What Would Coco Do?
Celebrating the Roaring Twenties in a Special Series
Coco Chanel is considered a fashion icon by some, and in some ways I agree. She must be greatly admired for her contribution to emancipating women from the corset and the hobble skirt. She invented sportswear chic and created comfortable and functional garments for the woman of the new century. She made it fashionable for women to wear costume jewellery and a tan. (Ok, that last one proved to be a mistake in the long-term.)
What I don’t like? The classic Chanel tweed suit and quilted bags. Vile. They are synonymous with bourgeois chic, safe and conservative and make me want to run screaming for the nearest Vivienne Westwood shop for an antidote. (Not that I can afford to shop at either of these labels mind you.) Little black dresses are ok, but a bit dull if you ask me.
One of her most famous decrees goes something along the lines of, ‘before you leave the house, take a look in the mirror and take one thing off’. Good advice, you say. (I say it too.) But did Coco herself follow this admirable principle? May I present two famous photographs of the lady herself as examples:
No. She did not. Just take a look at the sheer quantity of jangly bits she’s wearing: row upon row of pearls, earrings, beaded trim on the hat, rings, bows and bangles upon bangles. She’s practically up to her armpits in bangles! (And just look at that cigarette dangling louchely from her lips – that’s another thing that’s not quite good for you Coco.) Non, non, non!
Just take a look at the sheer quantity of jangly bits she’s wearing!
I took a couple of photographs of myself in homage and found myself thinking, I would never leave the house like this. A rope of pearls I might wear, perhaps with a party dress, but not like this. And I couldn’t bring myself to add all those bangles – it is just too much. Admittedly my outfit is more casual than what she is wearing, but this look seems too common, too predictable. Perhaps it is precisely because these images of Chanel are so well-known, so iconic in themselves?
‘If you doubt, choose monochromatic colors – black and white together form a perfect harmony …’
So what would I do? Whip off those pearls and toss off that black felt hat. Instead, I’d wear my white wool beret and maybe sling on my white leather trench. Because another thing Coco said, ‘If you doubt, choose monochromatic colors – women think of color, and forget about the black and white which are beautiful, and together form a perfect harmony.’ This I thoroughly approve.