was born into poverty in the French countryside; her mother died, and her father abandoned her to an orphanage. After a brief stint as a shopgirl, Chanel worked for a few years as a café singer. She later became associated with a few wealthy men and in 1913, with financial assistance from one of them, Arthur (“Boy”) Capel, opened a tiny millinery shop in Deauville, France, where she also sold simple sportswear, such as jersey sweaters. Within five years her original use of jersey fabric to create a “poor girl” look had attracted the attention of influential wealthy women seeking relief from the prevalent corseted styles. Faithful to her maxim that “luxury must be comfortable, otherwise it is not luxury,” Chanel’s designs stressed simplicity and comfort and revolutionized the fashion industry. By the late 1920s the Chanel industries were reportedly worth millions and employed more than 2,000 people, not only in her couture house but also in a perfume laboratory, a textile mill, and a jewelry workshop.
Among the selection are black leather high heel equestrian boots, gold sequined two-tone Mary Janes and jewel toned velvet ballet flats from the Metiers d’Art collection. Two ready-to-wear salons showcase the range of artistic director Virginie Viard’s collections for the first time in Washington. Custom upholsteries designed in France and the U.S. in vibrant tones of fuchsia, red and blue are juxtaposed against the beige, gold, white and black ceramic finishes. Explore the brand’s iconic pieces from our range of pre-owned Chanel.
Lancome makeup fragrances were made in collaboration with perfumers Jacques Polge, Ernest Beaux, Olivier Polge, Henri Robert and Christopher Sheldrake. The ensemble was dubbed the “little black dress,” and the rest is history. During the Great Depression, the LBD became the outfit of choice for an entire generation of female consumers, and, in later decades, an essential part of women’s wardrobes everywhere.
In 1923, to explain the success of her clothes, Coco genifique told Harper’s Bazaar magazine that design “simplicity is the keynote of all true elegance.”
Just a few days after her sultry Calvin Klein pictures threw us off-guard, Jennie comes back again and this time with an even bigger impact. Her personal style and wardrobe has always been appreciated widely for the sartorial picks she opts for, but her edgy looks are hot as well too. While we gush over her latest snaps that have created quite a frenzy on the internet, it is undeniable that Jennie has nailed several of her Chanel looks over the years. In fact, her fashion goals almost always go viral, not to forget the price of her picks that is enough to drop your jaw in no time. Chanel’s extensive ready-to-wear, accessories, handbag and shoe collections are featured in a luxurious, custom-designed setting within Hirshleifers.
In the 1920s, the simple-line designs of Chanel couture made popular the ‘flat-chested’ fashions that were the opposite of the hourglass figure achieved by the fashions of the late 19th century – the Belle Époque of France (c. 1890–1914), and the British Edwardian era (c. 1901–1919). Chanel used colors traditionally associated with masculinity in Europe, such as grey and navy blue, to denote feminine boldness of character. The clothes of the House of Chanel featured quilted fabric and leather trimmings; the quilted construction reinforces the fabric, the design, and the finish, producing a garment that maintains its form and function while being worn.