Elegance Must Be Comfortable, Otherwise It Is Not Elegance - Coco Chanel

The desire to write this article arose after watching the art film "Coco avant Chanel" (2009), in which Audrey Tautou portrays the 20th-century fashion trendsetter Coco Chanel, or by her real name Gabrielle Bonheur Chanel (19 August 1883 - 10 January 1971). The film begins with the main character - a 12-year-old girl - arriving at an orphanage and ends with a fashion show that marked her path to the zenith of fame.

Hearing the name Coco Chanel, every woman can unfailingly name at least two of her timeless creations - the little black dress (created in the mid-1920s) and the perfume ("Chanel No. 5"). But this time I want to talk not so much about her biography or achievements in fashion, but about the philosophy of Coco Chanel, which is, of course, reflected in her work.

Coco Chanel declared comfort and purity of form and colour as her primary fundamental principles. Her personal style of dress, and later her created works, confirm this most fully. At the beginning of the 20th century, when the chests of all society ladies were compressed by rigid corsets that frequently caused fainting spells and the inability to move freely, Coco Chanel completely abandoned this garment. She preferred a simple white shirt or blouse.

When Coco, thanks to her influential lovers (she never had a husband), was given the opportunity to move in the circles of upper-class society ladies, she initially admired the gracious wide-brimmed hats with feathers, artificial flower bouquets, and pearl strings, but soon realised this was foreign to her. She arrived at a picnic in a tailored men's shirt, form-fitting trousers, and a miniature wide-brimmed hat. Admiring glances followed her - simple and elegant.

It must be said that she had two particularly beloved colours - black and white. This was an important prerequisite for creating the little black dress, though there was another - the death of her beloved man Boy Capel in a car accident in 1925 on the French Riviera. Since he had been married and Coco could not otherwise express her grief than by dressing in a simple black dress with an oval neckline. Initially this garment caused a wave of gossip in Parisian society, but later, due to its simplicity, practicality, and universal applicability, the little black dress conquered the taste of women both in France and across all of Europe. Even today it remains an indispensable part of every lady's wardrobe.

Coco Chanel used neutral colours and easily worn and cared-for materials that were also simple in form and cut. It is difficult to imagine Chanel in a flowery little dress with many ruffles or bows. She brought comfort and elegance into fashion, and considered this combination revolutionary. Chanel used lace and satin ribbons, but mostly black and only to accent a particular detail. Her created garments, accessories, and style items, aside from black and white, are in beige, gold, silver, or red.

Just as her choice of colours, so too her life and character showed extremes - from orphanage girl to queen of fashion, from robustness and a certain masculinity to passion and fragility of soul, from black to white. From an early age she pursued achievement quite purposefully, sought the right people and connections, and was not afraid to step onto a stage - first onto the stages of musical cafés, then onto the fashion podium.

Freedom of bodily movement, freedom of thought and decision-making, freedom from the prevailing societal stereotypes and style templates - that is what created the queen of fashion, Coco Chanel.

Coco Chanel quotes:

- Elegance must be comfortable, otherwise it is not elegance.

- A woman who does not wear perfume has no future.

- If you were born without wings, do not prevent them from growing.

- Everything is in our own hands, so they must not be let to hang idle.

- Very expensive clothing makes one look old.

- If a woman's beauty struck you but you cannot remember what she was wearing - it means she was dressed perfectly.

- Disgust often arises after fondness, but sometimes it comes before it.

- There are people who have money, and there are rich people.

- I like it when fashion goes out into the streets, but I do not allow it to come in from the street.

- Nothing makes a woman look older than an excessively elaborate outfit.

- Fashion, like architecture, is a question of proportions.

- To be irreplaceable, one must always change.

- Your face at 20 is given by nature; what it will be at 50 depends on you yourself.

- Age does not protect you from love, but love, to some extent, protects you from age.

- If there is time for work, there is time for love too.

- Fashion fades, style remains.

More about Coco Chanel:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coco_Chanel
http://www.retromoda.ru/retro-fashion/small-black-dress.html
http://kumode.lv/raksts/ka-gabriela-sanele-kluva-par-koko/
http://www.tvnet.lv/women/article.php?id=4705558
http://woman.delfi.lv/fashion_and_beauty/style_cosmetic/article.php?id=6758468