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Gabrielle Chanel

by Hyunna Park from San Diego

"Fashion has two purposes: comfort and love. Beauty comes when fashion succeeds."

- Coco Chanel

 

125244Gabrielle Chanelhttps://angelasancartier.netEvery single piece of clothing is designed, hand by hand, the cloth, knitting patterns, fabrics, sampling, and size is tailored to an individual. All of the clothes we are wearing, are made and designed. Gabrielle Chanel, also known as “Coco,” was a famous fashion designer who grew up strong and independent despite the harsh conditions surrounding her. The poor condition in meaning, Chanel had to grew up in an orphan with four of her siblings although her parents are alive. Because of her mother’s sudden death in the early age, her father placed his daughter in an orphan, which Chanel learned how to sew. Later on, it was the best thing for Chanel since it caused her to be determined to find a job quickly as a professional knitter. As Chanel worked and grew up, she had a vision to change the way women were viewed in society. A hero is one who possess strive to add value and pursue excellence. Gabrielle Chanel was a french designer who revolutionized the way women represented themselves through fashion.

125253Chanel's trouserhttps://fashionsizzle.comCoco Chanel’s bravery popularized some fashion trends that went against how society’s stereotype of women. In 1926, Chanel released her women activewear, which was different from typical apparel for women in those times: “Chanel created the "little black dress," a revolutionary style and use of color traditionally limited to funeral wear, and she added trousers for women at a time when women did generally not wear pants in public” (House of Chanel). Because of Chanel’s bravery in women’s fashion and courage to go against what society thought was acceptable, she began another trend, pants, to show how women can wear pants too as a fashion item-- not just men. Although Chanel could have been banished from the fashion industry by not following the given standards of women’s clothing back then, she was brave enough to emphasize and encourage comfort in women’s fashion trends. Before Chanel, nobody had attempted to change people’s view about women wearing pants, and it was absolutely absurd for women to even wear pants. It was a big step for Chanel to be the first to wear it and to demonstrate that comfort should not be undermined or banned in women’s clothing. Because of her heroism, she was well respected and admired by many women and individuals in the fashion industry. Chanel interviews to explain reasons for her comeback in her late 70’s: “The designers have forgotten that there are women inside the dresses. Most women dress for men and want to be admired. But they must also be able to move, to get into a car without bursting their seams! Clothes must have a natural shape” (Coco Chanel, American Decades). Chanel was an independent women. She had the ambition to add values in women’s fashion styles toward society and its standards about women.  Since men had more rights back then, the way men portrayed women and their fashion was unreasonable. Chanel’s strive to add value in women’s fashion industry was impacting to many other women and changed the society’s perspective that women’s clothing cannot be comfortable.

Coco Chanel’s pursue of excellence saved the cruel fashion industry that was primarily run by men. After Chanel’s realization of the situation in society’s perspective: “In 1954 Chanel said her competitive spirit was aroused because Parisian high fashion had been taken over by men. "There are too many men in this business," she told a magazine interviewer in May 1954” (Coco Chanel, Encyclopedia of World Biography). Throughout Chanel’s realization after working in fashion industry, she became powerful to opening her thoughts and great ideas for her goals. Chanel’s competitive spirit was one to lead her in success as one of the few woman fashion designer. She was again, independent throughout her life journey for women’s fashion industry. As Chanel worked  hard to achieve her ambitions toward modernly styled women’s fashion styles:

“Chanel created clothing that was backed on functionality and comfort. Unlike the current styles that emphasized frills and tight-fitting corsets, Chanel's new designs emphasized straight flowing lines with plain colors--usually gray, beige, and navy--that displayed an air of simple elegance. The rich flocked to her designs--Chanel single-handedly created a women's fashion revolution” (Coco Chanel).

The House of Chanel is a groundbreaking fashion label that revolutionized women's clothing in the twentieth century. Through Chanel’s hard work for women’s comfort, she launched  comfortable clothes to wear actively. The simple colors and hue were not really in use as a fashion item for women until Chanel broke the rule. Part of Chanel’s possess of pursue excellence impacted most of the women and brought the right for women in fashion industry one by one. Chanel’s outstanding ideas changed the limitations of color rules for women’s fashion industry. Her pursue excellence resulted as bringing a certain end fashion industry for women that were continuously ruled by men.

125259Coco Chanelhttps://www.vanityfair.comThe fashion stereotype flipper, Gabrielle Chanel is inspiring through her passion and care for the women’s comfort in fashion, is what made her a hero. Chanel was a hero to all women for changing the way society portrayed and dressed women. Throughout her lifetime, she impacted most of the women back then to be an independent fashion stylist itself and still her impact goes on today. Her impact in fashion industry today has resulted by having numerous of ways in fashion coordination, styles, and patterns. With Chanel’s inspiration for women’s fashion industry, the fashion industry is not yet only focused on specific gender. It is focused for everyone. Chanel also brought a huge impact on the fashion industry by creating the new, comfortable style that no other designer done before. Most of the women back then admired Chanel for her additions of values toward women’s fashion and pursue excellence for society’s perspective.

Works Cited

"Coco Chanel." American Decades, edited by Judith S. Baughman, et al., Gale, 1998. Student Resources In Context, https://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/K1602000155/SUIC?u=powa9245&sid=SUIC&xid=49766366. Accessed 16 May 2018.

"Coco Chanel." Business Leader Profiles for Students, edited by Sheila Dow and Noce, vol. 2, Gale, 2002. Biography In Context, https://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/K1604000252/BIC?u=powa9245&sid=BIC&xid=3d5f0501. Accessed 16 May 2018.

"Coco Chanel." Encyclopedia of World Biography, Gale, 1998. Student Resources In Context, https://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/K1631001265/SUIC?u=powa9245&sid=SUIC&xid=e831ab97. Accessed 16 May 2018.

"House of Chanel." Gale Student Resources in Context, Gale, 2013. Research in Context, https://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/EJ2181500315/MSIC?u=powa9245&sid=MSIC&xid=9e46d3a6. Accessed 16 May 2018.

 

Page created on 5/25/2018 6:29:11 PM

Last edited 5/25/2018 7:15:27 PM

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