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When Chanel opened her first shop in l913, women were wearing corsets and satin-stitch embroidered gowns that were a lady's maid's nightmare to launder. The young Chanel noticed that women wanted easier, more functional clothes so that they could work and get around more easily.
Chanel created a new chic by simplifying women's clothes, borrowing details from menswear. Her basic suits were uniforms that could be worn from day into evening. Practical and provocative, they introduced a charming androgyny--especially with the new trend toward low-maintenance short hair. To complete the Chanel look, mannish tailoring was set off by a ton of costume jewelry.
She took her cues from the fashion trendsetters of the day: the courtesans, actresses and "bachelor girls" who lived by their wits and their innate sense of style.
