Chanel’s Staples of French Elegance

January 23, 2014

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Offering a long history of chic timeless sophistication in their designs the Chanel design house has embodied the quintessential essence of French Glamour from its origination to present day.

Below we pay tribute to 5 staples of French Elegance brought to us by Chanel.

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1. The LBD- “A sort of uniform for all women of taste”- Vogue

In the 1920’s Coco Chanel revolutionized women’s notion of fashion with the simple claim that every woman could use a little black dress (LBD) to complete her wardrobe. A fabulous form fitting LBD offers women the versatility to dress it up or down depending on the occasion and is guaranteed to make a stylish statement.

If you take a look at the evolution of Chanel’s little black dress since its inception you will find timeless elegance in each of the designs.

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2. PEARLS

Coco Chanel was infamous for accessorizing her ensembles by layering strands of pearls over her dresses, blouses jackets, and suits. Pearls in themselves cast a statement of class and sophistication upon any outfit. Yet when worn in such an opulent manner as Chanel has successfully presented in their designs for decades you are sure to feel like a million bucks.

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3. CHAINS

Another iconic fashion staple in Chanel’s designs are chains. Most infamous is the chain strap found on Chanel handbags, however chains can thematically be seen in various Chanel pieces. Coco Chanel intertwined her chain jewelry designs with the clothing she made as well as her other accessories. These chains add a slight over the top element of elegance to Chanel’s otherwise simplistic classic design aesthetic.

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4. TWEED

In 1924, while vacationing in the Scottish Highlands, Coco Chanel was inspired by the tweed clothing her lover (The Duke of Westminster) adorned. She made fashion history by later using the traditionally masculine fabric in her designs for women’s suits and jackets. Chanel’s Tweed pieces have since become an elegant staple for the upper-class fashionable woman.

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5. PERFUME

Coco Chanel has left us with a timeless solution for elegance. Her perfumes such as the infamous Chanel No. 5 require us to put on not even one piece of fabric but rather just a splash of the scent synonymous with glamour, femininity, class and sophistication in order to leave you feeling transformed.

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