In collaboration with Stefania Filizona - fashion expert
Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel: by many seen as the most influential fashion designer of all time. Her legacy is huge, leaving the world with more than just beautiful designs and fabulous scents. Coco Chanel started fashion trends that provided women with the ability to wear comfortable clothes while still looking classy. Here are some of Coco’s best creations ever!
1. Yachting Pants
If not for Coco Chanel, women might still have been wearing skirts and dresses only. Coco was one of the pioneers of women’s pants. How else were women to comfortably ride a horse? She loved wearing her boyfriend’s pants and believed women too should have the freedom of movement in comfortable trousers, called yachting pants, especially while doing sports and other physical activities.
2. 2.55 Handbag
The design of this iconic handbag originates in the 1920s, when Coco got tired of holding a handbag in her hands all the time. Inspired by the straps found on soldier’s bags, she designed a handbag that allowed women to use their hands while carrying their belongings. In 1955 Coco Chanel made a comeback into the world of fashion, re-introducing the handbag in a more chic and elegant design. She named it after the date of introduction - February 1955 - but today it is also known as the flap bag. Over the last few years, Chanel bags have become more and more valuable, selling for thousands of euros.
3. Chanel No.5
A world-famous scent that was introduced nearly a century ago, in 1921. The first artificial perfume that did not make women smell like flowers; a woman should smell like a woman, not a rose, Coco claimed. Coco always had an affinity with the number five and therefore picked the fifth sample scent composition to be the one released in stores.
4. The Little Black Dress
Today every woman has a little black dress hanging in her closet. But did you know Coco Chanel was the one who introduced it? This was in 1926, and it immediately received the nickname “The Ford” by Vogue for its unique combination of features: affordable, accessible, chic, simple, timeless and feminine. It still is!
5. Tweed Jackets
Think Coco Chanel, think tweed. The tweed jacket, in particular, is one of the most iconic Chanel creations ever, with a perfect mixture of comfort and chic. It has Coco Chanel written all over it: translating male clothing into a high fashion, feminine look. The iconic collarless tweed jacket is, whoever designs it today, referred to as a Chanel jacket.
6. Two-Tone Shoes
Before Coco Chanel introduced the two-tone shoe in 1957, women commonly wore shoes to match the exact colour of their outfit. But there is more to these shoes than just an act of controversy; the black capped toe makes feet look smaller while the nude colour tends to make the leg look longer. Also, a dark coloured capped toe does not stain so easily. Besides, as a classy pump, the two-tone design was, and still is, also very popular as flats. These are of course highly comfortable as most of Chanel’s designs are!
7. The Breton Top
After a trip to the French coast, Coco Chanel got so inspired by the sailors’ uniforms that she included the stripes into her 1917 fashion collection. Since then the Breton top has become one of the most stylish items in the world, worn and adored by many of the biggest fashion icons in history such as Brigitte Bardot, Edie Sedgwick and Audrey Hepburn. She forever changed the face of casual womenswear because nowadays all women have at least one Breton top in their closet.
Coco Chanel never goes out of style. Her designs are timeless, and vintage items generally remain valuable. Particularly Chanel bags are an excellent investment at the moment since their value has increased significantly in the past decade. Keep an eye on our weekly Fashion auction or search for Chanel shoes or tweed jackets to experience the timeless designs of Coco Chanel for yourself!