Coco Chanel is one of the most famous women of the 20th century. The woman who created a huge fashion empire. And the famous house of Chanel still awes all fashionistas in the world. Coco Chanel had impeccable taste in clothes. Everyone knows the famous “little black dress that every woman should have.” So, Chanel also had other models of women’s clothing, no worse than the little black dress. We decided to reveal a couple of the most winning clothing options from Coco Chanel's style.
Black dress
The classic black dress is Coco Chanel's calling card. It was after her “black dress” that it became so popular, although it was invented long before her. Coco Chanel's black dress was straight cut, covering her knees. The neckline was semicircular almost below the throat. The sleeves completely covered the arms. This is a prototype of a black Chanel dress. Today it can be found in different variations, slightly departing from the classics. For example, the sleeve can be 3/4, short or sleeveless. It is better to maintain the length of the dress, choosing only a couple of centimeters below or above the knee. It is this length that so effectively emphasizes the female form. You can see various models of black dresses in a separate article.
Tweed suit
Suits were very popular during the time of Coco Chanel. And she created her famous tweed suit. This model of the suit featured a straight knee-length skirt with a mid-rise and a jacket without a collar. The jacket was also straight without highlighting the waist, and the pockets were hidden. The costume colors, in the end, were basic - black, white and beige. Pumps with low heels were chosen as shoes for the tweed suit. Nowadays, this costume also fits perfectly into the wardrobe of many girls. The only difference is the length of the skirt and jacket. Now both of these things are possible in a shortened version. And there are no restrictions on colors at all. These can be both basic and the brightest. Tweed suits with different prints also appeared. For example, checkered, polka dots, various logos.
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Coco Chanel and her tweed suit
If we have already discussed the little black dress created by Coco Chanel, then we should definitely remember about her other legendary creation - the tweed suit. This is another iconic wardrobe item in the history of world fashion.
The tweed suit, like many other Chanel creations, was the result of Mademoiselle’s romantic relationship with one of her lovers, Hugh Richard Arthur, Duke of Westminster. Their romance lasted more than fourteen years, never resulting in a legal marriage (the Duke needed to have an heir, but Coco was sterile), and ended very sadly - he still married someone else. The relationship with the Duke became a new inspiration for Coco - her creations of that period (1920s) were imbued with elegance in the spirit of the English style. The designer took tweed as a basis - an inexpensive fabric, from which until then only men's suits were made, and tried it on a woman. This is how the story of the legendary tweed suit began...
Coco first presented a tweed suit with an expensive silk lining, consisting of a narrow skirt and a fitted jacket, in 1923. Then she gathered several journalists in her famous salon at number 31 Rue Cambon in Paris to show them her new collection, which included the suit. The reporters' reaction was clear: they winced in disgust.
But first impressions are deceiving. And the tweed suit experienced its rebirth in 1954 - then Coco was already 70 years old, and this was her first show after a fifteen-year lull. Apparently, it was just a matter of time, because the suit made of practical fabric was to the taste of the fashionistas of that time. A huge plus was that the design of the suit was simple and comfortable - in it you could easily raise your arms and not mince when walking, which was already a rarity for elegant clothes of those times.
For many years and to this day, the Chanel tweed suit has been considered the standard of impeccable style. Like any classic thing, it is relevant at all times and in all situations. Its status is also iconic because it was preferred by female legends such as Jackie Kennedy, Grace Kelly, Romy Schneider and, of course, Mademoiselle Chanel herself.
Jacqueline Kennedy
Romy Schneider
Jeanne Moreau
Grace Kelly
Coco Chanel
Drawing by Karl Lagerfeld - “Coco at work”
Since 1954, the Chanel fashion house has released many collections, but none of them were complete without a tweed suit. Karl Lagerfeld constantly experiments with the shape and cut of his suit, with colors and decor, but one thing remains unchanged - tweed. Transformations do not make a suit less attractive; on the contrary, every fashion-savvy woman knows that Chanel tweed is the best fashion investment. Therefore, if you want to invest in a fashion classic, then you should choose either a bag with the name or a tweed suit from the famous French house.
Chanel Fall 2011 Couture
Chanel Resort 2012
Chanel Pre-Fall 2012
Chanel Resort 2013
Chanel advertising campaign spring-summer 2011
A giant tweed jacket at one of the Chanel shows
In the meantime, I haven’t saved up the money for authentic “Chanel” tweed, but I really want to look elegant and stylish, I suggest you pay attention to the tweed creations of affordable brands. By the way, everything looks very good, but Chanel can wait, that’s why it’s an ageless classic.
Mango Tweed Jacket and Shorts Suit
Tweed line from the new Zara collection
Chanel style coat
A Chanel style coat is very easy to identify based on several characteristics:
- straight cut or slightly fitted;
- more often the collar is absent or very small;
- the sleeves are the simplest, not long, usually 3/4 or 5/6.
When choosing such a coat, remember that it is a classic. This means you don’t have to skimp on it and buy good quality ones made from natural materials, such as wool or tweed. A classic coat in the Chanel style is made of basic colors - beige, light gray, melange gray, blue, black, etc. Now a Chanel style coat will suit every girl from business style to casual. The coat was also modernized into a light summer cape coat. And they look best in pastel or bright colors.
Basic wardrobe
A fashionista cannot do without a little black dress in her wardrobe. Coco Chanel could not afford to mourn for her loved one, so she dressed the whole world in black. The knee-length dress has a straight cut and a round neckline. Until now, the style is a model of elegance, a sign of style.
In addition to the black dress, the basic wardrobe consists of stylish things:
- trouser suit - Coco more often appeared in formal skirts, but today it is impossible to imagine a business lady without tight trousers complete with a jacket. For meetings with friends, shortened trousers are useful, and for the office - a flared model with arrows;
- A pencil skirt adds a silhouette to any body type. Chanel considered women's knees to be unattractive, so she recommended choosing a medium-length skirt;
- Cashmere pullover with V-neck. Suitable for any shirt, emphasizes the official style;
- classic white shirt. Wear with a suit, select bright accessories;
- trench coat - such clothing will help create a rich look, so the best choice is a beige trench coat that emphasizes the owner’s waist;
- several T-shirts in basic colors - white, black and gray.
The Fashion House takes care of updating women's wardrobes, but men's clothing from Chanel is also known. Here the focus is on the silhouettes and fabrics used in the outfits. The latest collection focuses on Scottish motifs, so you should wear checkered items. Men were offered to choose checkered trousers, complementing the look with voluminous scarves.
Children's clothing from Chanel is presented in the collection of couturier Karl Lagerfeld. The designer decorated the rock-chic line for children and teenagers with cat ears, complementing it with handbags, ballet shoes, glasses and headbands.
Mademoiselle Coco created impeccable clothes, did not skimp on material when making the linings of products, and took care of the quality of the stitches. An ideal image consists of little things, and if a woman herself knows about the cheapness of the clothing material and sloppy seams, then everyone around her will notice her awkward state. The ideal image is played up to the last stitch on the fabric.
Blazer
Coco Chanel almost always wore a jacket. She combined it with a dress, a skirt, and very rarely with trousers. The style of the Chanel jacket is very simple but elegant. It has a straight cut, long sleeves and no fastening buttons. The buttons on the jacket are purely decorative. An exception may be the top button just under the neck or a ribbon bow instead of a button. The jacket is usually made from tweed, less often from other dense fabric.
What is style
Coco Chanel introduced the rules of innovative style, which still has not lost its relevance. Its popularity came during times of crisis, when the available fabrics included jersey and tweed. She customized outfits directly on models, experimented with styles, creating fashion for any woman, regardless of her status in society. Not only aristocrats could wear designer clothes, but even maids wore Chanel suits.
The traditions of Mademoiselle Coco continue to be translated into reality by Karl Lagerfeld, who runs a fashion empire. He developed and improved the Fashion House, each season presenting new interesting collections of clothing from Chanel. Such fashion trends are suitable even for women over 40 who have reached the top of the career ladder. The main rule is luxury, restraint in details, appropriateness to age and the external severity of the silhouette.
The most acceptable option is to purchase clothes and accessories from the Chanel Fashion House. If you can’t spend a certain amount, you can create an elegant look yourself.
Characteristic features of the Chanel style:
- a calm color scheme of cool shades predominates. The fashion designer advised to give preference to white, gray and black tones. You can create a monochrome look or combine these shades with each other. Peach, blue and beige shades are allowed, sometimes red is used;
- The cut of skirts and trousers is chosen from the hip or flared. Such models can make the owner slimmer by elongating the silhouette;
- dresses should not fit the figure, and the length should slightly cover the knees;
- Straight-cut coats and tweed jackets are worn draped over the shoulders. This creates a seductive and strict image at the same time;
- Stripes, houndstooth and checkerboard are popular patterns. Sometimes an almost imperceptible textured pattern on the material is enough;
- during the day they wear discreet accessories, in the evening - a necklace or earrings complete with bracelets;
- For footwear, choose boots or pumps.
A flirty hat and handbag will add a special twist to the look. Women's clothing from Chanel will help you create a unified look, devoid of random things that do not match each other.
Accessories Coco Chanel
“People with good taste wear jewelry. Everyone else has to wear gold." These are the words of Coco Chanel herself. It was impossible to imagine Chanel without accessories. One of my favorites were beads, wound several times around my neck. They could be either short to chest level or very long, almost to the waist. Earrings are another love of Coco. More often these were round pearl beads on the earlobes. Such mershes ideally complement the beads made from similar beads described above. Brooches were also a frequent accessory for Coco Chanel. She always attached small brooches with gold frames to her jacket. And of course, hats of different shapes were present in different looks.
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