Chanel's Evolution and Cultural Impact

The history of Chanel. Even if you know nothing about fashion, there's one brand whose name you're bound to recognize. Chanel. With an iconic perfume that's been worn by the likes of Marilyn Monroe, and tweed two-piece sets that have been duped to high heaven, and purses that get more and more expensive with each passing year, it's clear that the hundred-year-old brand is not only a household name, but a staple of the high fashion world. But did you know that that wasn't always the case? In today's video, we're going to be taking a look at the iconic fashion house's history over the past century, from founder Coco Chanel's time as a Nazi collaborator, to the creation of the brand's signature products, to Karl Lagerfeld's controversial 80s relaunch, to the increasingly poor reception it's received in the last few years. Let's get into it. Gabrielle Bonheur Chanel, more commonly known by her nickname, Coco, was born in Samur, France on August 19, 1883. Gabrielle's home life was complicated and difficult, with her mother often being ill and her father frequently traveling in order to peddle his wares, and this neglect was epitomized by her now well-known last name being misspelled as Chaz Nell on her birth certificate. Following the death of her mother at the age of 11 and the subsequent abandonment of her father, she and her three sisters were placed in the custody of the Sister of the Sacred Heart in Au-Bazine, a convent with an affiliated orphanage. Her life at the orphanage was arduous and demanding. but it also inadvertently contributed to her future career as it was where she first learned how to sew. After turning 18 in 1901, Gabrielle left the convent and moved to Moulin, where she worked as a sales assistant and seamstress at Maison Grand Père during the day, and in the evening moonlighted as a cabaret singer. It's rumored that one of her signature songs, Qui Qu'Aveux Coco, served as the inspiration behind her famous nickname, although others have said it stemmed from the French word cocotte, meaning kept woman. While working at the cabaret, she met Etienne de Balzane, the son of a textile entrepreneur, and she eventually became his mistress, living with him in his chateau for several years. Because of Balzane's wealth and high social standing, Gabrielle was able to meet the creme de la creme of French society, allowing her to make the sophisticated and influential connections that would serve her well in the future. In 1908, Gabrielle entered an affair with Arthur Capple, a wealthy member of the English upper class, who later moved Gabrielle to an apartment in Paris. She had begun designing hats while living with Balzac, but after the hobby proved fruitful, she became a licensed milliner in 1910 and along with her lover's financial backing, opened her first hat boutique at 21 Rue Cambon under the name Chanel Mode. At the time, women's headwear, which signified that you weren't a part of the working class, was elaborate and bulky, something Gabrielle once admonished, saying quote, how could women think with such a thing on their heads? By emphasizing subtlety and simplicity with a single ribbon or or feather on a wide brim hat, Gabrielle's designs were a welcome subversion of the norm, with the designer saying, quote, "'Simplicity is the keynote of any true elegance.'" This venture was a success amongst Valjean's social circle, but eventually became a citywide phenomenon after the well-known French actress Gabrielle Dorsat wore one of Gabrielle's hats while performing on stage in 1912. In the wake of this popularity, Gabrielle decided to expand her business. moving to Deauville with Capple in 1913 where she opened another boutique which sold her signature hats as well as luxury clothing suitable for leisure and sport. Taking inspiration from the lavish seaside resort, Gabrielle began selling fisherman-inspired striped jersey blouses, with both the design and material being more comfortable than the stiff fashions that were popular during the Belle Epoque period. Up until that point, jersey had been primarily used for men's underwear, and by incorporating the material into her designs, Gabrielle's clothing was both surprising and sensual. Gabrielle enlisted her sister Antoinette and her paternal aunt Adrienne to model these designs, and the two women paraded around town in these Chanel creations as a form of advertising. With its hobble skirts, corsets, and layers upon layers of fabric, Edwardian fashion was as restrictive as it was extravagant. But Gabrielle's designs were the opposite, being simple, relaxed, and ironically enough, affordable. And this casually chic style became a staple of the brand. With women beginning to see more freedoms and liberties, Gabrielle's comfortable ensembles captured the spirit of the times, and she was credited for breathing a new life into the French fashion scene, with Harper's Bazaar raving over the brand in 1915, quote, The woman who hasn't at least one Chanel is hopelessly out of fashion. Having gained prominence for her sporty silhouettes amongst the fashionable French elite, Gabrielle opened her first couture house in Biarritz in 1916. After hiring 300 workers, she released her first haute couture collection, which featured uncluttered styles, boxy lines, and shorter skirts. That same year, Maison Rodier became the exclusive manufacturer of Gabrielle's signature jersey material. with the elastic fabric helping her achieve the soft flowing lines that were necessary to emphasize a woman's natural shape, which happened to coincide with the diminishing popularity of corsets. And unlike many other textiles which were in short supply because of World War I, jersey remained accessible and affordable. This Biarritz shop proved to be so lucrative that after a single year she was able to reimburse Arthur Capel on his original investment, and also purchase another location at 31 Rue de Cambon in Paris, her largest thus far, which housed a boutique, salon, workshops, and atelier. and serves as the brand's headquarters to this day. Having already made a name for herself as a fashion rebel, Gabrielle was one of the earliest designers to begin making trousers for women, producing sailor pants and beach pajamas in the late 1910s, which combined traditionally feminine motifs like pearls and flowers with masculine fabrics and silhouettes. This was considered quite the risque move, as the scandalous silhouette was associated with the bedroom. But by the mid-1920s, they had become a staple amongst wealthy ladies and a fixture of the Chanel brand. Gabrielle was not only a designer, but a trendsetter, with her independent lifestyle serving as an example of the modern woman, while her bobbed hair and practical designs helped make the androgynous garcon style a staple of the roaring 20s. The garcon style, or tomboy style, took its name from Victor Marguerite's 1922 novel Le Garcon, which featured a female protagonist who wore men's clothes, slept with both men and women, and sought out her own career. The look, much like the book itself, was rather controversial, so it was inevitable that the rebellious House of Chanel would embrace the style. The garcon coincided with the popularity of the slim and petite gamine body type which Gabrielle had, and her designs were often made to complement this boyish frame. This worked in her favor during the 1920s as gamine was en vogue, and many of her most iconic designs that were introduced during this time period, like her two-piece sets, had a slightly boxy silhouette that was seen as flattering on that sort of figure. Said sets were supposedly inspired by the suits worn by her lover at the time, the Duke of Westminster, continuing the Chanel trend of mixing the feminine with masculine. Gabrielle's designs often took inspiration from her personal life, with her childhood spent at the convent being cited as an influence on the Chanel aesthetic, with the designer's contrasting lines and frequent use of black and white being interpreted as an ode to a nun's habit. Her lover, Arthur Capple, also served as her muse throughout her career. A polo player with a penchant for well-tailored clothing, Capple Kappel's sartorial suits were the inspiration behind the masculine elements in Gabrielle's early designs, not to mention her usage of jersey. His death in a car accident in 1919, which occurred while he was on the way to visit Gabrielle, thrust her into a years-long grieving period, saying later in life, quote, His death was a terrible blow to me. In losing Kappel, I lost everything. What followed was not a life of happiness, I have to say. In the wake of his passing, the designer frequently wore black, something that eventually led to the creation of her little black dress in 1926, with the simple design being referred to by Vogue as the quote, Chanel Ford, the frock all the world will wear. If you want to learn more about the history of the little black dress in general, make sure to check out our video all about it. Working in collaboration with famed chemist and perfumer Ernest Beaux, Gabrielle created the brand's first perfume, Chanel No. 5, in 1922. The prominent placement of the Chanel name ensured that the perfume would be immediately linked to the house's identity, while the number itself had a hidden meaning, with Gabrielle saying, quote, I show my collections on the 5th of May, the fifth month of the year, and this number five will bring it good luck. Funnily enough, Chanel still presents their collections on the fifth of the month. During that time period, perfumes that were heavy with animal musk or jasmine were associated with women of the night, but Gabrielle wanted a scent that would appeal to the liberated feminine spirit of the 1920s. and reject society's ideas about respectable women. Ernest Beaux initially hesitated at Gabrielle's choice because the perfume's 80 ingredients and signature jasmine scent was quite costly, to which she responded, quote, In that case, add more of it. I want to create the most expensive perfume in the world. Arthur Capple's toiletry bottles and whiskey decanter have been credited as the influence behind the perfume's unique look, with its sleek and simple square design helping with the product's longevity and recognizability. In 1924, Gabrielle made an agreement with Pierre and Paul Wertheimer, the directors of the perfume and cosmetics house Bourgeois, to create the entity Parfum Chanel, with the Wertheimers agreeing to provide full financing for the production, marketing, and distribution of Chanel No. 5, as well as other Chanel-branded perfumes, cosmetics, and skincare products. They received 70% of the profits from this successful venture, while Gabrielle, who had licensed her name and withdrawn involvement in business operations, received 10%. Unhappy with the arrangement, even attempting to renegotiate the original deal, Gabrielle once called Pierre Wertheimer, quote, the bandit who screwed me, and she spent decades fighting for full control of Parfum Chanel. But we'll get back to that. Carried by the opulent jewelry given to her by her various aristocratic lovers, in the 1930s, Gabrielle recruited Count Etienne de Beaumont and Duke Falco de Verdana to open an atelier completely dedicated to costume jewelry, which is something still heavily utilized in the brand's aesthetic today. While some of these initial jewelry collections were more high-end, featuring precious gems and expensive metals, by the end of the decade they began incorporating faux pearls and stones. These coveted, yet technically cheap, pieces were worn by Gabrielle herself. who once said, quote, Jewelry is junk and should be worn that way. It should be worn merely because it is interesting or decorative and never with an eye to its value. Because most of Chanel's garments were understated, these eye-catching accessories helped elevate the ensemble and create balance, and the popularity of their faux necklaces and brooches helped rid costume jewelry of the negative connotation it had developed following the Great Depression. In 1930, the French designer traveled to Hollywood, where she met MGM producer Samuel Goldwyn. who requested that she costume 1931's Tonight or Never and 1932's The Greeks Had a Word for Them. This arrangement was beneficial for both parties. On Goldwyn's end, he was able to tie his leading ladies to the Chanel brand, which had a reputation of being fashionable and elegant, while Gabrielle was able to introduce her designs to an even wider audience and develop a relationship with the influential Hollywood elite. It was around this time period that Gabrielle began to heavily incorporate the Camellia flower into different Chanel products, from jewelry to dresses, and it's since become as synonymous with the brand as its interlocking C logo. Rumored to be her favorite flower, Camellias adorned the designer's coffin along with orchids, azaleas, and gardenias. Gardenias were another frequent Chanel motif, with the scent even making its way into perfume. In the wake of World War II, Gabrielle shut the doors of multiple Chanel shops. As a result of this closure, 4,000 female employees lost their jobs, with some suggesting that Gabrielle had used the war as an opportunity to retaliate against the employees who had striked for higher wages and shorter work hours a few years earlier. Although there was no clientele for couture at the time, demand for Chanel goods was still high as many American soldiers were tasked with the job of purchasing perfumes and accessories as souvenirs for their spouses and mothers back home. Although there was almost no Chanel print advertising at this time, the fragrance's sales flourished. increasing tenfold between 1940 and 1945, amounting to $9 million annually, which is over $150 million today. Following the Nazi occupation of France in 1940, Gabrielle immediately sought refuge in the Hotel Ritz, which was also used as the headquarters of the German military. While there, she met Hans Gunther von Dinklage, who worked alongside the German embassy and was believed to be a Gestapo spy. Although Gabrielle's romantic liaisons had been hot gossip for decades, and her anti-Semitic views had been well documented, this affair brought up suspicions of Nazi involvement, and evidence has since been uncovered of both her agent number and codename. Besides her long-held prejudices towards Jewish people, Gabrielle is believed to have been incentivized to partner up with the Germans because of her long-standing feud with the Wertheimers over Parfum Chanel. With the Nazis seizing all Jewish-owned property and businesses, Gabrielle had the perfect opportunity to regain control of the entity, and more specifically, its most profitable product. Chanel No. 5. Because the Wertheimers were Jewish, Gabrielle attempted to use her position as an Aryan and Nazi informer to petition German officials to legalize her right to sole ownership, writing in a letter in May 1941, quote, Parfum Chanel is still the property of Jews and has been legally abandoned by the owners. I have an indisputable right of priority. The profits that I have received from my creation since the foundations of this business are disproportionate. You can help to repair, in part, the prejudices I've suffered in the course of these 17 years. What she didn't know was that the Wertheimers, who had anticipated the Nazi seizures and fled to America, had legally turned control of Parfum Chanel over to the Christian French businessman, Félix Amieux, the year prior, thwarting Gabrielle's attempts at reclaiming the company. Amieux later returned the company to the Wertheimers following the war, and the family is still the controlling shareholder of Chanel to this day. At the end of World War II, Gabrielle's wartime activities led to her eventual arrest, and she was interrogated by the Free French Purge Committee. But without any documented evidence or witnesses, she was eventually released. Many believe that her punishment was secretly intervened by then Prime Minister of the UK, Winston Churchill, who Gabrielle had first befriended in the 1920s when she was involved with the Duke of Westminster. Despite going free, Gabrielle's reputation was severely damaged, and she went into an eight-year exile in Switzerland after determining that it was no longer safe for her to remain in France. Still upset about what she deemed to be an unjust business dealing, Gabrielle established a Swiss perfumery to create, produce, and sell her Chanel perfumes, and she claimed that the Chanel No. 5 sold by the Wertheimers was no longer the authentic fragrance created by Mademoiselle Chanel. Seeing their business interests threatened, Pierre Wertheimer set out to settle his quarrel with Gabrielle, and in May 1947, they renegotiated the 1924 contract that had established Perfume Chanel. She was ultimately awarded $400,000 in cash for the wartime profits from the sale of the perfume, a running 2% royalty on all sales of Chanel No. 5, and a monthly stipend that paid all of her living expenses no matter how big or small. This arrangement made her the richest woman in the world at the time. In exchange, Gabrielle closed her Swiss perfumery and sold the full rights to the name Coco Chanel. By the 1950s, the Chanel brand was better known for its perfume than its clothing, as Gabrielle's couture house had remained closed throughout the war and her exile. Besides being immortalized in the artwork of Salvador Dali and Andy Warhol, the fragrance was also a famous favorite of actress Marilyn Monroe, who once quipped in an interview that she wore five drops of Chanel No. 5 to bed and nothing else, and was later photographed applying the perfume in a series of portraits. You'd have to pay for that sort of advertising today, but funnily enough, Chanel didn't. That's how popular it was. During Chanel's heyday in the 1920s and 30s, Female designers had been at the forefront of the fashion industry, but men had seized the post-war market, with Christian Dior famously achieving success with his glamorous new look. Hyper-feminine with structured silhouettes, cinched waists, and layers upon layers of fabric, these Dior designs were the antithesis of Gabrielle's style philosophy of understated elegance, and she was vocal about her displeasure with this aspect of post-war era fashion, saying, quote, Look how ridiculous these women are. Wearing clothes by a man who doesn't know women, never had one, and dreams of being one. Yes, she was homophobic as well as an anti-Semite. Her distaste for Dior's designs and the designs of his male contemporaries inspired her to get out of retirement at the age of 71 and she sought to reopen the house of Chanel. Fully funded by the Wertheimers, who were granted commercial rights to all Chanel brand products, Gabrielle released her comeback collection in 1954. The collection received mixed to negative reviews from the French press. Not only because many were still upset with the designer's war activities, but also because they interpreted the collection as conservative and derivative of her past work. Stateside, the collection was more polarizing. Some proclaimed it a breakthrough, with their stance on the matter likely having to do with many Americans being displeased with Dior's new look, with his designs even sparking protests across the country. But some critics questioned whether or not Chanel could make it in a post-war era, with the Miami News saying quote, Let old-timers shed a nostalgic tear. Coco's creations are not for 1954. Her long skirts, down to the bottom of the calf, and ill-fitted waist reminiscent of the 1930s are foreign to the modern eye. Although the brand's comeback had a rather rough start, with some even saying that the veteran fashion house should stick to perfume, Gabrielle was able to prove the naysayers wrong by releasing two new products that would eventually become Chanel staples. The 255 handbag, also known as the classic flap bag, was first created by Gabrielle in the 1920s. before updating the design in 1955. The 255 was the first luxury bag for women to come with a shoulder strap, as earlier clutches needed to be carried by hand. And the purse also came with several pockets with specific functions like holding lipstick or money. Although these seem like obvious inclusions today, at the time they were groundbreaking innovations. And by offering women a hands-free option that was functional and fashionable, it was a rousing success that effectively transformed the way all women's bags were designed from that point onward. Unlike most creatives, Gabrielle was flattered by the idea that others wanted to copy her designs, once saying, quote, being plagiarized is the greatest compliment one can receive. In 1957, the first Chanel two-tone shoe was released, which had a less than two-inch heel and an elastic strap, once again tying into the brand's comfortable yet elegant philosophy, with Gabrielle saying, quote, it isn't a matter of art, not at all. It's like architecture. It has to be practical first, and the most important element is good taste. Initially introduced in black and beige, these slingback heels were eventually released in a wide color palette and were dubbed Cinderella's new slipper by the press. By adding these shoes to the Chanel roster of little black dresses, quilted flat bags, perfume, tweed jackets, and two-piece sets, the signature Chanel look that was loved by celebrities and socialites was complete, with many of the items being touted as timeless wardrobe essentials even to this day. Gabrielle had long been the face of Chanel. But as she was now older with a controversial past, in the 1950s they decided to seek out their first brand ambassadors, women who not only epitomized the Chanel look but had the personality and charisma to match. For the 1954 Comeback Collection, Marie-Hélène Arnaud was tapped as one of these exclusive house models for Chanel and was featured prominently in the brand's print advertising and runway shows throughout the decade, eventually replacing Gabrielle as the face of Chanel. Arnaud became the first Chanel model to be awarded the title of the most popular became Gabrielle's muse, with some critics even referring to her as Gabrielle's alter ego. And the two spent a significant amount of time together, with Arnaud even moving into an apartment on the same street as the Chanel Atelier. American actress Susie Parker developed a similar relationship with the brand, although she was never as unanimously associated with Chanel as Arnaud was. But she and Gabrielle grew quite close, with Parker even naming her daughter after the designer. Because of Gabrielle's close relationship with these women, rumors arose of them being lovers. something that many modern-day historians have denied, with Justine Picardy, author of the biography Coco Chanel The Legend and the Life, saying the dynamic was, quote, a curious mixture of mothering and mentoring, rather than anything truly sexual. The House of Chanel remained popular throughout the 1960s, with several actresses, including Romy Schneider, Jeanne Moreau, Jane Fonda, Catherine Deneuve, and Bridgette Bardot eventually becoming affiliated with the brand. Schneider, who had befriended Gabrielle, was even dressed in Chanel for the 1962 movie Boccaccio 70, while Deneuve was the spokesmodel for Chanel No. 5 throughout the 1970s. Former First Lady Jackie Kennedy also had a fondness for the brand, often wearing Chanel or its authorized counterfeits over the course of the decade. This included the infamous pink suit that she wore in 1963 when her husband was assassinated, which made the Chanel suit one of the most recognizable pieces of clothing of the era. In 1971, at the age of 87, Gabrielle Coco Chanel passed away, and having not named a successor, the fashion world wondered what the future had in store for the house of Chanel. After her death, Yvonne Doudel, Jean Casalbon, and Philippe Gobourget began designing for the fashion house. Doudel and Cazabon were responsible for the Haute Couture line, while Guy Bourget was credited as the creator of the brand's first ready-to-wear collection in 1977. With different designers, the two lines lacked consistency, with Guy Bourget saying quote, quote, quote. It was difficult to keep up with the trend. the look but not to repeat it exactly. And this further weakened Chanel's brand identity and some fans even complained that the ready-to-wear line made the brand lose its mystique because it was becoming too affordable and accessible. The couture line was frequently criticized for being behind the times with complaints being directed towards the lack of creativity and originality, with many critics pointing out that they were near-exact copies of Gabrielle's previous designs. By the end of the decade, Chanel was in serious decline, with the only notable public figure who still wore the brand being Nancy Reagan, a far cry from the trendy ambassadors of prior decades. And by the early 80s, Chanel's accessories, cosmetics, and fragrances were the only thing standing between them and bankruptcy. In 1983, more than a decade after Gabrielle's passing, Chanel's owner, Alan Wertheimer, named Karl Lagerfeld as the artistic director of Chanel, which was probably one of the greatest hiring decisions of all time. Born in Hamburg, Germany in 1933, Lagerfeld managed to come out of World War II largely unscathed thanks to his father's business dealings, and he and his two older sisters had a relatively comfortable childhood. When he was 14, the family relocated to Paris. and while studying art and history, he discovered his passion for fashion. In 1955, he met Pierre Balmain, who he worked for as an assistant, then apprentice. And by the mid-1960s, he was designing freelance for a multitude of brands, including Chloe and Valentino, before eventually being hired by Fendi in 1965, which at the time was effectively a family business known for its fur and leather goods. In 1966, Lagerfeld created the company's double F logo and was named the creative director for fur, with these designs being considered innovative and modern. He also led the charge when the company decided to introduce clothing, with Lagerfeld becoming the creative director of the women's ready-to-wear line, which launched in 1977. His work at Fendi made them a formidable force in fashion and is credited for helping the company break into the US and Japanese markets. Tying with Yves Saint Laurent as one of the most influential designers of the era, Lagerfeld's resume proved that he had what it took to bring a brand into the modern era, making him the perfect person to fix the floundering house of Chanel. As mentioned, by the 1980s the brand was hanging on by a thread, but Lagerfeld leapt at the opportunity to bring it back to life, once telling the New York Times quote, Everybody said, don't touch it, it's dead, it will never come back. But by then I thought it was a challenge. Of course, his salary of a million dollars per collection no doubt helped ease any worries. Although Lagerfeld had made a name for himself with his avant-garde designs, for his debut Chanel couture collection in 1983, he showed restraint, with the designer opting to simply reinterpret the brand's most identifiable motifs through a contemporary lens. This was praised by critics, with Bootsy Galbraith saying quote, If Mademoiselle had been sitting at the top of the staircase today, I think she would have been very happy. It's a wonderful collection and in the Chanel tradition, down to the last detail. Fashion designer Sonia Reichel shared a similar sentiment, quote, I take my hat off to him. It was a very beautiful collection and it is a real homage to Chanel. It was full of respect for what she did, with some evidence of sliding towards something else. These early collections were inspired by the brand's heyday in the 1920s and 30s, with Lagerfeld saying, quote, Everyone remembers the typical Chanel suit she did in the 50s, but I'd like to remember the work she did when she was young in the 20s. Although Lagerfeld was praised by critics for this unique understanding of the modern-day consumer, His designs were poorly received by Chanel's long-standing clients who thought that they were too contemporary. Lagerfeld continued revamping Chanel by taking over the ready-to-wear line the following year and reimagining the brand's 255 handbag. He also began integrating the interlocked CC monograph into his designs, which has since become a staple of Chanel's iconography. Although he stayed loyal to the classic Chanel look throughout the 80s, incorporating tweed, chains, pearls, quilting, camellias, neutral colors, and skirt sets, In the 90s, he became far more experimental. In a sharp juxtaposition from the minimalist designs Gabrielle Chanel was known for, Lagerfeld upped the brand's sex appeal and femininity with plunging necklines, sheer fabrics, tight dresses, higher heels, neon colors, and short hems. Something I personally think Gabrielle Chanel would have despised, with the designer once saying, quote, The knee will not be shown here. The knee is a joint. Do you think that should be shown? A knee? A miserable knee? Lagerfeld openly disagreed with his predecessor about the matter, saying quote, Chanel killed herself when she said that miniskirts were revolting. When she was young, she took the jersey used for underwear and made it into dresses, which in those days was quite extreme as the miniskirt in the 60s. So why should she establish a standard for what is elegant for the rest of time? What a bore. Gabrielle's famous saying, before you leave the house, look in the mirror and take one thing off, also went against Lagerfeld's design sensibilities. with his Chanel collections from the 90s being known for their extravagance and over-accessorizing. Many of Lagerfeld's designs from this time period took inspiration from black streetwear, with bucket hats, denim, large chains, tracksuits, sneakers, and rainbow hair extensions hitting the runway, as well as his sudden use of Logomania, which was pioneered by designer Dapper Dan the decade prior. This inspiration didn't go unnoticed by the media, with the Independent reporting in 1993, quote, All the signs are that Lagerfeld, who is said to spend a lot of time watching MTV in any one of the splendid 18th century residences he has acquired, has lost the plot. Looking at MTV, you can understand why. Black rappers with their oversized clothes, heavy gold chains, seem to have become muddled in his creative mind with the old Chanel. The street has given Lagerfeld just a touch of inspiration. This time it seems to have overwhelmed him as he has attempted to translate young black style into fashion for the bourgeois white customer. These changes to Chanel's classic silhouette further alienated their existing clientele, and were even disapproved of by critics, with one publication saying quote, It can't be easy to design for a line that had its heyday in the 1980s. That could be the problem for Chanel designer Karl Lagerfeld, who seems to be so relentlessly focused on proving himself a master of modern design that he has forgotten that Chanel customers want dependable clothes with a hint of new trends. Instead, he has given them little else but trends. Asymmetrical hems, techno fabrics, double-layer garments, lucite accessories. But by that point, it didn't actually matter what they thought, as Lagerfeld had already succeeded in breathing a new life into the brand, which brought with it new buyers. The designer himself didn't seem to take the criticisms to heart, saying, quote, What I do, Coco would have hated. The label has an image and it's up to me to update it. I do what she never did. I had to find my mark. I had to go from what Chanel was to what it should be. could be, what it had been to something else. Funnily enough, despite how it was received at the time, this is probably the era of Chanel that is most fondly remembered today. While Chanel No. 5 remained popular, with actress Carole Bouquet becoming the face of the perfume since the mid-80s, handbags had grown to become one of the brand's most popular and profitable products, and they were even carried by Princess Diana, who Lagerfeld later named a handbag after. With accessories becoming such a lucrative part of Chanel's business, in 1987 the brand introduced its first line of watches, which paid homage to the shape of their perfume bottle, and they eventually released the J12 in 1999, which was praised for being the first truly unisex watch. Just as Gabrielle had done back in the 1950s, Lagerfeld built up a collection of model muses which included familiar faces like Naomi Campbell, Cindy Crawford, Helena Christensen, Kate Moss, Linda Evangelista, Devin Aoki, Claudia Schiffer, and Amber Valletta, who all epitomized his vision of the modern Chanel woman. Besides making regular appearances on the catwalk, These models were also featured in multiple advertising campaigns, although only one was seen as the new face of Chanel. Model Claudia Schiffer was actually discovered by Lagerfeld at the age of 19, with the designer persuading her to make her runway debut with Chanel. Schiffer was an instant success, becoming one of the most famous models of the era. But she never forgot where she got her start, and she opened and closed multiple Chanel shows over the course of the decade, having the honor of being a Chanel bride a whopping 11 times. As Chanel moved into the 2000s, Lagerfeld continued to expand the brand, releasing the first cruise collection that year, which has since become a regular event. In 2001, Kate Moss became the face of Chanel's new perfume, Coco Mademoiselle. which was intended to appeal to a younger generation. With her short dark pixie cut, a hairstyle Moss isn't typically associated with, it was a clear callback to the brand's founder, as well as the gamine style that Chanel had initially found success catering to. In 2004, Nicole Kidman was selected as the brand ambassador for their more grown-up fragrance, Chanel No. 5. The commercial was directed by Baz Luhrmann, who had also worked with Kidman on 2001's Moulin Rouge. And when Kidman received her first Oscar nomination for Best Actress for the movie, she not-so-coincidentally attended the high-profile event in a Chanel gown. After linking up with the brand officially in 2004, she would be spotted in Chanel regularly, an expectation they had of all of their brand ambassadors. Lagerfeld's Chanel shows became known for their theatricality, with the designer presenting his collections in various settings like cruise ships, airport runways, forests, ski resorts, and indoor beaches. And the grandeur of these collections highlighted his style philosophy. In 2005, Chanel had their first show at the Grand Palais in Paris for their 2006 Spring-Summer Ready-to-Wear Collection, which started a years-long partnership between the brand and the historic location, resulting in some of their most extravagant shows to date. That same year, the House of Chanel was a sponsor of, and theme of, the annual Met Gala, with Karl Lagerfeld and Nicole Kidman being co-chairs. Caroline, Princess of Hanover, the eldest child of Princess Grace Kelly of Monaco, was an honorary chair. a decision that paid homage to her mother's past relationship with the Chanel brand. Princess Caroline's daughter, Charlotte, would later be made a Chanel ambassador in 2020. Yes, Chanel likes to keep it in the family. In 2006, actress Keira Knightley was named the new celebrity face for Coco Mademoiselle, replacing Kate Moss, who was dealing with a drug scandal at the time. And the brand's switch to Hollywood actresses was a reflection of the cultural zeitgeist. Knightley starred in numerous Chanel commercials, including a short film directed by Lagerfeld himself, where she played a fictionalized version of the brand's founder. The actress frequently wore Chanel, even to her wedding, and was loaned $2 million worth of pearls for the 2012 adaptation of Anna Karenina. I personally think Knightley is one of their best celebrity ambassadors to date, as she seemed to embody many of the attributes of the brand's identity, having a casual elegance that played well with their aesthetic. Having a relationship with Hollywood that then spanned more than seven decades, Chanel products made appearances in multiple movies and shows. In the original Sex and the City, a show with a massive fan base that was Chanel's exact demographic, Samantha Jones was often spotted in Chanel. And with the character epitomizing the modern career woman who was unashamed of her sexuality, it solidified that Chanel was no longer the brand for uptight grannies. This product placement continued in the subsequent movies, although Carrie Bradshaw, the main character, began wearing it more than Samantha. Chanel also appeared on the popular teen drama The O.C. as a direct result of actress Misha Barton, who played Marissa Cooper. In It Girl of the 2000s, Barton was known for her feminine fashion sense, with Chanel dresses, jackets, and handbags making frequent appearances in her wardrobe. And in 2008, Karl Lagerfeld even presented the actress with an InStyle Icon of the Year award. Often styling herself for the show, Barton called in a favor to Chanel, saying quote, I started having these designers send stuff over because I saw the merit in getting that kind of stuff on television. If I had those connections in the fashion world, why not? The wardrobe department would totally have been happy just dressing us as regular teenagers, to be honest. Not in a bad way, we would have looked adorable, but we would have been your average Orange County teenagers. The character's high fashion wardrobe made her the envy of every other teenage girl, in real life as well as in the show. And for some millennials, Marissa Cooper was their introduction to Chanel. Chanel also made multiple appearances in 2006's The Devil Wears Prada, with Andrea Sachs directly referencing the brand during her makeover. Okay, now Chanel, you're in desperate need of Chanel. Are you wearing the Chanel boots? Yeah, I am. And the character sports various Chanel dresses, shoes, hats, and necklaces over the course of the film. It always surprised me that Anne Hathaway was never tapped to become a Chanel girl following the release of the movie, because I remember thinking that she made it look so cool. With this sort of product placement working in their favor, Chanel was one of the first fashion brands to send clothing to Gossip Girl, with costume designer Eric Damon saying quote, the kids weren't known in the beginning, so it was definitely a challenge. Season one we didn't have many designers participating. Then I feel like something happened between season one and season two. At that moment when we came back, Bigger designers were very interested in working with us. Once we got one of the bigger designers to say yes, it was like letting the floodgates open. And early on, Chanel said yes. All of a sudden, everyone wanted to be a part of it. With the clothing in Gossip Girl being as much a main character as Blair Waldorf or Serena Vanderwoodson, Chanel was able to position itself not only as a brand for the rich and famous, but for the young and beautiful. Although Leighton Meester resembled more of the previous brand ambassadors, It was co-star Blake Lively who developed a friendship with Lagerfeld, who once described her as an American dream girl, and they even attended the Met Gala together, and she eventually became the face of their iconic handbags in the early 2010s. With the brand seeing a huge burst of popularity during the 2000s, the life of its founder caught Hollywood's attention, and a handful of films were released, beginning with the made-for-TV movie Coco Chanel in 2008. This was followed by 2009's Coco Chanel and Igor Stravinsky. which follows the rumored affair between the famous designer and composer. Lagerfeld was in support of this production and granted access to Chanel's archives, as well as the designer's apartment on 31 Rue de Cambon. In 2009, the biopic Coco Before Chanel, likely the most well-known of all the films, was released. Starring brand ambassador Audrey Tateau as Gabrielle Chanel, the film focused on the designer's humble beginnings, love affairs, and early work. All of these projects conveniently exclude her Nazi activities and political views, instead romanticizing her life and allowing her public image to remain untarnished. Throughout the 2010s, Lagerfeld began picking up new muses, starting with model Cara Delevingne. First walking for Chanel's 2012 Fall Winter Oak tour show, Delevingne and Lagerfeld immediately took a shine to one another, with the designer once saying quote, Cara is different. She's full of life, full of pep. I like girls to be wild but at the same time beautifully brought up and very funny. After appearing on multiple Chanel runways, Delevingne was eventually announced as a new face of Chanel in 2014. Around this time, we saw a slew of teenage Chanel girls, with Lily-Rose Depp being announced as a brand ambassador in 2015, Willow Smith in 2016, and Kaia Gerber in 2017. Interestingly, both Gerber and Depp were Chanel nepo babies. with their mothers famously serving as Lagerfeld's muses in the 90s. Although they've all appeared in various campaigns, with Willow Smith genuinely making me consider a Chanel purchase, Depp seems to have maintained the closest relationship with the brand, often walking the Chanel runway and wearing their dresses to various high-profile events. I think this may have to do with Depp being a gamine, the ultimate Chanel body type, so she's able to pull off some of the house's less flattering designs. Although the brand was more popular than ever, the 2010s are where we began to see some of their weaker design efforts, especially on red carpets, with many of their celebrity ambassadors being hit by what is colloquially referred to as the Chanel contract curse. One of the most notable being Kristen Stewart, who befriended Lagerfeld in 2017. Known for her slightly androgynous style, on paper Stewart seemed like an excellent fit for a brand that had first become famous for rejecting traditional femininity. But Lagerfeld seemed to struggle with the balance. with the actress often looking like she was wearing a knockoff of the brand she was a face of. Miley Cyrus was also spotted in Chanel frequently throughout the decade, but as a singer with a clearly defined look for each era, she integrated the designs into her wardrobe in a way that felt more natural and even edgy at times. She was never a confirmed Chanel girl, but she's worn it often enough, for a long enough period of time, that I think she could be considered an honorary one. Like Gabrielle before him, Lagerfeld was also subject to controversy. with the designer receiving multiple allegations of sexism, racism, and fatphobia over the years. In an interview with Harper's Bazaar, he once claimed that Gabrielle Chanel was never a feminist because she was quote, never ugly enough for that. When the Me Too movement was making strides, Lagerfeld said quote, if you don't want your pants pulled about, don't become a model. Join a nunnery. There will always be place for you in the convent. and continued to make his stance on sexual assault clear by sending flowers to Dominique Strauss-Kahn while he was on trial for rape. Lagerfeld, who often directed Chanel's campaigns, also put model Claudia Schiffer in yellowface and blackface for a 2010 editorial. When criticized for his choice to exclusively feature uber-skinny models on the Chanel runway, his response was, quote, These are fat mummies sitting with their bags of crisps in front of the television, saying that thin models are ugly. No one wants to see round women. By the 2010s, Lagerfeld had been designing for the house of Chanel for over 30 years, and it was starting to show. When he began working with the brand back in the 80s, he innovated upon what came before him, paying homage to Chanel's history while also pushing the boundaries. But by the 21st century, it was starting to feel like he had run out of ideas. While he had successfully brought Chanel back into the public eye, helping its signature pieces achieve cult status and raising the brand's overall prestige, over the course of the decade, critical reception had soured, with many saying that the seemingly endless sea of tweed suits, houndstooth jackets, and two-tone ballet flats all looked the same. While their accessories, cosmetics, and fragrances continued to sell, in large part because of the brand's popular ambassadors and campaigns, by the end of the 2010s it was reported that sales of clothing items had plummeted. with Gucci and Prada dominating the youth market. Before he was able to stage a critical and commercial comeback, Karl Lagerfeld passed away in February 2019 at the age of 85, and the final collection he completed before his death served as his funeral, with the show being attended by his friends and including a moment of silence. Shortly after, Virginie Viard was appointed the artistic director of Chanel, an obvious choice as she had been at Chanel since 1987. even being named the director of their creation studio in 2000, where she worked closely with Lagerfeld and oversaw haute couture, ready-to-wear, and accessories. Lagerfeld adored her, saying, quote, "'Virginie' is the most important person, not just for me, but also for the studio, for everything. She is my right hand, and even if I don't see her, we are constantly on the phone." Viard's first solo collection for Cruise 2020 paid homage to both Gabrielle Chanel and Karl Lagerfeld. But with an overemphasis on subtlety and minimalism, many found the collection to be derivative, hardly the shake-up the brand needed. Honestly, the most impressive thing about the show was the set design, a frequent comment directed at Chanel during the 2010s and 2020s. Unfortunately, this was a high point for Viard's Chanel, and each collection since has grown more and more disappointing. While these lackluster, repetitive looks could theoretically be saved if worn by the right person, Chanel hasn't been doing well in that department either. Viard has continued working with the brand's ambassadors that Lagerfeld had previously selected, dressing Kristen Stewart, Margot Robbie, and Penelope Cruz in uninspired and outright hideous ensembles, leaving the internet begging for them to be released from their Chanel contracts. A few new faces have been introduced, including Jenny Kim, Sadie Sink, Margaret Qualley, and Whitney Peek, the latter of which replacing Keira Knightley as the face Coco Mademoiselle after 16 years. No offense to Whitney Peek, But her main claim to fame is her role on the failed Gossip Girl reboot, whereas when Keira Knightley was first announced for the perfume, she was coming off of the blockbuster hits Pride and Prejudice and Pirates of the Caribbean. It's not a very comparable changing of the guards. While these new faces do succeed in bringing freshness and youth to a brand that's beginning to come across as matronly, most of them have yet to develop enough of a style identity or star power to impact Chanel's intended audience the way ambassadors of the 90s and 2000s did. Unlike Chanel girls of the past, who seemed to genuinely love the brand and incorporated its items into their wardrobes organically, these modern ambassadors come across less as muses and more like mannequins. Instead of keeping their personal style in mind, or what actually suits them, they're often just thrown into whatever has recently been on the runway. And with their head-to-toe Chanel outfits, I feel like they should be walking around with a sign that says hashtag sponsored. While Chanel has never shied away from Hollywood product placement, as we've seen, the fact that they're now paying for this promotion couldn't be more obvious. Take Emily in Paris for instance. You can't watch a single episode without being smacked in the face with half a dozen Chanel logos. This is also the case for the 2021 Princess Diana biopic Spencer. But considering Diana did have a history of wearing Chanel, although not that much, it kind of makes sense. Although I will say that it's kind of funny that Kristen Stewart looked better in these Chanel designs than what they usually put her in. A more recent complaint directed towards the brand has been its decreasing quality and increasing price, as seen with the advent calendar debacle of 2021, with Chanel charging over $800 for plastic trinkets. A more well-known example is their iconic 255 purse, which as we've mentioned is one of their signature items. Back in 1955, the bag was first sold for $220, which is just under $2,500 today. In the 1980s, the bag's price went up to $1,000. which is about $3,700 today. That is an increase, but not an obscene one, especially since the product's quality wasn't sacrificed. But more recently is when things start to get crazy. Between 2014 and 2022, the classic Chanel flat bag went from $4,400 to $8,800, meaning its price doubled in less than a decade. People have hypothesized that this is an attempt on Chanel's end to position the bag as a luxury item akin to the Hermes Birkin. which is notorious for being as expensive as it is valuable. Value is the key word there, as Birkins are not only known to be well-made, but can actually be considered investments. Meanwhile, the modern 255 has received multiple complaints about its cheap hardware and over-processed leather. Chanel has been on every fashionista's mind recently as we move closer to the 2023 Met Gala, whose theme, Karl Lagerfeld, A Line of Beauty, pays homage to one of the brand's most notable designers. Because Lagerfeld has been involved with multiple fashion brands since the start of his career, wearing Chanel isn't a necessary requirement for attendees. But considering celebrities have a habit of misinterpreting the theme and going for what's obvious, I wouldn't be surprised if we wind up seeing a bunch of tweed suits and Chanel logos on the red carpet. If past Met Galas are taken into consideration, we're likely to see a dozen Chanel ambassadors in underwhelming designs. Which is a shame since they're probably the only people with access to the archive. But I guess we'll see what happens in May. Remaining relevant in the fashion industry for over a century is no simple task, and although Chanel has had its ups and downs, it should still be commended for revolutionizing fashion on multiple occasions. What do you hope to see from Chanel in the future, and are there any celebrities that you think would be a perfect fit for the brand? I hope you enjoyed this video, don't forget to like and subscribe, and I'll see you soon. Bye!

But did you know that that wasn't always the case? In today's video, we're going to be taking a look at the iconic fashion house's history over the past century, from founder Coco Chanel's time as a Nazi collaborator, to the creation of the brand's signature products, to Karl Lagerfeld's controversial 80s relaunch, to the increasingly poor reception it's received in the last few years. Let's get into it.

Gabrielle Bonheur Chanel, more commonly known by her nickname, Coco, was born in Samur, France on August 19, 1883. Gabrielle's home life was complicated and difficult, with her mother often being ill and her father frequently traveling in order to peddle his wares, and this neglect was epitomized by her now well-known last name being misspelled as Chaz Nell on her birth certificate. Following the death of her mother at the age of 11 and the subsequent abandonment of her father, she and her three sisters were placed in the custody of the Sister of the Sacred Heart in Au-Bazine, a convent with an affiliated orphanage. Her life at the orphanage was arduous and demanding.

but it also inadvertently contributed to her future career as it was where she first learned how to sew. After turning 18 in 1901, Gabrielle left the convent and moved to Moulin, where she worked as a sales assistant and seamstress at Maison Grand Père during the day, and in the evening moonlighted as a cabaret singer. It's rumored that one of her signature songs, Qui Qu'Aveux Coco, served as the inspiration behind her famous nickname, although others have said it stemmed from the French word cocotte, meaning kept woman.

While working at the cabaret, she met Etienne de Balzane, the son of a textile entrepreneur, and she eventually became his mistress, living with him in his chateau for several years. Because of Balzane's wealth and high social standing, Gabrielle was able to meet the creme de la creme of French society, allowing her to make the sophisticated and influential connections that would serve her well in the future. In 1908, Gabrielle entered an affair with Arthur Capple, a wealthy member of the English upper class, who later moved Gabrielle to an apartment in Paris. She had begun designing hats while living with Balzac, but after the hobby proved fruitful, she became a licensed milliner in 1910 and along with her lover's financial backing, opened her first hat boutique at 21 Rue Cambon under the name Chanel Mode. At the time, women's headwear, which signified that you weren't a part of the working class, was elaborate and bulky, something Gabrielle once admonished, saying quote, how could women think with such a thing on their heads?

By emphasizing subtlety and simplicity with a single ribbon or or feather on a wide brim hat, Gabrielle's designs were a welcome subversion of the norm, with the designer saying, quote, "'Simplicity is the keynote of any true elegance.'" This venture was a success amongst Valjean's social circle, but eventually became a citywide phenomenon after the well-known French actress Gabrielle Dorsat wore one of Gabrielle's hats while performing on stage in 1912. In the wake of this popularity, Gabrielle decided to expand her business. moving to Deauville with Capple in 1913 where she opened another boutique which sold her signature hats as well as luxury clothing suitable for leisure and sport. Taking inspiration from the lavish seaside resort, Gabrielle began selling fisherman-inspired striped jersey blouses, with both the design and material being more comfortable than the stiff fashions that were popular during the Belle Epoque period. Up until that point, jersey had been primarily used for men's underwear, and by incorporating the material into her designs, Gabrielle's clothing was both surprising and sensual.

Gabrielle enlisted her sister Antoinette and her paternal aunt Adrienne to model these designs, and the two women paraded around town in these Chanel creations as a form of advertising. With its hobble skirts, corsets, and layers upon layers of fabric, Edwardian fashion was as restrictive as it was extravagant. But Gabrielle's designs were the opposite, being simple, relaxed, and ironically enough, affordable.

And this casually chic style became a staple of the brand. With women beginning to see more freedoms and liberties, Gabrielle's comfortable ensembles captured the spirit of the times, and she was credited for breathing a new life into the French fashion scene, with Harper's Bazaar raving over the brand in 1915, quote, The woman who hasn't at least one Chanel is hopelessly out of fashion. Having gained prominence for her sporty silhouettes amongst the fashionable French elite, Gabrielle opened her first couture house in Biarritz in 1916. After hiring 300 workers, she released her first haute couture collection, which featured uncluttered styles, boxy lines, and shorter skirts. That same year, Maison Rodier became the exclusive manufacturer of Gabrielle's signature jersey material. with the elastic fabric helping her achieve the soft flowing lines that were necessary to emphasize a woman's natural shape, which happened to coincide with the diminishing popularity of corsets.

And unlike many other textiles which were in short supply because of World War I, jersey remained accessible and affordable. This Biarritz shop proved to be so lucrative that after a single year she was able to reimburse Arthur Capel on his original investment, and also purchase another location at 31 Rue de Cambon in Paris, her largest thus far, which housed a boutique, salon, workshops, and atelier. and serves as the brand's headquarters to this day.

Having already made a name for herself as a fashion rebel, Gabrielle was one of the earliest designers to begin making trousers for women, producing sailor pants and beach pajamas in the late 1910s, which combined traditionally feminine motifs like pearls and flowers with masculine fabrics and silhouettes. This was considered quite the risque move, as the scandalous silhouette was associated with the bedroom. But by the mid-1920s, they had become a staple amongst wealthy ladies and a fixture of the Chanel brand.

Gabrielle was not only a designer, but a trendsetter, with her independent lifestyle serving as an example of the modern woman, while her bobbed hair and practical designs helped make the androgynous garcon style a staple of the roaring 20s. The garcon style, or tomboy style, took its name from Victor Marguerite's 1922 novel Le Garcon, which featured a female protagonist who wore men's clothes, slept with both men and women, and sought out her own career. The look, much like the book itself, was rather controversial, so it was inevitable that the rebellious House of Chanel would embrace the style.

The garcon coincided with the popularity of the slim and petite gamine body type which Gabrielle had, and her designs were often made to complement this boyish frame. This worked in her favor during the 1920s as gamine was en vogue, and many of her most iconic designs that were introduced during this time period, like her two-piece sets, had a slightly boxy silhouette that was seen as flattering on that sort of figure. Said sets were supposedly inspired by the suits worn by her lover at the time, the Duke of Westminster, continuing the Chanel trend of mixing the feminine with masculine.

Gabrielle's designs often took inspiration from her personal life, with her childhood spent at the convent being cited as an influence on the Chanel aesthetic, with the designer's contrasting lines and frequent use of black and white being interpreted as an ode to a nun's habit. Her lover, Arthur Capple, also served as her muse throughout her career. A polo player with a penchant for well-tailored clothing, Capple Kappel's sartorial suits were the inspiration behind the masculine elements in Gabrielle's early designs, not to mention her usage of jersey. His death in a car accident in 1919, which occurred while he was on the way to visit Gabrielle, thrust her into a years-long grieving period, saying later in life, quote, His death was a terrible blow to me.

In losing Kappel, I lost everything. What followed was not a life of happiness, I have to say. In the wake of his passing, the designer frequently wore black, something that eventually led to the creation of her little black dress in 1926, with the simple design being referred to by Vogue as the quote, Chanel Ford, the frock all the world will wear.

If you want to learn more about the history of the little black dress in general, make sure to check out our video all about it. Working in collaboration with famed chemist and perfumer Ernest Beaux, Gabrielle created the brand's first perfume, Chanel No. 5, in 1922. The prominent placement of the Chanel name ensured that the perfume would be immediately linked to the house's identity, while the number itself had a hidden meaning, with Gabrielle saying, quote, I show my collections on the 5th of May, the fifth month of the year, and this number five will bring it good luck. Funnily enough, Chanel still presents their collections on the fifth of the month. During that time period, perfumes that were heavy with animal musk or jasmine were associated with women of the night, but Gabrielle wanted a scent that would appeal to the liberated feminine spirit of the 1920s. and reject society's ideas about respectable women.

Ernest Beaux initially hesitated at Gabrielle's choice because the perfume's 80 ingredients and signature jasmine scent was quite costly, to which she responded, quote, In that case, add more of it. I want to create the most expensive perfume in the world. Arthur Capple's toiletry bottles and whiskey decanter have been credited as the influence behind the perfume's unique look, with its sleek and simple square design helping with the product's longevity and recognizability.

In 1924, Gabrielle made an agreement with Pierre and Paul Wertheimer, the directors of the perfume and cosmetics house Bourgeois, to create the entity Parfum Chanel, with the Wertheimers agreeing to provide full financing for the production, marketing, and distribution of Chanel No. 5, as well as other Chanel-branded perfumes, cosmetics, and skincare products. They received 70% of the profits from this successful venture, while Gabrielle, who had licensed her name and withdrawn involvement in business operations, received 10%. Unhappy with the arrangement, even attempting to renegotiate the original deal, Gabrielle once called Pierre Wertheimer, quote, the bandit who screwed me, and she spent decades fighting for full control of Parfum Chanel. But we'll get back to that. Carried by the opulent jewelry given to her by her various aristocratic lovers, in the 1930s, Gabrielle recruited Count Etienne de Beaumont and Duke Falco de Verdana to open an atelier completely dedicated to costume jewelry, which is something still heavily utilized in the brand's aesthetic today.

While some of these initial jewelry collections were more high-end, featuring precious gems and expensive metals, by the end of the decade they began incorporating faux pearls and stones. These coveted, yet technically cheap, pieces were worn by Gabrielle herself. who once said, quote, Jewelry is junk and should be worn that way.

It should be worn merely because it is interesting or decorative and never with an eye to its value. Because most of Chanel's garments were understated, these eye-catching accessories helped elevate the ensemble and create balance, and the popularity of their faux necklaces and brooches helped rid costume jewelry of the negative connotation it had developed following the Great Depression. In 1930, the French designer traveled to Hollywood, where she met MGM producer Samuel Goldwyn.

who requested that she costume 1931's Tonight or Never and 1932's The Greeks Had a Word for Them. This arrangement was beneficial for both parties. On Goldwyn's end, he was able to tie his leading ladies to the Chanel brand, which had a reputation of being fashionable and elegant, while Gabrielle was able to introduce her designs to an even wider audience and develop a relationship with the influential Hollywood elite.

It was around this time period that Gabrielle began to heavily incorporate the Camellia flower into different Chanel products, from jewelry to dresses, and it's since become as synonymous with the brand as its interlocking C logo. Rumored to be her favorite flower, Camellias adorned the designer's coffin along with orchids, azaleas, and gardenias. Gardenias were another frequent Chanel motif, with the scent even making its way into perfume. In the wake of World War II, Gabrielle shut the doors of multiple Chanel shops.

As a result of this closure, 4,000 female employees lost their jobs, with some suggesting that Gabrielle had used the war as an opportunity to retaliate against the employees who had striked for higher wages and shorter work hours a few years earlier. Although there was no clientele for couture at the time, demand for Chanel goods was still high as many American soldiers were tasked with the job of purchasing perfumes and accessories as souvenirs for their spouses and mothers back home. Although there was almost no Chanel print advertising at this time, the fragrance's sales flourished. increasing tenfold between 1940 and 1945, amounting to $9 million annually, which is over $150 million today. Following the Nazi occupation of France in 1940, Gabrielle immediately sought refuge in the Hotel Ritz, which was also used as the headquarters of the German military.

While there, she met Hans Gunther von Dinklage, who worked alongside the German embassy and was believed to be a Gestapo spy. Although Gabrielle's romantic liaisons had been hot gossip for decades, and her anti-Semitic views had been well documented, this affair brought up suspicions of Nazi involvement, and evidence has since been uncovered of both her agent number and codename. Besides her long-held prejudices towards Jewish people, Gabrielle is believed to have been incentivized to partner up with the Germans because of her long-standing feud with the Wertheimers over Parfum Chanel.

With the Nazis seizing all Jewish-owned property and businesses, Gabrielle had the perfect opportunity to regain control of the entity, and more specifically, its most profitable product. Chanel No. 5. Because the Wertheimers were Jewish, Gabrielle attempted to use her position as an Aryan and Nazi informer to petition German officials to legalize her right to sole ownership, writing in a letter in May 1941, quote, Parfum Chanel is still the property of Jews and has been legally abandoned by the owners. I have an indisputable right of priority. The profits that I have received from my creation since the foundations of this business are disproportionate. You can help to repair, in part, the prejudices I've suffered in the course of these 17 years.

What she didn't know was that the Wertheimers, who had anticipated the Nazi seizures and fled to America, had legally turned control of Parfum Chanel over to the Christian French businessman, Félix Amieux, the year prior, thwarting Gabrielle's attempts at reclaiming the company. Amieux later returned the company to the Wertheimers following the war, and the family is still the controlling shareholder of Chanel to this day. At the end of World War II, Gabrielle's wartime activities led to her eventual arrest, and she was interrogated by the Free French Purge Committee. But without any documented evidence or witnesses, she was eventually released.

Many believe that her punishment was secretly intervened by then Prime Minister of the UK, Winston Churchill, who Gabrielle had first befriended in the 1920s when she was involved with the Duke of Westminster. Despite going free, Gabrielle's reputation was severely damaged, and she went into an eight-year exile in Switzerland after determining that it was no longer safe for her to remain in France. Still upset about what she deemed to be an unjust business dealing, Gabrielle established a Swiss perfumery to create, produce, and sell her Chanel perfumes, and she claimed that the Chanel No. 5 sold by the Wertheimers was no longer the authentic fragrance created by Mademoiselle Chanel. Seeing their business interests threatened, Pierre Wertheimer set out to settle his quarrel with Gabrielle, and in May 1947, they renegotiated the 1924 contract that had established Perfume Chanel.

She was ultimately awarded $400,000 in cash for the wartime profits from the sale of the perfume, a running 2% royalty on all sales of Chanel No. 5, and a monthly stipend that paid all of her living expenses no matter how big or small. This arrangement made her the richest woman in the world at the time. In exchange, Gabrielle closed her Swiss perfumery and sold the full rights to the name Coco Chanel.

By the 1950s, the Chanel brand was better known for its perfume than its clothing, as Gabrielle's couture house had remained closed throughout the war and her exile. Besides being immortalized in the artwork of Salvador Dali and Andy Warhol, the fragrance was also a famous favorite of actress Marilyn Monroe, who once quipped in an interview that she wore five drops of Chanel No. 5 to bed and nothing else, and was later photographed applying the perfume in a series of portraits. You'd have to pay for that sort of advertising today, but funnily enough, Chanel didn't.

That's how popular it was. During Chanel's heyday in the 1920s and 30s, Female designers had been at the forefront of the fashion industry, but men had seized the post-war market, with Christian Dior famously achieving success with his glamorous new look. Hyper-feminine with structured silhouettes, cinched waists, and layers upon layers of fabric, these Dior designs were the antithesis of Gabrielle's style philosophy of understated elegance, and she was vocal about her displeasure with this aspect of post-war era fashion, saying, quote, Look how ridiculous these women are.

Wearing clothes by a man who doesn't know women, never had one, and dreams of being one. Yes, she was homophobic as well as an anti-Semite. Her distaste for Dior's designs and the designs of his male contemporaries inspired her to get out of retirement at the age of 71 and she sought to reopen the house of Chanel.

Fully funded by the Wertheimers, who were granted commercial rights to all Chanel brand products, Gabrielle released her comeback collection in 1954. The collection received mixed to negative reviews from the French press. Not only because many were still upset with the designer's war activities, but also because they interpreted the collection as conservative and derivative of her past work. Stateside, the collection was more polarizing. Some proclaimed it a breakthrough, with their stance on the matter likely having to do with many Americans being displeased with Dior's new look, with his designs even sparking protests across the country.

But some critics questioned whether or not Chanel could make it in a post-war era, with the Miami News saying quote, Let old-timers shed a nostalgic tear. Coco's creations are not for 1954. Her long skirts, down to the bottom of the calf, and ill-fitted waist reminiscent of the 1930s are foreign to the modern eye. Although the brand's comeback had a rather rough start, with some even saying that the veteran fashion house should stick to perfume, Gabrielle was able to prove the naysayers wrong by releasing two new products that would eventually become Chanel staples.

The 255 handbag, also known as the classic flap bag, was first created by Gabrielle in the 1920s. before updating the design in 1955. The 255 was the first luxury bag for women to come with a shoulder strap, as earlier clutches needed to be carried by hand. And the purse also came with several pockets with specific functions like holding lipstick or money. Although these seem like obvious inclusions today, at the time they were groundbreaking innovations.

And by offering women a hands-free option that was functional and fashionable, it was a rousing success that effectively transformed the way all women's bags were designed from that point onward. Unlike most creatives, Gabrielle was flattered by the idea that others wanted to copy her designs, once saying, quote, being plagiarized is the greatest compliment one can receive. In 1957, the first Chanel two-tone shoe was released, which had a less than two-inch heel and an elastic strap, once again tying into the brand's comfortable yet elegant philosophy, with Gabrielle saying, quote, it isn't a matter of art, not at all.

It's like architecture. It has to be practical first, and the most important element is good taste. Initially introduced in black and beige, these slingback heels were eventually released in a wide color palette and were dubbed Cinderella's new slipper by the press. By adding these shoes to the Chanel roster of little black dresses, quilted flat bags, perfume, tweed jackets, and two-piece sets, the signature Chanel look that was loved by celebrities and socialites was complete, with many of the items being touted as timeless wardrobe essentials even to this day.

Gabrielle had long been the face of Chanel. But as she was now older with a controversial past, in the 1950s they decided to seek out their first brand ambassadors, women who not only epitomized the Chanel look but had the personality and charisma to match. For the 1954 Comeback Collection, Marie-Hélène Arnaud was tapped as one of these exclusive house models for Chanel and was featured prominently in the brand's print advertising and runway shows throughout the decade, eventually replacing Gabrielle as the face of Chanel.

Arnaud became the first Chanel model to be awarded the title of the most popular became Gabrielle's muse, with some critics even referring to her as Gabrielle's alter ego. And the two spent a significant amount of time together, with Arnaud even moving into an apartment on the same street as the Chanel Atelier. American actress Susie Parker developed a similar relationship with the brand, although she was never as unanimously associated with Chanel as Arnaud was. But she and Gabrielle grew quite close, with Parker even naming her daughter after the designer.

Because of Gabrielle's close relationship with these women, rumors arose of them being lovers. something that many modern-day historians have denied, with Justine Picardy, author of the biography Coco Chanel The Legend and the Life, saying the dynamic was, quote, a curious mixture of mothering and mentoring, rather than anything truly sexual. The House of Chanel remained popular throughout the 1960s, with several actresses, including Romy Schneider, Jeanne Moreau, Jane Fonda, Catherine Deneuve, and Bridgette Bardot eventually becoming affiliated with the brand.

Schneider, who had befriended Gabrielle, was even dressed in Chanel for the 1962 movie Boccaccio 70, while Deneuve was the spokesmodel for Chanel No. 5 throughout the 1970s. Former First Lady Jackie Kennedy also had a fondness for the brand, often wearing Chanel or its authorized counterfeits over the course of the decade. This included the infamous pink suit that she wore in 1963 when her husband was assassinated, which made the Chanel suit one of the most recognizable pieces of clothing of the era.

In 1971, at the age of 87, Gabrielle Coco Chanel passed away, and having not named a successor, the fashion world wondered what the future had in store for the house of Chanel. After her death, Yvonne Doudel, Jean Casalbon, and Philippe Gobourget began designing for the fashion house. Doudel and Cazabon were responsible for the Haute Couture line, while Guy Bourget was credited as the creator of the brand's first ready-to-wear collection in 1977. With different designers, the two lines lacked consistency, with Guy Bourget saying quote, quote, quote.

It was difficult to keep up with the trend. the look but not to repeat it exactly. And this further weakened Chanel's brand identity and some fans even complained that the ready-to-wear line made the brand lose its mystique because it was becoming too affordable and accessible.

The couture line was frequently criticized for being behind the times with complaints being directed towards the lack of creativity and originality, with many critics pointing out that they were near-exact copies of Gabrielle's previous designs. By the end of the decade, Chanel was in serious decline, with the only notable public figure who still wore the brand being Nancy Reagan, a far cry from the trendy ambassadors of prior decades. And by the early 80s, Chanel's accessories, cosmetics, and fragrances were the only thing standing between them and bankruptcy.

In 1983, more than a decade after Gabrielle's passing, Chanel's owner, Alan Wertheimer, named Karl Lagerfeld as the artistic director of Chanel, which was probably one of the greatest hiring decisions of all time. Born in Hamburg, Germany in 1933, Lagerfeld managed to come out of World War II largely unscathed thanks to his father's business dealings, and he and his two older sisters had a relatively comfortable childhood. When he was 14, the family relocated to Paris. and while studying art and history, he discovered his passion for fashion. In 1955, he met Pierre Balmain, who he worked for as an assistant, then apprentice.

And by the mid-1960s, he was designing freelance for a multitude of brands, including Chloe and Valentino, before eventually being hired by Fendi in 1965, which at the time was effectively a family business known for its fur and leather goods. In 1966, Lagerfeld created the company's double F logo and was named the creative director for fur, with these designs being considered innovative and modern. He also led the charge when the company decided to introduce clothing, with Lagerfeld becoming the creative director of the women's ready-to-wear line, which launched in 1977. His work at Fendi made them a formidable force in fashion and is credited for helping the company break into the US and Japanese markets.

Tying with Yves Saint Laurent as one of the most influential designers of the era, Lagerfeld's resume proved that he had what it took to bring a brand into the modern era, making him the perfect person to fix the floundering house of Chanel. As mentioned, by the 1980s the brand was hanging on by a thread, but Lagerfeld leapt at the opportunity to bring it back to life, once telling the New York Times quote, Everybody said, don't touch it, it's dead, it will never come back. But by then I thought it was a challenge. Of course, his salary of a million dollars per collection no doubt helped ease any worries.

Although Lagerfeld had made a name for himself with his avant-garde designs, for his debut Chanel couture collection in 1983, he showed restraint, with the designer opting to simply reinterpret the brand's most identifiable motifs through a contemporary lens. This was praised by critics, with Bootsy Galbraith saying quote, If Mademoiselle had been sitting at the top of the staircase today, I think she would have been very happy. It's a wonderful collection and in the Chanel tradition, down to the last detail.

Fashion designer Sonia Reichel shared a similar sentiment, quote, I take my hat off to him. It was a very beautiful collection and it is a real homage to Chanel. It was full of respect for what she did, with some evidence of sliding towards something else. These early collections were inspired by the brand's heyday in the 1920s and 30s, with Lagerfeld saying, quote, Everyone remembers the typical Chanel suit she did in the 50s, but I'd like to remember the work she did when she was young in the 20s.

Although Lagerfeld was praised by critics for this unique understanding of the modern-day consumer, His designs were poorly received by Chanel's long-standing clients who thought that they were too contemporary. Lagerfeld continued revamping Chanel by taking over the ready-to-wear line the following year and reimagining the brand's 255 handbag. He also began integrating the interlocked CC monograph into his designs, which has since become a staple of Chanel's iconography.

Although he stayed loyal to the classic Chanel look throughout the 80s, incorporating tweed, chains, pearls, quilting, camellias, neutral colors, and skirt sets, In the 90s, he became far more experimental. In a sharp juxtaposition from the minimalist designs Gabrielle Chanel was known for, Lagerfeld upped the brand's sex appeal and femininity with plunging necklines, sheer fabrics, tight dresses, higher heels, neon colors, and short hems. Something I personally think Gabrielle Chanel would have despised, with the designer once saying, quote, The knee will not be shown here. The knee is a joint.

Do you think that should be shown? A knee? A miserable knee? Lagerfeld openly disagreed with his predecessor about the matter, saying quote, Chanel killed herself when she said that miniskirts were revolting.

When she was young, she took the jersey used for underwear and made it into dresses, which in those days was quite extreme as the miniskirt in the 60s. So why should she establish a standard for what is elegant for the rest of time? What a bore. Gabrielle's famous saying, before you leave the house, look in the mirror and take one thing off, also went against Lagerfeld's design sensibilities.

with his Chanel collections from the 90s being known for their extravagance and over-accessorizing. Many of Lagerfeld's designs from this time period took inspiration from black streetwear, with bucket hats, denim, large chains, tracksuits, sneakers, and rainbow hair extensions hitting the runway, as well as his sudden use of Logomania, which was pioneered by designer Dapper Dan the decade prior. This inspiration didn't go unnoticed by the media, with the Independent reporting in 1993, quote, All the signs are that Lagerfeld, who is said to spend a lot of time watching MTV in any one of the splendid 18th century residences he has acquired, has lost the plot.

Looking at MTV, you can understand why. Black rappers with their oversized clothes, heavy gold chains, seem to have become muddled in his creative mind with the old Chanel. The street has given Lagerfeld just a touch of inspiration. This time it seems to have overwhelmed him as he has attempted to translate young black style into fashion for the bourgeois white customer.

These changes to Chanel's classic silhouette further alienated their existing clientele, and were even disapproved of by critics, with one publication saying quote, It can't be easy to design for a line that had its heyday in the 1980s. That could be the problem for Chanel designer Karl Lagerfeld, who seems to be so relentlessly focused on proving himself a master of modern design that he has forgotten that Chanel customers want dependable clothes with a hint of new trends. Instead, he has given them little else but trends. Asymmetrical hems, techno fabrics, double-layer garments, lucite accessories.

But by that point, it didn't actually matter what they thought, as Lagerfeld had already succeeded in breathing a new life into the brand, which brought with it new buyers. The designer himself didn't seem to take the criticisms to heart, saying, quote, What I do, Coco would have hated. The label has an image and it's up to me to update it.

I do what she never did. I had to find my mark. I had to go from what Chanel was to what it should be.

could be, what it had been to something else. Funnily enough, despite how it was received at the time, this is probably the era of Chanel that is most fondly remembered today. While Chanel No. 5 remained popular, with actress Carole Bouquet becoming the face of the perfume since the mid-80s, handbags had grown to become one of the brand's most popular and profitable products, and they were even carried by Princess Diana, who Lagerfeld later named a handbag after.

With accessories becoming such a lucrative part of Chanel's business, in 1987 the brand introduced its first line of watches, which paid homage to the shape of their perfume bottle, and they eventually released the J12 in 1999, which was praised for being the first truly unisex watch. Just as Gabrielle had done back in the 1950s, Lagerfeld built up a collection of model muses which included familiar faces like Naomi Campbell, Cindy Crawford, Helena Christensen, Kate Moss, Linda Evangelista, Devin Aoki, Claudia Schiffer, and Amber Valletta, who all epitomized his vision of the modern Chanel woman. Besides making regular appearances on the catwalk, These models were also featured in multiple advertising campaigns, although only one was seen as the new face of Chanel.

Model Claudia Schiffer was actually discovered by Lagerfeld at the age of 19, with the designer persuading her to make her runway debut with Chanel. Schiffer was an instant success, becoming one of the most famous models of the era. But she never forgot where she got her start, and she opened and closed multiple Chanel shows over the course of the decade, having the honor of being a Chanel bride a whopping 11 times. As Chanel moved into the 2000s, Lagerfeld continued to expand the brand, releasing the first cruise collection that year, which has since become a regular event. In 2001, Kate Moss became the face of Chanel's new perfume, Coco Mademoiselle.

which was intended to appeal to a younger generation. With her short dark pixie cut, a hairstyle Moss isn't typically associated with, it was a clear callback to the brand's founder, as well as the gamine style that Chanel had initially found success catering to. In 2004, Nicole Kidman was selected as the brand ambassador for their more grown-up fragrance, Chanel No. 5. The commercial was directed by Baz Luhrmann, who had also worked with Kidman on 2001's Moulin Rouge. And when Kidman received her first Oscar nomination for Best Actress for the movie, she not-so-coincidentally attended the high-profile event in a Chanel gown. After linking up with the brand officially in 2004, she would be spotted in Chanel regularly, an expectation they had of all of their brand ambassadors.

Lagerfeld's Chanel shows became known for their theatricality, with the designer presenting his collections in various settings like cruise ships, airport runways, forests, ski resorts, and indoor beaches. And the grandeur of these collections highlighted his style philosophy. In 2005, Chanel had their first show at the Grand Palais in Paris for their 2006 Spring-Summer Ready-to-Wear Collection, which started a years-long partnership between the brand and the historic location, resulting in some of their most extravagant shows to date. That same year, the House of Chanel was a sponsor of, and theme of, the annual Met Gala, with Karl Lagerfeld and Nicole Kidman being co-chairs.

Caroline, Princess of Hanover, the eldest child of Princess Grace Kelly of Monaco, was an honorary chair. a decision that paid homage to her mother's past relationship with the Chanel brand. Princess Caroline's daughter, Charlotte, would later be made a Chanel ambassador in 2020. Yes, Chanel likes to keep it in the family. In 2006, actress Keira Knightley was named the new celebrity face for Coco Mademoiselle, replacing Kate Moss, who was dealing with a drug scandal at the time.

And the brand's switch to Hollywood actresses was a reflection of the cultural zeitgeist. Knightley starred in numerous Chanel commercials, including a short film directed by Lagerfeld himself, where she played a fictionalized version of the brand's founder. The actress frequently wore Chanel, even to her wedding, and was loaned $2 million worth of pearls for the 2012 adaptation of Anna Karenina.

I personally think Knightley is one of their best celebrity ambassadors to date, as she seemed to embody many of the attributes of the brand's identity, having a casual elegance that played well with their aesthetic. Having a relationship with Hollywood that then spanned more than seven decades, Chanel products made appearances in multiple movies and shows. In the original Sex and the City, a show with a massive fan base that was Chanel's exact demographic, Samantha Jones was often spotted in Chanel.

And with the character epitomizing the modern career woman who was unashamed of her sexuality, it solidified that Chanel was no longer the brand for uptight grannies. This product placement continued in the subsequent movies, although Carrie Bradshaw, the main character, began wearing it more than Samantha. Chanel also appeared on the popular teen drama The O.C.

as a direct result of actress Misha Barton, who played Marissa Cooper. In It Girl of the 2000s, Barton was known for her feminine fashion sense, with Chanel dresses, jackets, and handbags making frequent appearances in her wardrobe. And in 2008, Karl Lagerfeld even presented the actress with an InStyle Icon of the Year award.

Often styling herself for the show, Barton called in a favor to Chanel, saying quote, I started having these designers send stuff over because I saw the merit in getting that kind of stuff on television. If I had those connections in the fashion world, why not? The wardrobe department would totally have been happy just dressing us as regular teenagers, to be honest.

Not in a bad way, we would have looked adorable, but we would have been your average Orange County teenagers. The character's high fashion wardrobe made her the envy of every other teenage girl, in real life as well as in the show. And for some millennials, Marissa Cooper was their introduction to Chanel.

Chanel also made multiple appearances in 2006's The Devil Wears Prada, with Andrea Sachs directly referencing the brand during her makeover. Okay, now Chanel, you're in desperate need of Chanel. Are you wearing the Chanel boots?

Yeah, I am. And the character sports various Chanel dresses, shoes, hats, and necklaces over the course of the film. It always surprised me that Anne Hathaway was never tapped to become a Chanel girl following the release of the movie, because I remember thinking that she made it look so cool.

With this sort of product placement working in their favor, Chanel was one of the first fashion brands to send clothing to Gossip Girl, with costume designer Eric Damon saying quote, the kids weren't known in the beginning, so it was definitely a challenge. Season one we didn't have many designers participating. Then I feel like something happened between season one and season two.

At that moment when we came back, Bigger designers were very interested in working with us. Once we got one of the bigger designers to say yes, it was like letting the floodgates open. And early on, Chanel said yes.

All of a sudden, everyone wanted to be a part of it. With the clothing in Gossip Girl being as much a main character as Blair Waldorf or Serena Vanderwoodson, Chanel was able to position itself not only as a brand for the rich and famous, but for the young and beautiful. Although Leighton Meester resembled more of the previous brand ambassadors, It was co-star Blake Lively who developed a friendship with Lagerfeld, who once described her as an American dream girl, and they even attended the Met Gala together, and she eventually became the face of their iconic handbags in the early 2010s.

With the brand seeing a huge burst of popularity during the 2000s, the life of its founder caught Hollywood's attention, and a handful of films were released, beginning with the made-for-TV movie Coco Chanel in 2008. This was followed by 2009's Coco Chanel and Igor Stravinsky. which follows the rumored affair between the famous designer and composer. Lagerfeld was in support of this production and granted access to Chanel's archives, as well as the designer's apartment on 31 Rue de Cambon.

In 2009, the biopic Coco Before Chanel, likely the most well-known of all the films, was released. Starring brand ambassador Audrey Tateau as Gabrielle Chanel, the film focused on the designer's humble beginnings, love affairs, and early work. All of these projects conveniently exclude her Nazi activities and political views, instead romanticizing her life and allowing her public image to remain untarnished.

Throughout the 2010s, Lagerfeld began picking up new muses, starting with model Cara Delevingne. First walking for Chanel's 2012 Fall Winter Oak tour show, Delevingne and Lagerfeld immediately took a shine to one another, with the designer once saying quote, Cara is different. She's full of life, full of pep.

I like girls to be wild but at the same time beautifully brought up and very funny. After appearing on multiple Chanel runways, Delevingne was eventually announced as a new face of Chanel in 2014. Around this time, we saw a slew of teenage Chanel girls, with Lily-Rose Depp being announced as a brand ambassador in 2015, Willow Smith in 2016, and Kaia Gerber in 2017. Interestingly, both Gerber and Depp were Chanel nepo babies. with their mothers famously serving as Lagerfeld's muses in the 90s. Although they've all appeared in various campaigns, with Willow Smith genuinely making me consider a Chanel purchase, Depp seems to have maintained the closest relationship with the brand, often walking the Chanel runway and wearing their dresses to various high-profile events.

I think this may have to do with Depp being a gamine, the ultimate Chanel body type, so she's able to pull off some of the house's less flattering designs. Although the brand was more popular than ever, the 2010s are where we began to see some of their weaker design efforts, especially on red carpets, with many of their celebrity ambassadors being hit by what is colloquially referred to as the Chanel contract curse. One of the most notable being Kristen Stewart, who befriended Lagerfeld in 2017. Known for her slightly androgynous style, on paper Stewart seemed like an excellent fit for a brand that had first become famous for rejecting traditional femininity.

But Lagerfeld seemed to struggle with the balance. with the actress often looking like she was wearing a knockoff of the brand she was a face of. Miley Cyrus was also spotted in Chanel frequently throughout the decade, but as a singer with a clearly defined look for each era, she integrated the designs into her wardrobe in a way that felt more natural and even edgy at times.

She was never a confirmed Chanel girl, but she's worn it often enough, for a long enough period of time, that I think she could be considered an honorary one. Like Gabrielle before him, Lagerfeld was also subject to controversy. with the designer receiving multiple allegations of sexism, racism, and fatphobia over the years.

In an interview with Harper's Bazaar, he once claimed that Gabrielle Chanel was never a feminist because she was quote, never ugly enough for that. When the Me Too movement was making strides, Lagerfeld said quote, if you don't want your pants pulled about, don't become a model. Join a nunnery. There will always be place for you in the convent.

and continued to make his stance on sexual assault clear by sending flowers to Dominique Strauss-Kahn while he was on trial for rape. Lagerfeld, who often directed Chanel's campaigns, also put model Claudia Schiffer in yellowface and blackface for a 2010 editorial. When criticized for his choice to exclusively feature uber-skinny models on the Chanel runway, his response was, quote, These are fat mummies sitting with their bags of crisps in front of the television, saying that thin models are ugly.

No one wants to see round women. By the 2010s, Lagerfeld had been designing for the house of Chanel for over 30 years, and it was starting to show. When he began working with the brand back in the 80s, he innovated upon what came before him, paying homage to Chanel's history while also pushing the boundaries. But by the 21st century, it was starting to feel like he had run out of ideas.

While he had successfully brought Chanel back into the public eye, helping its signature pieces achieve cult status and raising the brand's overall prestige, over the course of the decade, critical reception had soured, with many saying that the seemingly endless sea of tweed suits, houndstooth jackets, and two-tone ballet flats all looked the same. While their accessories, cosmetics, and fragrances continued to sell, in large part because of the brand's popular ambassadors and campaigns, by the end of the 2010s it was reported that sales of clothing items had plummeted. with Gucci and Prada dominating the youth market.

Before he was able to stage a critical and commercial comeback, Karl Lagerfeld passed away in February 2019 at the age of 85, and the final collection he completed before his death served as his funeral, with the show being attended by his friends and including a moment of silence. Shortly after, Virginie Viard was appointed the artistic director of Chanel, an obvious choice as she had been at Chanel since 1987. even being named the director of their creation studio in 2000, where she worked closely with Lagerfeld and oversaw haute couture, ready-to-wear, and accessories. Lagerfeld adored her, saying, quote, "'Virginie' is the most important person, not just for me, but also for the studio, for everything. She is my right hand, and even if I don't see her, we are constantly on the phone." Viard's first solo collection for Cruise 2020 paid homage to both Gabrielle Chanel and Karl Lagerfeld. But with an overemphasis on subtlety and minimalism, many found the collection to be derivative, hardly the shake-up the brand needed.

Honestly, the most impressive thing about the show was the set design, a frequent comment directed at Chanel during the 2010s and 2020s. Unfortunately, this was a high point for Viard's Chanel, and each collection since has grown more and more disappointing. While these lackluster, repetitive looks could theoretically be saved if worn by the right person, Chanel hasn't been doing well in that department either.

Viard has continued working with the brand's ambassadors that Lagerfeld had previously selected, dressing Kristen Stewart, Margot Robbie, and Penelope Cruz in uninspired and outright hideous ensembles, leaving the internet begging for them to be released from their Chanel contracts. A few new faces have been introduced, including Jenny Kim, Sadie Sink, Margaret Qualley, and Whitney Peek, the latter of which replacing Keira Knightley as the face Coco Mademoiselle after 16 years. No offense to Whitney Peek, But her main claim to fame is her role on the failed Gossip Girl reboot, whereas when Keira Knightley was first announced for the perfume, she was coming off of the blockbuster hits Pride and Prejudice and Pirates of the Caribbean.

It's not a very comparable changing of the guards. While these new faces do succeed in bringing freshness and youth to a brand that's beginning to come across as matronly, most of them have yet to develop enough of a style identity or star power to impact Chanel's intended audience the way ambassadors of the 90s and 2000s did. Unlike Chanel girls of the past, who seemed to genuinely love the brand and incorporated its items into their wardrobes organically, these modern ambassadors come across less as muses and more like mannequins. Instead of keeping their personal style in mind, or what actually suits them, they're often just thrown into whatever has recently been on the runway.

And with their head-to-toe Chanel outfits, I feel like they should be walking around with a sign that says hashtag sponsored. While Chanel has never shied away from Hollywood product placement, as we've seen, the fact that they're now paying for this promotion couldn't be more obvious. Take Emily in Paris for instance.

You can't watch a single episode without being smacked in the face with half a dozen Chanel logos. This is also the case for the 2021 Princess Diana biopic Spencer. But considering Diana did have a history of wearing Chanel, although not that much, it kind of makes sense.

Although I will say that it's kind of funny that Kristen Stewart looked better in these Chanel designs than what they usually put her in. A more recent complaint directed towards the brand has been its decreasing quality and increasing price, as seen with the advent calendar debacle of 2021, with Chanel charging over $800 for plastic trinkets. A more well-known example is their iconic 255 purse, which as we've mentioned is one of their signature items. Back in 1955, the bag was first sold for $220, which is just under $2,500 today.

In the 1980s, the bag's price went up to $1,000. which is about $3,700 today. That is an increase, but not an obscene one, especially since the product's quality wasn't sacrificed.

But more recently is when things start to get crazy. Between 2014 and 2022, the classic Chanel flat bag went from $4,400 to $8,800, meaning its price doubled in less than a decade. People have hypothesized that this is an attempt on Chanel's end to position the bag as a luxury item akin to the Hermes Birkin.

which is notorious for being as expensive as it is valuable. Value is the key word there, as Birkins are not only known to be well-made, but can actually be considered investments. Meanwhile, the modern 255 has received multiple complaints about its cheap hardware and over-processed leather. Chanel has been on every fashionista's mind recently as we move closer to the 2023 Met Gala, whose theme, Karl Lagerfeld, A Line of Beauty, pays homage to one of the brand's most notable designers. Because Lagerfeld has been involved with multiple fashion brands since the start of his career, wearing Chanel isn't a necessary requirement for attendees.

But considering celebrities have a habit of misinterpreting the theme and going for what's obvious, I wouldn't be surprised if we wind up seeing a bunch of tweed suits and Chanel logos on the red carpet. If past Met Galas are taken into consideration, we're likely to see a dozen Chanel ambassadors in underwhelming designs. Which is a shame since they're probably the only people with access to the archive.

But I guess we'll see what happens in May. Remaining relevant in the fashion industry for over a century is no simple task, and although Chanel has had its ups and downs, it should still be commended for revolutionizing fashion on multiple occasions. What do you hope to see from Chanel in the future, and are there any celebrities that you think would be a perfect fit for the brand?

I hope you enjoyed this video, don't forget to like and subscribe, and I'll see you soon. Bye!

Transcript for:Chanel's Evolution and Cultural Impact

Transcript for:
Chanel's Evolution and Cultural Impact