Chanel's tres chic couch was taupe suede and located in private apartments above the shop. Here Mademoiselle was often photographed reclining on the sofa against a backdrop of exotic screens, surrounded by leather-bound books, ornate mirrors and elegant tchotchkes.
The atelier (workshop) was also located upstairs. Here, Chanel and her worker-bees hand-made the expensive haute-couture togs.
Chanel herself never sketched her designs, or sewed. Her tools were scissors and pins. She was a master at draping fabric, pinning and cutting it on live mannequins, who would patiently stand before her, repeatedly test-driving the garment by moving their arms up and down, pacing back and forth, then standing still for hours and hours, day after day, in a grueling process that resulted in extremely wearable clothes made for real women who moved.
