In the first major exhibition dedicated to Chanel outside Paris, Gabrielle Chanel Fashion Manifesto offers a deep exploration of the life and design legacy of a woman who still influences the way we dress today.
As an orphan who stepped out of poverty to create a life of absolute luxury Gabrielle ‘Coco’ Chanel always lived outside the rules, from her powerhouse business nous to her resolutely unmarried status (which was shocking at the time…) In Fashion Manifesto another, more stubborn side, is revealed which absolutely cements her feminist reputation.
“I feel I'm on the right journey and making the right decisions for myself.”
Throughout the early 20th century Coco worked tirelessly to redefine women’s dress and move it from the restricting corsets of the Edwardian era to a looser, more comfortable silhouette - dinner pyjamas, anyone? Often inspired by workwear and menswear staples, Coco also understood how creating her own celebrity myth could aide her fashion brand. She dressed high society and royal families throughout the 1920s but the outbreak of World War II (and a relationship with a German commander saw her less than popular in Paris) forced Coco to shutter her business in 1939 and she lived away from the spotlight.
Coco was already 56 and could have settled comfortably into retirement at her Riviera villa, knowing she had already changed the way that women would dress for the next century at least (the inimitable Little Black Dress was introduced by Chanel from 1910 and is still our go-to outfit choice today.)
Believe it or not, the official start of winter is only just arriving.
But in true Coco style, Chanel reopened her couture business in 1953, after a 14 year hiatus. She was 70. Life lesson: never let anyone tell you you’re too old for anything.
On speaking to Life magazine Chanel later mused, “Why did I return? One night at dinner Christian Dior said a woman could never be a great couturier.” In possibly the greatest non-verbal clapback of all time, Chanel proved him wrong. And thus, feminist icon status has been unlocked.
It was after this return to the fashion world in 1953 that Coco introduced some of her most legendary pieces… The classic and still coveted 2.55 bag (in 1955), her iconic tweed suits with trimmings (1956) and the two-tone slingback shoe (1957) which is still a much imitated signature of the maison. That was the year when Chanel also picked up the Neiman Marcus Award for Distinguished Service in the Field of fashion and was cited as “the most influential female designer of the 20th century.” Although we’d counter that as just the most influential…
When the majority of creative directors and designers of major labels creating clothes for women are male (Maria Grazia Chiuri at Dior springs to mind as an exception to the rule) and at a time when high fashion design seems to be ever more removed from what women actually want to wear - or need - Coco’s game-changing legacy still seems fresh.
Walking through the ten different sections of the exhibition taking in everything from the neat tweed suits, the earliest known piece of Chanel clothing (a silk jersey mariniere blouse from 1916) and the gowns… oh the gowns… there are so many pieces that could fit into a modern wardrobe with absolute ease. Coco basically invented quiet luxury and was constantly inspired to make clothes that she wanted to wear. Clothes she could move in and dance in. Her collections made the ultimate feminist statement in that they were by a woman, for a woman.
Fashion Manifesto doesn’t brush the “controversy” in Chanel’s personal life under the carpet - the very first paragraph you read on entering the space flags that tricky stuff lies ahead. From her high profile lovers and storied personal life, the allegations of spying and work with both German intelligence and French resistance, everything gets unpicked.
Is it possible to separate the work from the creator? Some sources paint Coco as a monster… But there is no need to take sides. The V&A show shares the facts on all elements of her extraordinary life and recognises the times that she lived through, socially, had a major affect on her personal legacy, as well as spotlighting her incredible design heritage.
These are all the celebrities wearing Khaite right now.
There are still queues outside the Chanel boutique on Sloane Street at least two hours before the store opens every single morning. For a person born in 1883, that’s epic. Pretty much everything in your wardrobe will have the lasting influence of Coco in it, somewhere, from the buttons, fabric, silhouette or concept. Visiting Gabrielle Chanel Fashion Manifesto is the most brilliant way to understand how one woman's stubborn decision to fight back against misogyny still influences how you get dressed every day.
Gabrielle Chanel. Fashion Manifesto exhibition is at the V&A museum, London, from 16th September 2023 until 25th February 2024.
Read more from Glamour UK Fashion Director at large Alex Fullerton here or follow her on Instagram @alexandrafullerton
