive than other Fabrics the fabric was the opposite from the other popular stiff Fabrics that were previously being used luxury must be comfortable otherwise it is not luxury said coko Chanel she found that the fabric flattered the body so she continued to use it after the war another Trend Chanel created from need was the women's trouser during World War I and World War II women took roles in the labor force and needed to wear pants in their daily routines as women's roles changed the need for their wardrobe to change became significant Coco was was the first to design pants specifically with women in mind before Chanel it was not a fashion Norm for women to wear pants Chanel created designs like pants that she knew women wanted to wear rather than what Society expected them to wear so if it weren't for Chanel all women might still be wearing skirts every day Chanel first introduced the amazing little black dress in 1926 American Vogue compared Chanel's little black dress to the Ford Motorcar because of its almost Universal popularity as a fashion basic the little black dress deceptively simple is the core of every collection said Vogue magazine in 1926 before Chanel black was reserved to wear for funerals and other occasions it was not acceptable to wear at any given time Chanel made the color and design High fashioned and created a Timeless design that is a classic and is still extremely popular today the concept of the black dress that could be worn in the day or even continued to be a key element throughout her lifetime and inspires other designers then and now perfume it's the most important thing a badly perfumed woman doesn't have a future said Coco Chanel in 1921 Chanel Number 5 was launched she was the first designer to put her name on a fragrance it was the first fragrance That was supposed to smell artificial perfumes at the time were made from natural ingredients but Chanel Number Five was made out of artificial ones the fragrance would become a national phenomenon actress Marilyn Monroe would later be quoted in Life magazine for saying it was all she wore to bed Chanel was also the first designer to bring costume jewelry to high fashion during the world wars the majority of women could not afford Fine Jewelry costume jewelry allowed all women to be able to wear jewelry that they could afford while looking put together Chanel thought it best to have a pile of imitation Jewels rather than one or two expensive real ones and her wealthy customers agreed Coco Chanel was the first designer to create a suit jacket for women the jacket was similar to a men's jacket in in Simplicity but the Chanel jacket was feminine and elegant the original jacket was made of boxy wool and had a braided trim the jacket was popular for women postwar who were trying to build a career in what was before for a male dominant workplace the jacket was worn by celebrities including Audrey heer and Grace Kelly the jacket made its Mark in fashion history when Jackie Kennedy wore the suit on the day her husband was assassinated today the Chanel company thrives On Through The Eyes of Carl largerfeld with over 300 stores worldwide and the Chanel Empire sells almost $3 billion in products each year Carl loger Feld stays true to Chanel's Legacy using the same design as Chanel only modernizing them along with her company Chanel's designs Inspire many designers today including Prada Calvin Klein Cynthia rowy and Gucci her designs also influen retailers such as H&M Forever 21 and Target after World War II women were expected to leave the Working World to once again become domestic Housewives Coco Chanel's designs provided an outlet for women to rebel against structured ideals Society set out for them before Coco Chanel women's fashion was restricted by corsets and extravagant dresses from 1883 to 1971 Chanel modernized woman's fashion she was the first designer to design a simple little black dress in 1926 and brought styles that were before only found in men's wardrobe and made them feminine and elegant her Timeless designs including the little black dress thrive on today along with her company Koko's leadership in the fashion industry liberated what was considered normal for women to wear Coco Chanel revolutionized the ideals of fashion inspiring future generations to act on their beliefs and dreams she's a fashion icon and her designs forever change woman's Style [Music]

Channel: Emma F

Views: 108,609

Keywords: coco chanel, Chanel, fashion, documentary, history day, karl lagerfeld, legacy, history day documentary, house of Chanel

Id: EObCSAilxzw

Length: 10min 0sec (600 seconds)

Published: Tue Dec 29 2015