Coco Chanel

Paper Summary:

This paper examines the many facets of Coco Chanel's artistry. The first part of the paper looks at Chanel as a product of her social environment, discussing the factors that have contributed to the evolution of Chanel's style and clothing designs. The next part examines Chanel's designs and choice of fabrics. Chanel never defined herself as a feminist, but she created clothing that freed women from the constricting clothes of the Victorian era. In this sense, she both reflected and contributed to the growing women's liberation movement. In the final section, the paper describes two representative examples of Chanel's enduring designs, the Chanel suit and the little black dress. It examines how these two articles of clothing have changed the way women dress, both for business and for special occasions. This paper argues that Chanel contributed not only to the modern artistic movement, but also to the modern women's movement. Through Chanel's artistic creations articulated in her fashion, clothing and perfume have allowed women to express their femininity in new, less constricting, and more liberating ways.

From the Paper:

"Gabrielle Bonheur Chanel was born on August 19, 1883 in Saumur, a small city in France. Chanel, however, did not have the benefit of growing up with a stable family life. Shortly after Chanel's father abandoned his family, the children were raised by relatives and later, in an orphanage ("Gabrielle Chanel"). It is difficult to reconstruct much of Chanel's early life, largely because Chanel herself told conflicting stories regarding her past. The most widely-accepted story states that Chanel learned dressmaking either from strict aunts or from taking design courses in school. However, biographer Alex Madsen points out that this is fantasy. Instead, Chanel learned dressmaking from an orphanage, under the tutelage of nuns who raised her after her mother's death. She later underwent a standard apprenticeship with a provincial dressmaker (Madsen 28)."

More papers on Coco Chanel:

• Term Paper # 93321 : "Coco Chanel"
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• Essay # 38388 : "Couple in a Cage" by Coco Fusco and Paula Heredia"

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