A Trailblazer…and Oh! She’s Wearing a Blazer
During her lifetime, Gabrielle ‘Coco’ Chanel—fashion designer and founder of her namesake Chanel brand—embodied the epitome of the modern working woman. Through her timeless color choices, structured fabrics, and subtle detailing, she encapsulated what it means for a woman to be a professional. Throughout her 60-year career—which spanned from the brand’s founding in 1910 to her death in 1971—Gabrielle Chanel became one of the most notable designers of the 20th century and a trailblazer for women’s business attire, credited for popularizing a sporty chic look as a feminine style in the post-World War I era. Most notably, as a working woman, she was designing first and foremost for herself and her own lifestyle, creating clothes fit for an independent and active routine. Expanding beyond couture, Gabrielle Chanel eventually added fragrances, leather accessories, and jewelry to the brand’s offerings.
Gabrielle Chanel, 31 rue Cambon, Paris, 1937.
(Photo by Roger Schall)
Beginning on September 16th, the Victoria & Albert Museum (V&A) in London will showcase Gabrielle Chanel. Fashion Manifesto, an exhibition dedicated to the evolution of the work of Gabrielle Chanel, from the establishment of the House of Chanel and the opening of her first millinery boutique in Paris to the showing of her final collection in 1971. Featuring over 200 looks seen together for the first time—including one of the earliest surviving Chanel garments from 1916, an early example of Chanel’s ground-breaking evening trousers, and costumes designed by Chanel for the Ballets Russes production of Le Train Bleu in 1924—the exhibition will run through February 2024. “As one of the most successful fashion houses in existence, Chanel owes much to the templates first laid down by its founder Gabrielle Chanel, over a century ago. We are delighted to be partnering with Chanel and the Palais Galliera on this exhibition, which provides us with the opportunity to explore the origins and elements of this enduring style and to display little-known historic Chanel garments from the V&A collection,” commented Tristram Hunt, Director of the V&A.
Exhibition view of Gabrielle Chanel. Fashion Manifesto at the Victoria and Albert Museum. (Courtesy of the Victoria & Albert Museum)
Divided into 10 themed areas, each section within the exhibition tells its own story. “Towards a New Elegance” focuses on Gabrielle Chanel’s early days as a milliner, while others, like “The Emergence of a Style,” look into her initial designs for Chanel. “The Invisible Accessory” discusses the impact of Chanel’s debut of the world’s best-selling perfume N°5 and the launch of the brand’s makeup collection in 1927, while “The Suit” spotlights the defining garment of Gabrielle Chanel’s post-war contribution. Each section demonstrates how multifaceted Gabrielle Chanel was in her designs and how her work has continued to live on so successfully for decades.
Dorothy + Little Bara priest, Paris (Vogue), 1960.
(Photo by William Klein)
Ultimately, it is no surprise that Gabrielle Chanel has built such a widespread legacy for herself. As a female trailblazer in clothing and fashion design during a time in which women’s societal roles were changing, the empire she created was no small feat. Gabrielle Chanel’s ability to enter an industry with such power is reflective of her creativity and agility as a businesswoman. “Gabrielle Chanel devoted her long life to creating, perfecting and promoting a new kind of elegance based on freedom of movement, a natural and casual pose, a subtle elegance that shuns all extravagances, a timeless style for a new kind of woman. That was her fashion manifesto, a legacy that has never gone out of style. Her success was based not only on the functionality, comfort and chic elegance of her designs, but also on her ability to grasp and interpret the needs and desires of the women of her time,” said Miren Arzalluz, Director of the Palais Galliera.