Chanel's ideas were influenced by the long hours she spent with the sporty rich, schlepping from racecourse to racecourse and puttering about the stables.
She was the first lady's couturiere to use jersey, a machine-made knit "characteristic of the British locker room" that was not even considered an everyday clothing fabric at the time.
The new knitwear reminded people of long-johns. The loose weave of the fabric would not tolerate many darts, pleats or seams; Chanel had to simplify, and her new, unstructured, waist-free style was born.
These daring first designs were described as the "deluxe poor look." She presented a new fashion idea of costly simplicity. While she glamorized humble fabrics like jersey, Chanel was annoyed by this description of her style.
