Just her name was enough to define a pair of shoes, a hat, a pocketbook, a suit, perfume, jewelry—an entire look. It conveyed prestige, quality, impeccable taste and unmistakable style. It was a sign of excellence. Coco Chanel had no patience, and too much talent, for anything less. By her death last week at 87, the French couturière had long since established herself as the 20th century's single most important arbiter of fashion.
Her innovations were basic to the wardrobes of generations of women: jersey suits and dresses, the draped turban, the chemise, pleated skirts, the jumper, turtleneck sweaters, the cardigan suit, the blazer, the little black dress, the sling pump, strapless dresses, the trench coat. Sometimes, the determining factor was practicality: Chanel wore bell-bottom trousers in Venice, the better to climb in and out of gondolas, and started the pants revolution. Sometimes, it was purely accidental: after singeing her hair, she cut it off completely, made an appearance at the Paris Opera, and started the craze for bobbed hair. But always, a Chanel idea commanded respect.
Ostrich-Boa Hats. Born outside Paris in 1883, Gabrielle Bonheur Chanel (never called anything but Coco for "Little Pet") was orphaned at six and raised in the desolate province of Auvergne by two aunts. From them, she learned that little girls should sew, sit up straight and speak politely; for sewing, a skill that forever eluded her. Coco substituted horseback riding. From Etienne Balsan, a millionaire cavalry officer who brought her to Paris at 16, Coco acquired the habits and tastes of the wealthy. She liked them—all but the ladies' predilection for ostrich-boa-draped hats. To provide an alternative, she opened a millinery boutique in Deauville, won enough acclaim to set up shop in Paris in 1914.
She started with several hats and "one dress, but a tasteful dress." added sweaters, and within five years had made Maison Chanel a fashion house to reckon with. Coco introduced the tricot sailor frock and the pullover sweater, unearthed wool jersey from its longtime service as underwear fabric and put it to use in soft, clinging dresses. She ushered in gypsy skirts, embroidered silk blouses and accompanying shawls. Even then, Chanel clothes were as high-priced as any Paris couturier's; but only Chanel delighted in having her styles copied —and made accessible at low cost to millions.