Coco Chanel burst onto the scene in the 1920s with the official uniform of 20th century chic. She also gave the world costume jewelry and its best-selling perfume.
Chanel replaced the pre-l914 high-maintenance society lady with a modern ideal: the corset-free gal who lived for pleasure, self-invention and independence. Then, in the '50s, she stepped into the fashion future, predicting that the haute couture business would soon give way to mass-produced products adorned with a famous designer label that proclaimed their owners' impeccable taste and class.
Above all, Chanel transformed herself and her name into a symbol of style: Chanel-ization went beyond frocks and fashion and fads. Even today, the Chanel name and the famous C-C logo are powerful status symbols: They radiate timeless style and class. The Chanel logo seems to exert magic stylorific powers: put "Chanel" on anything and it becomes instantly fabulous! (You can try this experiment at home.) This symbol, even more than her actual designs, became Chanel's most valuable creation.
From her Parisian power base at 31 Rue Cambon, Chanel reigned for 50 years as the Commandant of Chic, interrupted only by World War II. The House of Chanel included a main-floor boutique, an atelier (workshop) upstairs, private quarters, and a showroom where live mannequins modeled the designs for costumers and fittings were done.
