“Less is always more.”- Coco Chanel
Coco, born in 1883 in a hospice for the poor, was not Chanel’s actual birth-name. Her given name was Gabrielle Bonheur Chanel, but she acquired the sweet moniker during her appearances at a cafe that had a Moulin Rouge-flair. As a young woman Chanel performed at this venue and sang two popular tunes titled “Ko Ko Ri Ko” and “Qui qu’a vu Coco,” both of which became her go-to songs. It is also believed that the nickname could have also come from the French word cocotte, which means kept woman—(at least that’s the more polite sense of the word). Coco Died in 1971.
With her trademark suits and little black dresses, fashion designer Coco Chanel created timeless designs that are still popular today. Chanel was credited with liberating women from the constraints of the “corseted silhouette” and popularizing the acceptance of a sportive, casual chic as the feminine standard in the post-World War I era.
5 Quick Tips you can do to adopt a Coco style
- Always take off at least one accessory) before you leave the house…to ensure that you are not “overdoing” it. And Always check the Rear View before you leave the house too;
- Invest in high quality pieces (clothes or accessories) that last forever but never go out of style over buying lots of cheaper trendy items each year;
- Acquire some classy pieces of costume jewellery, it’s all about how you wear it….on whether it looks real or not. It’s about how you carry yourself and who you are as a person. It’s about being a lady;
- Be Fashionable yet always try to look and somehow appear “put together” without effort;
- Dress for your body shape and for comfort – whether it’s a little black dress dressed up or down with the right accessories or palazzo pants and top…. create your effortless yet glamorous style and most importantly: “Carry It” and “Own It”!
Interesting fact: The perfume: The House of Chanel has always had one signature scent and that is No. 5. However, Chanel No. 5 didn’t make a splash until Marilyn Monroe gave the most alluring answer for her first LIFE magazine cover. “What do you wear to bed?” the magazine asked her. “Just a few drops of Chanel No. 5,” she responded. Coco’s Favorite number was 5 and the perfume was launched on the 5th of May (5th month) 1921.
Interesting fact:
In 1929 Mademoiselle Chanel was the first to introduce an elegant version of the shoulder bag. It did already exist, in the form of a large pouch with a wide strap, but was only used by members of the military on campaign. Women discovered, to their delight, that by using a thin strap they could walk around with their hands free. A new fashion was born. From then on, Mademoiselle Chanel constantly used this idea, until she eventually created the bag commonly known as the “2.55” (which is in fact its “date of birth”) in February 1955.
In leather for day, in silk or jersey for evening, the 2.55 is a “chef d’oeuvre” of refinement and perfection. Coco wanted the bag to be functional, thus she gave it a double flap which has a zip-fastened pocket inside it – a secret place for storing love letters. The three bellow pockets inside the bag and particularly the tube pocket for lipstick are equally useful.
To give it volume and shape – “it has to have body” Coco insisted – it was quilted in a diamond shaped pattern, using plain stitch, while on the garnet colored lining (the color of the uniform she wore in the orphanage) a double C is stitched like a coat of arms. Lastly, like an artists finishing touch, the rectangular clasp is gilded with gold, and the famous leather and chain shoulder strap slips easily through golden eyelets. Only details, perhaps, but nobody else had ever thought of the them.
Vogue beauty director Sarah Brown’s Chanel bags surrounding a 2.55. Original
(via The Coveteur)
Great Movie: COCO before Chanel
Credits: Wikipedia, Coco Chanel, Biography.com
Photos: Google, Creative Commons
Til next time,
Kisses from the Mistress xx
