Katie’s Couture: Coco Chanel’s Impact

Kathleen Troger, Staff Writer

Coco Chanel is an iconic name that everyone recognizes. She had a profound impact on fashion and changed the industry forever. Without her, the progression of fashion would have been a lot slower.

Who is Coco Chanel?

Coco Chanel was born in 1883 in France to an impoverished family. After her mother passed, her father left her in an orphanage where she learned to sew. She began her career making hats, but she expanded her business to clothes and fragrances. One of her most famous products is the Chanel N°5 fragrance. Her creations, especially the fragrance, took off quickly.

 

What is her impact?

Chanel created a new perspective on women’s fashion. She rejected the stuffy corsets and poofy dresses of her time and instead introduced comfortable and simple, yet still sophisticated styles. After that, women let go of the traditional way of dressing and embraced the simplicity of Chanel’s designs. Many elements of her designs were “borrowed” from men’s clothes, which at the time were very controversial.