Coco Chanel: simply chic

The Coco Chanel brand was born in 1913 in Deauville, but the origins of the brand go back to the time when Gabrielle Chanel, orphan at the age of twelve, was taken into an abbey. This stage of her life will inspire her for her future collections: clean lines, shades of black, white, or beige. At 18, Gabrielle Chanel learned the trade of a sewing machine, which allowed her to start creating her own hats and clothes during the years that followed. She then wears her own creations, which already foreshadow the quirky style that will make her famous. Very sober black or white outfits, boyish style combining cardigans and pants, Chanel style fashion stands out from the style of the time.

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Coco Chanel, birth of a symbol of French chic

Determined to determine the course of her life herself, Coco Chanel opened her first Parisian boutique with the help of a friend in 1910. The success of her simple and sophisticated creations was immediate. Thus, several shops follow, in Biarritz and Deauville in particular. Encouraged by this success, Coco Chanel then began her stylist activity. Desiring to liberate women so that they can be comfortable in their daily activities, the Chanel collections see the waist disappear, the shapes disappear, the skirts shorten. The clothes are simple and practical. Coco Chanel mixes masculine-feminine codes and adapts the materials to everyday life. Several flagship models appear: pajamas, which can be worn both on the beach and in the evening; the Chanel suit, emblematic of the brand; trousers ; or the pleated skirt. But Coco Chanel goes further and breaks the usual stylistic codes. She thus launched the “little black dress”, a color until then reserved for mourning, which thanks to her became a wardrobe classic, even today. After the Second World War, Coco Chanel resumed her activity and launched the style that symbolizes the brand: tweed suit with its four pockets, decorated with jeweled buttons, two-tone shoes and Coco Chanel bag, quilted and with a golden chain.

The hallmarks of the brand are practicality and simplicity, but also elegance, because simplicity is not stripping away. Coco Chanel launched her costume jewelry workshop in 1924. She was also the first seamstress to launch her own perfumes, with the famous Chanel n ° 5 created in 1921. The Chanel perfume quickly gained a success just as important as the clothing pieces of their creator.