Fashion Firsts

Gabrielle 'Coco' Chanel

One of the most important fashion icons known for 'firsts' was Gabrielle 'Coco' Chanel. No designer made clothing based on women’s wants, they only designed based on what was considered ‘high fashion’. These pieces of clothing usually turned out to be extremely irritating and made daily activities almost impossible. Chanel changed that. In 1913 she opened up her very own shop in which she originally sold hats. Her hats were worn by celebrated French actresses, which helped to establish her reputation. In that same year, Chanel introduced women’s sportswear at her new boutique in Deauville. This was her third shop which operated during WWI. During this time more women came to accept her view that women were supposed to dress for themselves and not their men, and in 1920 she designed a suit for women-which is still a major fashion look today. Chanel invented many other looks which are still popular today. Looks such as the ‘lbd’ (little black dress), tweed, a line for petite women as well as enhancing evening couture dresses which evolved into an elongated feminine style. Coco was a woman who shaped the world that we live in today. She fought for what she believed in, and will always be respected in nations as the years go by.

 

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