A sample of Coco on Sample Board Online

Last week I came across images of Coco Chanel’s apartment on the Flickr.com website. I was particularly impressed by the staircase. What a remarkable women; Coco’s influence can still be felt today. Think Chanel No 5.

During 1922 the colour beige became the rage. Coco Chanel made the greatest impact on style in the 1920’s.She had her salon decorated in beige. Coco designed collarless tweed jackets in shades of subtle beige. She also used flesh coloured stockings with pale beige shoes to emphasize the length of the leg. The heels and toes of the shoes were black.

Coco created clothes modelled on the Englishman’s tailored styles. This included pullovers in pale shades. She also introduced the little black dress, bell bottomed trousers and was famous for the Chanel suit still in style today.

Chanel moved in artistic circles. Pablo Picasso, Igor Stravinsky, Sergei Diaghilev and Salvador Dali were among the men she met at dinner parties held by her great friend Misia Sert. The Paris of 1925 was a perpetual party according to George Auric.

Coco Chanel changed the fashion of the masses. She transformed women’s fashion by removing corsets, whalebone stays and chokers from her designs. She also encouraged women to cut their hair. She advocated sunbathing and bathing suits rebelling against the conventions of the day.

At this time glitter was introduced into the home, glossy lacquered furniture and screens, shiny floor tiles, and varnished walls. Gold, silver, bronze, steel and chrome were combined with marble and glass as ornaments on furniture. In the early 20’s silver and black were high fashion colours in decor.

Sonia Delaunay brought the intense colours and forms of Van Gogh, Gauguin and Cubism into textiles. She expressed colour in terms of musical scales, harmonies and rhythms.

I was going to finish this subject in one blog but I will finish for today and continue the discussion later giving Coco the last word today.
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‘Fashion is not something 
that exists in dresses only. 

Fashion is in the sky, in the street, 

fashion has to do with ideas, 

the way we live, what is happening.’ 

Coco Chanel