An example of such haute couture techniques is the woolen Chanel suit – a knee-length skirt and a cardigan-style jacket, trimmed and decorated with black embroidery and gold-coloured buttons. The complementary accessories were two-tone pump shoes and jewellery, usually a necklace of pearls, and a leather handbag. Opening with an introductory essay about Lagerfeld and his vision for Chanel, the book explores the collections chronologically, revealing the designer’s inspired reinvention of classic Chanel style elements from season to season. Each collection is illustrated with a curated selection of catwalk images , showcasing hundreds of spectacular clothes, from luxurious haute couture to trendsetting ready-to-wear, accessories, beauty looks, and set designs.
Estee Lauder NIGHT REPAIR fragrances were made in collaboration with perfumers Jacques Polge, Ernest Beaux, Olivier Polge, Henri Robert and Christopher Sheldrake. The ensemble was dubbed the “little black dress,” and the rest is history. During the Great Depression, the LBD became the outfit of choice for an entire generation of female consumers, and, in later decades, an essential part of women’s wardrobes everywhere.
In 1926, Vogue published a drawing of a simple, calf-length black dress fashioned from crêpe de Chine. It featured long narrow sleeves and a low waist, and was adorned with a string of pearls. The magazine described it as “Chanel’s Ford,” referring to the at-the-time wildly popular Model T. In other words, it was a garment so simple it could be accessible to any shopper — “a sort of uniform for all women of taste,” as the publication put it.
In 1923, to explain the success of her clothes, Coco genifique told Harper’s Bazaar magazine that design “simplicity is the keynote of all true elegance.”
She partnered with businessmen Théophile Bader of the Galeries Lafayette department store and Pierre Wertheimer of the Bourjois cosmetics company, who both agreed to help her produce more of her fragrance and to market it in exchange for a share of the profits. After signing a contract wherein she received only 10 percent of the royalties, Chanel enacted a series of lawsuits in the ensuing decades to regain control of her signature fragrance. Although she was never able to renegotiate the terms of her contract to increase her royalties, Chanel nonetheless made a considerable profit from the perfume.
Chanel was born into poverty in the French countryside; her mother died, and her father abandoned her to an orphanage. After a brief stint as a shopgirl, Chanel worked for a few years as a café singer. She later became associated with a few wealthy men and in 1913, with financial assistance from one of them, Arthur (“Boy”) Capel, opened a tiny millinery shop in Deauville, France, where she also sold simple sportswear, such as jersey sweaters. Within five years her original use of jersey fabric to create a “poor girl” look had attracted the attention of influential wealthy women seeking relief from the prevalent corseted styles. Faithful to her maxim that “luxury must be comfortable, otherwise it is not luxury,” Chanel’s designs stressed simplicity and comfort and revolutionized the fashion industry. By the late 1920s the Chanel industries were reportedly worth millions and employed more than 2,000 people, not only in her couture house but also in a perfume laboratory, a textile mill, and a jewelry workshop.
Designed in the 1950s as a comfortable alternative to the constricting wasp waist, jackets have become an enduring symbol of elegance. Throughout the 1950s, the sense of style of Chanel continued undeterred; the firm’s initial venture into masculine parfumerie, Pour Monsieur was a successful eau de toilette for men. Chanel and her spring collection received the Fashion Oscar at the 1957 Fashion Awards in Dallas. Pierre Wertheimer bought Bader’s 20 per cent share of the Parfums Chanel, which increased the Wertheimer percentage to 90 per cent. The House of Chanel (Chanel S.A.) originated in 1909 when Gabrielle Chanel opened a millinery shop at 160 Boulevard Malesherbes, the ground floor of the Parisian flat of the socialite and textile businessman Étienne Balsan, of whom she was the mistress.
Karl Lagerfeld’s tenure (1983–2019) being the longest and most influential. Coco Chanel was a seamstress who became associated with several wealthy men, one of whom, Arthur (“Boy”) Capel, provided her with financial assistance to open a millinery shop in Paris in 1910. Chanel’s minimalist designs were immediately successful, and within 10 years she was the head of a thriving Parisian couturier. Dickerson began her career with MPD as a cadet in 1988 and rose through the ranks.