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CHANEL VISION

CHANEL have licensed their name out for the first – and, they say, only – time. The French fashion house, which now boasts one of the most recognisable logos in the world, is planning to plant its interlocking Cs on a new range of eyewear, labelled “Prêt-à-Porter”. From the beginning of February, the company will ship a collection of 36 styles of Chanel specs (or “corrective eyewear”) and sunglasses into stores across London, as part of a move code-named “The New Chanel Attitude”. But why, we ask, stop at eyewear? “It’s the only part of Chanel that we felt we could expand while retaining the exclusivity and reputation of the brand,” says one insider. The “international” decision to license out the name is a one-off, she adds, but the line will cater for men and women. With its lightweight, ultra modern designs, Chanel tells us, “luxury is clearly within sight.” Prêt-à-Porter will be available in Harvey Nichols, Harrods and all Chanel boutiques, with prices starting at £135.  

The Past and the Present

Gabrielle "Coco" Chanel (1883-1971) was born in Saumur, Southern France. She began by designing hats, first in Paris in 1908, and later in Deauville. Her fashion boutiques (one in Paris and one in Deauville) opened simultaneously in 1914. She opened an haute couture salon in Biarritz in 1916, and in 1920 moved to Paris in the present quarters on rue Cambon. Ready-to-wear fashions were not introduced until 1978, after Coco's death.

Chanel was famous for popularizing practical clothes, including pants for women, little black dresses, and box-like collarless jackets with bias edging and brass buttons. Her first fabrics included wool jersey, which was comfortable and easy fitting, but was not considered suitable for fashionable clothes. Traditional Chanel accessories include multiple strands of pearls and gold chains, quilted handbags, sling-back pumps in ivory with black toes, quilted handbags with shoulder straps made of gold chain, and gardenias. She liked to mix imitation jewels with real jewels and often combined massive amounts with sportswear.

Chanel's business was interrupted by World War I and again in 1939 at the beginning of World War II, after which it did not reopen until 1953.

After her death in her Paris apartment in 1971, first her assistant designers, Gaston Berthelot and Ramon Esparza, and then her assistants Yvonne Dudel and Jean Cazaubon designed the couture (1975-83). Philippe Guibourgé became the ready-to-wear designer. Karl Lagerfeld took over haute couture design in 1983 and ready-to-wear design in 1984. He rehashes her trademark styles annually in various fabrics.

In 1969, a Broadway musical, Coco, starring Katharine Hepburn, was based on Chanel's life.

Surprisingly, Chanel acquired in mid-1997 the French, well-known beach-wear specialist Eres. Presumingly, Eres serves only as an financial investment for Chanel, since it is not planned to interfere with the current Eres business policy. Chanel is a member of Chambre Syndicale de la Haute Couture et du Prêt-à-Porter.

sources: www.vogue.co.uk

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