coco chanel yachting pants

A little history of women’s trousers

In sisterMAG No. 57, author Barbara Eichhammer takes you on a short time journey and explains how trousers actually came to women … Well, do you have any idea?!

• Text : Barbara Eichhammer

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»I make fashion women can live in, breathe in, feel comfortable in and look younger in.« Coco Chanel

Although women’s trousers are nowadays widely taken for granted, the female »right to pants« is rather new. International luxury hotels, for instance, still had bans on women wearing trousers during the 1970s. Harrods in London even prohibited female customers in trousers from entering its store until 1970. The history of women’s pants is therefore also a history of emancipation. Our little overview shows you how trousers came to women in a century-long struggle.

Trousers = a men’s world?

Starting with the Middle Ages, pants became an integral part of the knight’s war dress. Since the 14 th century trousers were reserved as clothing for men. In a nutshell: Pants were generally off-limits for women; in some places, such a ban was even passed as law. Trousers gradually turned into the ideological sign for strength, combat power and masculinity in a patriarchal society. In fact, the notion of women wearing fabric between their legs was seen as scandalous until the 20 th century. Despite this patriarchal trousers ban, some bold women have dared to wear pants in public over the centuries. Whether to do sports, to travel or to rebel against gender conventions. Just like the sans culottes, who turned to their »pantalons« during the French Revolution in 1789. Hence, Paris established a law, which only allowed women’s pants, if urban authorities approved of it. Woman novelist George Sand loved to break this law during the 19 th century. Curiously, the law was only suspended from the French constitution in 2013.

Amelia Bloomer

From the middle of the 19th century onwards the women’s rights movement has been closely interlinked with the women’s trousers movement. The cry for women’s pants grew gradually stronger; one example being US-American women’s rights activist Amelia Bloomer . The editor of the feminist magazine The Lily caused a sensation, when she publicly advocated reform dress . In 1851, she printed instructions in her magazine on how to make ankle-length pants for women, which were subsequently called bloomers . The trousers allowed for greater freedom—both metaphorical and physical—within the public sphere. The general female public, however, reacted quite hesitantly to this new fashion style. Despite some women wearing bloomers to official occasions in the north-east of the US, the big majority did not dare to go out in a bloomers costume in Europe. For a long time, the bloomers were deemed to be too radical.

Paul Poiret

It was only from the 1910s onwards, that the struggle for women’s trousers gained new impetus. Inspired by the contemporary trend of Orientalism , Paris designer Paul Poiret created a floor-length culotte costume. It resembled Turkish trousers, which were held together just above the ankles. A great resistance formed itself against these so-called » harem pants «. When Poiret visited a public horserace with models in his trousers, he had to defend his mannequins with a stick against the angry mob. The reason: At the time, women in trousers were only known from pornographic illustrations. The representation of legs and crotch were considered to be deeply indecent. In Berlin, it even came to traffic jams when a lady in trousers was walking along the street.

The First World War

The First World War finally set an end to the strict trousers ban for women, when many females had to take up gainful work. They were equipped with work clothing that had originally belonged to formerly employed men. Female factory workers, for instance, started wearing overalls; women in public services used a uniform with long trousers in winter. That women had to wear male clothes was, however, not seen as a transgression of gender boundaries. It was rather regarded as a convenient, transitory phenomenon during wartime. As it happens: As soon as the war was over, patriarchal fashion rules returned.

Coco Chanel: the pioneer

After the First World War, Coco Chanel pioneered women’s pants. In the 1920s, the French fashion designer created trousers for herself, helping her climb into the rocking gondolas in Venice. The forerunner of her legendary yachting pants was born; wide trousers for all leisure activities, which also displayed a certain elegance. During a trip to the French coast, Coco Chanel was inspired by men’s clothing for her designs. She used the straight, wide cuts of sailor’s trousers for her yachting pants and introduced accessories like ties for women. Chanel succeeded in what many designers have failed before: To liberate the broad masses of women from strict patriarchal fashion rules. She declared war on the corset as well as on volants, lace and frills. One of the first designers who dared to use cotton jersey as material for her clothes, a fabric that had been used before only for men’s underwear. The soft and elastic material was ideal for her comfortable, flowing patterns, and it was available after the war at a favourable price. Thus, Chanel did not only revolutionise the fashion industry but also broke with persisting gender conventions. Emancipation through fashion was her motto. With her black, short bob, the cigarette holder and her jersey trousers, she turned the androgynous garçonne style in Paris into a fashion trend of the Roaring Twenties. The term garçonne (French for boyish woman) refers to Victor Margueritte’s novel La Garçonne (1922). The book created a scandal because the female protagonist featured in men’s clothes, wanted to make a career and chose her love life in a self-determined way.

Yves Saint Laurent: Le Smoking

Until women’s pants were fully accepted by society some more decades had to pass. Yves Saint Laurent wrote fashion history when designing his » Le Smoking «. In 1966, he created the first trouser suit for women in the style of a men’s tuxedo. Catherine Deneuve was his first customer in 1967. Famous actresses and starlets like Liza Minelli, Lauren Bacall and Bianca Jagger followed. The latter chose a white version of the pantsuit for her wedding with rock star Mick Jagger. What is more, Le Smoking also revolutionised modern work clothing. Yves Saint Laurent’s creation paved the way for office-friendly women’s pantsuits worldwide. Its far-reaching influence on gender images and break with patriarchal fashion orders was also reflected by fashion photography. For the French Vogue , Helmut Newton presented the ladies’ tuxedo in clean black-and-white images – with androgynous models and slicked back hair.

Karl Lagerfeld

During the 1980s Karl Lagerfeld turned women’s trousers into the new It Piece. He brought new glamour to the outdated Parisian fashion house, Chanel, by reinterpreting old Chanel classics like a postmodern pastiche in a chic-sexy way. In 1984, Lagerfeld designed the first Chanel Jeans in his first Prêt-à-Porter collection. Moreover, he modernised the classical Chanel costume by creating motorbike clothes, including a stylish helmet. Chanel was the first Haute Couture house worldwide, which consciously incorporated street wear elements into its high fashion. Chanel gave young women a modern, unconventional trousers look, which corresponded to the zeitgeist and modern-day struggle for gender equality. Lagerfeld dressed his muses like Claudia Schiffer, Kate Moss or Kristen Stewart in masculine-sexy outfits, which popularised a contemporary gender mix. In 1997, Kate Moss appeared on the catwalk in a super-sexy brown tweed pantsuit, a bold reinterpretation of the classical Chanel tweed costume. Lagerfeld likewise brought the legendary garçonne look back to the popular culture of the 21 st century. Hollywood actress Diane Kruger was photographed by him in a photo shoot called » Dandy Diane« for the German Vogue, showing Kruger quite androgynously with Glencheck suit, hat, tie and men’s shirt. Lagerfeld even made casual trousers high fashion material. In 2014, he presented the first Chanel jogging trousers together with Cara Delevingne on the catwalk. The fashion history of female trousers is thus also a feminist history of emancipation. Looking for the traces of women’s pants also shows how gender roles were practiced and defined at specific points of time. Fashion is a cultural practice, which does not only reflect societal circumstances but also generates and reinforces them.

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Why Praise Coco Chanel? For the 1920s Pants Idea!

• September 18, 2021

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Throughout the times, the feminine fashion world has witnessed a whole lot of beautiful styles and inventions. The roaring twenties is one of the moment changing times in the female fashion world.

The 1920s, which was amusingly referred to as the “roaring twenties”, was a time of emancipation for women. Ladies in this period made it known to the world that they were not to be trifled with. They partook in the things perceived only for men.

Even though there were jaw-dropping fashionable styles that came in during the roaring twenties, the wearing of pants was also an interesting style during the roaring twenties.

Women wanted to move freely in their attires and dance without jamming their knees together especially since it was the jazz age. Before pants became the rave in the 1920s women fashion world , it was a functional clothing used by the women at the factories where they worked.

Many people in the fashion world know Coco Chanel as an independent woman who brought about the well known “little black dress” and her signature perfume “Chanel No. 5” also had a hand in the acceptance of women wearing pants for leisure and not for working in the factory. This famous designer began designing pants for women for sporting, riding and other activities

1920s Knickers

the beach pyjamas in the 20s

Accompanied, the beach pyjamas which looks like the modern day styled palazzo pants, was a must have for a woman in the 20s. The long wide leg pants were usually made with silk, cotton and other similar materials. They were paired with matching sleeveless tops and a wrap jacket to complete the look making the 20s woman ready for a day at the beach.

the gangster apparel in the 20s

These daring move can be seen in some women who refused to be held back by men and therefore wore whatever they wanted. This brought about the gangster apparel worn by some women. Daring, is it not? They wore male pants! No female pants that looked like male pants were sold in stores and so women who wanted to wear the gangster apparel either sewed it themselves, bought male pants or have it specially made for them. A gangster apparel can not be complete without having the full set, these daring and bold women wore complete attires with ties, shirt, blazers and strap-on.

The 1920s women’s fashion world witnessed an amusing journey on women’s pants. The emancipation of women in the roaring twenties lit a spark in the hearts of 20s women, thereby making the women free and open to enjoy what the world has to offer. The 1920s pants today are now considered vintage. Oh, let’s not forget the palazzo pants that are still much in style till today.

Vinatge Clothing for 1920s pants Near me

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Seven Amazing Creations You Can Thank Coco Chanel For

In collaboration with  Stefania Filizona  - fashion expert

Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel: by many seen as the most influential fashion designer of all time. Her legacy is huge, leaving the world with more than just beautiful designs and fabulous scents. Coco Chanel started fashion trends that provided women with the ability to wear comfortable clothes while still looking classy. Here are some of Coco’s best creations ever!

1. Yachting Pants If not for Coco Chanel, women might still have been wearing skirts and dresses only. Coco was one of the pioneers of women’s pants. How else were women to comfortably ride a horse? She loved wearing her boyfriend’s pants and believed women too should have the freedom of movement in comfortable trousers, called yachting pants, especially while doing sports and other physical activities. 

2. 2.55 Handbag The design of this iconic handbag originates in the 1920s, when Coco got tired of holding a handbag in her hands all the time. Inspired by the straps found on soldier’s bags, she designed a handbag that allowed women to use their hands while carrying their belongings. In 1955 Coco Chanel made a comeback into the world of fashion, re-introducing the handbag in a more chic and elegant design. She named it after the date of introduction - February 1955 - but today it is also known as the  flap bag . Over the last few years, Chanel bags have become more and more valuable, selling for thousands of euros.

3. Chanel No.5 A world-famous scent that was introduced nearly a century ago, in 1921. The first artificial perfume that did not make women smell like flowers; a woman should smell like a woman, not a rose, Coco claimed. Coco always had an affinity with the number five and therefore picked the fifth sample scent composition to be the one released in stores.

4. The Little Black Dress Today every woman has a little black dress hanging in her closet. But did you know Coco Chanel was the one who introduced it? This was in 1926, and it immediately received the nickname “The Ford” by Vogue for its unique combination of features: affordable, accessible, chic, simple, timeless and feminine. It still is!

5. Tweed Jackets Think Coco Chanel, think tweed . The tweed jacket, in particular, is one of the most iconic Chanel creations ever, with a perfect mixture of comfort and chic. It has Coco Chanel written all over it: translating male clothing into a high fashion, feminine look. The iconic collarless tweed jacket is, whoever designs it today, referred to as a Chanel jacket.

7. The Breton Top After a trip to the French coast, Coco Chanel got so inspired by the sailors’ uniforms that she included the stripes into her 1917 fashion collection. Since then the Breton top has become one of the most stylish items in the world, worn and adored by many of the biggest fashion icons in history such as Brigitte Bardot, Edie Sedgwick and Audrey Hepburn. She forever changed the face of casual womenswear because nowadays all women have at least one Breton top in their closet. 

Coco Chanel never goes out of style. Her designs are timeless, and vintage items generally remain valuable. Particularly Chanel bags are an excellent investment at the moment since their value has increased significantly in the past decade. Keep an eye on our weekly Fashion auction or search for Chanel shoes or tweed jackets to experience the timeless designs of Coco Chanel for yourself!

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5 Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel Designs That Have Never Gone Out Of Fashion

Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel changed the way that women dress by challenging fashion conventions in the early 20th century. Her desire for womenswear to be comfortable rather than restrictive was considered truly radical at the time. “The hardest thing about my work is enabling women to move with ease, to move like they’re not in costume,” she said in a film released by the house in 2013. “Not changing attitude, or manner, depending on their dress – it’s very difficult. And the human body is always moving.”

The profound impact Chanel personally had on fashion will be documented in a forthcoming exhibition at the V&A, Gabrielle Chanel: Fashion Manifesto . The showcase will explore how her design signatures were first developed, and revisit how she founded the house of Chanel. It only opens on 16 September, but you can already reserve your tickets on the museum’s website. While we wait for our chance to enter into Coco’s world, revisit her most iconic creations, below.

Little black dresses

Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel in a black dress in 1935.

Vogue introduced the world to the Chanel LBD in its October 1926 issue with an illustration of a woman wearing a long-sleeved black dress that fell just below the knee. This new style of dress was likened to the revolutionary Model T car, which was invented by Henry Ford in the ’20s.

Skirt suits

Modelling one of Chanel’s early tweed suits.

As Vogue ’s Edward Enninful once said of the Chanel tweed jacket, “It’s the ultimate sign of luxury – it has never gone out of fashion, and it never will.” In the ’20s, Chanel was inspired by the men’s tweed fishing and hunting jackets she saw her lover, the Duke of Westminster, wear in the Highlands. However, it wasn’t until 1954 that the tweed jacket was officially launched. Instead of a classic coarse tweed, Chanel reworked the traditional Scottish fabric, creating a soft bucked tweed (known as bouclé), which enabled more movement.

Two-tone pumps

Coco Chanel at the French seaside resort of Biarritz circa 1928.

Gabrielle Chanel was first seen wearing two-tone pumps in the ’20s, but it wasn’t until 1957 that the first monochrome slingback by Chanel officially launched. She designed the elegant, versatile heels with shoemaker Massaro so that women could wear them all day and night without too much discomfort. Another practical detail of note? The black toe caps, which stop them from getting scuffed.

Breton tops

Chanel photographed at home in the French Riviera circa 1930.

Gabrielle Chanel included a nautical striped Breton top in her collection in 1917, and it became a cornerstone of her own wardrobe. In the ’30s, she was photographed wearing a striped top tucked into a pair of high-rise tailored trousers, an outfit that feels just as stylish and modern almost a century later.

Marie-Hélène Arnaud in a tweed suit from Chanel’s autumn/winter 1959 collection and Chanel shoes, carrying the 2.55 Chanel handbag.

Gabrielle Chanel first started working on the quilted 2.55 handbag in the ’20s. It finally launched in February 1955 (hence its moniker) and was the first handbag with a shoulder strap. The distinctive strap is inspired by the chains that Chanel used to weight the hems of her suit jackets and is filled with practical compartments, including a back slip pocket for bank notes and a lipstick-shaped holder in the centre of the bag.

Gabrielle Chanel: Fashion Manifesto will open at the V&A on 16 September

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• The Inventory

A brief history of women’s fight to wear pants

Of all the long controversial topics that are still unsettled in 2019—abortion, immigration, etc.—you wouldn’t expect that the way women and girls choose to cover their legs would be one of them.

Yet here we are: In March, a federal judge struck down a rule at a North Carolina charter school that prohibited girls at the school from wearing pants. It required them instead to wear skirts, skorts, or jumpers. The school had argued that the dress code promoted “traditional values.”

The same month, Hannah Kozak, a senior at a Pennsylvania high school, received the guidelines for her school’s upcoming graduation ceremony. “No pants,” it said for girls, specifying that they were to wear a “light colored dress or skirt.” Kozak had to fight the school board (paywall) for the right to wear pants.

The reasons that Western societies (that is, the men in them) have devised for barring women from covering each leg individually have often fallen back on these sorts of appeals to tradition and values. Gayle Fischer, an associate professor of history at Salem State University and author of Pantaloons and Power: A Nineteenth-Century Dress Reform in the United States , explained on NPR in 2017 that authorities have frequently pointed to the values dictated by the Bible as their justification for reinforcing skirt-wearing. Deuteronomy 22:5 states that women should not wear men’s clothes and men should not wear women’s.

You’ll notice it doesn’t actually say anything about pants though. Over time, it’s just become culturally accepted that pants are something men wear. “It becomes part of the culture in the West that pants are a male garment, and by the time we get to the 18 th and 19 th century, men have been wearing pants for centuries ,” Fischer said on NPR. “And so everyone knows that men have always worn pants—even though of course that’s not true.”

Pants first appeared—and persisted—because they’re practical: They protect the legs and keep the wearer covered up, while still allowing for easy movement. But to women in places such as Europe and the US, they also came to represent power, equality, and freedom from the restrictions—physical, social, and moral—foisted on them.

In the garment’s early history, though, women were there wearing pants right alongside men. It was only later that they had to start fighting for the right.

The practical origins of pants

The three girls at the center of the North Carolina case said wearing a skirt (pdf) meant they always had to pay attention to how they positioned their legs, and it literally left them cold in the winter. It’s a problem that Adrienne Mayor, a classics scholar at Stanford University, was familiar with. “I grew up in South Dakota where it’s really cold, and we were not allowed to wear pants to school,” she says.

Mayor has made extensive study of the Greeks and their attitude toward the Scythians, a term, she explains, the Greeks used to describe what were really numerous nomadic, horse-riding tribes that spread across Eurasia—and the likely inventors of pants. The garment didn’t just spontaneously appear; it’s tailored, requiring multiple pieces of fabric to be assembled, unlike the simpler rectangles of fabric that the Greeks cinched and pinned as their clothing. The Scythians appear to have devised them out of necessity for a life spent on horseback. (Imagine riding a horse without pants on and you’ll see why.) The oldest fragments of pants found date back to these steppe tribes, who were wearing them as early as about 3,000 years ago .

According to Mayor, evidence indicates that both women and men may have donned them. Greek writings refer to Scythian women wearing pants, as do numerous paintings on vases, while archaeological sites have uncovered the remains of battle scarred Scythian women who appear to have rode and fought like the men, suggesting these women may have been the real Amazons behind the myths . “The men and women dressed the same, they had the same skills,” Mayor says.

The Greeks, she adds, thought pants were bizarre. They derided them as “multi-colored bags” or “sacks” for the legs, and mocked them as “effeminate,” probably because women wore them along with men. (Greek folklore even variously credited three women with inventing these notoriously manly garments.)

The Greeks never adopted trousers themselves. The Persians did, and, by the 5th and 6th centuries, despite their initial resistance, the Romans had as well . But for women in the West, they remained mostly off limits for quite a while longer.

The fight for pants

There are examples of women in Europe and the US wearing pants long before it was socially acceptable, as writer Kathleen Cooper detailed in The Toast , even though in countries such as the US , England , and France they could actually be jailed for it in the 18th and 19th centuries. Some would dress as men to do things such as join the military. The most famous example was probably 18th-century Englishwoman Hannah Snell, who served for years in the British navy and later become a minor celebrity after revealing that she was a woman. During the US Civil War, Mary Walker, an assistant surgeon with the Union Army, chose pants over skirts (and was once arrested for impersonating a man ).

In polite society, though, the fight to make it permissible for women in the US and Europe to wear pants began in earnest in the 1850s, with the women’s rights movement. Feminists were seeking liberation, not just from patriarchal oppression, but from the restrictions of corsets. Though Edwardian and Victorian women had adopted them voluntarily , the undergarments literally made it difficult to move, sometimes even to breathe. Suffragists such as Elizabeth Cady Stanton saw dress reform as part of their battle for rights, and some adopted an alternative outfit in the form of baggy “Turkish” pantaloons worn with a knee-length skirt. In April 1851, Amelia Bloomer, the editor of the first women’s newspaper, The Lily, told her readers about it, and thereafter the pants picked up the nickname bloomers .

Bloomers were not exactly a battle cry for equality in the form of trousers, though. Pantaloons and Power author Fischer explained on NPR:

The argument that they’re making at this time is that it’s more practical for women as wives and mothers in the home. So if you’re wearing a long skirt, and you’re holding a crying baby in one arm, and you’re holding a pitcher of water in the other arm, and you have to go upstairs or downstairs, and you’re wearing a long skirt, that’s very dangerous. But if you’re wearing these bloomer outfits, that have pants, you can easily go up and down the stairs, not trip, not kill the baby, not spill the water…They were very adamant that they were not trying to take something away from men in wearing pants.

Bloomers did not suddenly break down the wall between women and pants. In fact, bloomers were only popular for a few years, in part because women didn’t find them attractive. Activist Susan B. Anthony even lamented in a letter that when she went on stage to speak wearing them, people only paid attention to her clothes and didn’t hear what she had to say.

A woman in pants would remain a curiosity for some time. When mountaineer Annie Smith Peck summited the Matterhorn in 1895, her climbing outfit included pants. Most women of Peck’s day scaled mountains in layers of heavy woolen skirts. Many didn’t approve of Peck’s pants, including rival mountaineer Fanny Bullock Workman, which put Peck at the center of considerable controversy.

Around the turn of the 20th century, though, something else was happening that would change how Americans and Europeans dressed. Formality’s grip on fashion was weakening, and sportswear was beginning to find a place in the everyday wardrobe. Ease of movement was starting to become a priority. In the 1910s, a young designer named Coco Chanel helped to spur this shift with her popular, sporty clothes; through the latter half of the 1920s, she also helped bring menswear staples into women’s wardrobes, including tailored jackets and trousers. While she wasn’t the only designer showing pants for women, her influence was strong.

“One of the most radical developments for women was the gradual acceptance of trousers, which were no longer considered either eccentric or strictly utilitarian,” write historians Valerie Mendes and Amy de la Haye in their book, 20th Century Fashion . “Chanel did much to accelerate this move and was often photographed during the day wearing loose, sailor-style trousers, known as ‘yachting pants.’ The most fashionable young women started to wear trousers for leisure pursuits, particularly on the beach, or for early evening wear at home, the latter in the form of luxurious, Chinese-style, printed silk pyjama suits.”

Pants steadily migrated beyond the realm of leisure in women’s wardrobes, though there were still strict limits on where women could wear them. In 1933, actress Marlene Dietrich, who tantalized audiences as a tuxedo-clad cabaret singer  in the 1930 film Morocco , caused a minor uproar by turning up to famed Hollywood hangout the Brown Derby in pants. According to the Los Angeles Times , Robert Cobb, the restaurant’s owner, refused to seat her. On witnessing her rejection, a pair of comics, Bert Wheeler and Robert Woolsey, left the restaurant and came back in skirts (it’s unclear whether they were allowed in). It would be decades before Cobb lifted his ban on women in pants, the Times said.

The triumph of pants

However devoted the anti-pants faction, it couldn’t stop change. During World War II, for instance, practicality trumped propriety and many women pulled on pants as they entered the workplace  to fill the jobs left vacant by men going off to fight.

Even after the war, as women returned to the home, the notion of a woman wearing pants was losing its shock value—in the home at least, if not yet so much outside it. In 1960, a judge ejected a woman named Lois Rabinowitz from a New York traffic court for wearing pants, telling her to come back “properly dressed” on a later date. But the image of the housewife in a full skirt was quickly growing outdated.

Mary Tyler Moore made it a point to use her wardrobe choices to update that image . In the 1960s, the actress wanted the character she played on The Dick Van Dyke Show to reflect the real lives of American women. “I think we broke new ground, and that was helped by my insistence on wearing pants, you know, jeans and capri pants at the time because I said I’ve seen all the other actresses and they’re always running the vacuum in these little flowered frocks with high heels on, and I don’t do that,” Moore told NPR in 1995. “And I don’t know any of my friends who do that.”

Sponsors didn’t love the “cupping under” the pants did on Moore’s rear. But she sneakily incorporated pants into the wardrobe more and more, and eventually they became part of her character’s look.

By the time the counter-culture movement of the 1960s had reached its height, a woman in pants wasn’t much to be outraged by, even if in workplaces pants remained the preserve of men for a while longer. Until 1993, it was the unofficial rule on the floor of the US Senate that women weren’t supposed to wear pants . Now, of course, former senator Hillary Clinton looks practically conservative in her wardrobe of pantsuits (or you could just call them suits ).

Still, there are lingering reminders that women have had to travel a long road to get to a point where they can cover their legs as they choose. As recently as 2013, France revoked a law that barred women in Paris from wearing pants. Najat Vallaud-Belkacem, France’s minister of women’s rights, had said when the law was overturned that it “aimed first of all at limiting the access of women to certain offices or occupations by preventing them from dressing in the manner of men.” (The law apparently focused on Paris because, during the French Revolution, that’s where a trouser-wearing faction of the working class calling itself les sans-culottes rose against the upper classes, the men of which dressed in puffy, knee-length breeches, i.e. culottes. Female revolutionaries wanted to don trousers too, but were prohibited, and risked arrest if they did.)

And then, of course, there are still cases such as the schools in North Carolina and Pennsylvania, promoting beliefs that are long outdated by this point. Kozak, the Pennsylvania senior who fought to change the dress policy for her graduation ceremony, put it succinctly. “If you’d like to argue that forcing women to wear a dress or skirt promotes ‘traditional values’ or helps young ladies ‘meet a certain expectation,’ I would like to remind you that it’s 2019,” she told school administrators. “Women do not have an expectation to live up to; women do not have a certain standard to meet. We are not living in the 1800s anymore.”

This story is part of How We’ll Win in 2019, a year-long exploration of workplace gender equality. Read more stories here .

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Home » Find your style » How to dress like your icon » Style icon Coco Chanel

Style icon Coco Chanel

by Sylvia | 14 comments

“ Fashion fades, only style remains the same .” Coco Chanel

It seems that I see Coco Chanel everywhere these days. She is always present in every style book I read, other fashion bloggers refer to her style in their outfits and her nautical style with stripes is very much on trend. I too am inspired by her enduring look, which has only been intensified since seeing the film Coco & Igor last weekend. Apart from a gripping story, the film also features many beautiful outfits.

I thought it was about time to profile one of my favorite style icons and find out what made (and still makes) her so special in terms of style. One of the things that makes Coco Chanel’s style so special, is that her clothes are still modern today. While watching the film, I was left wondering how many of the clothes were copies of true things she had worn or if they had been adapted and modernised for the film.

In any case, the clothes exuded style and class and appeared to be timeless. They were actually created with a team of designers who received the collaboration of Chanel’s current designer: Karl Lagerfeld. They put themselves in Coco’s shoes and tried to imagine what she would wear. Have a look at some of the original costume sketches of the garments that appear in the film. If you like to read more about this check out this page .

Coco’s style

Coco Chanel stuck to one particular style throughout her life, thereby creating a very distinct signature style.

Some characteristics of her style include:

• Simplicity, elegance and comfort: the key elements of her style
•  Black and white: colors she often stuck to
• Nautical: many garments were inspired by sailor and nautical themes and often featured stripes
• Men’s wear: she had an ability to transform men’s wear into elegant and comfortable feminine clothes
• Lots of accessories: large and plentiful fake pearl necklaces were often featured in her outfits
• The little black dress: Chanel has been credited as the ‘inventor’ of this wardrobe staple in 1926
• Focus on style and not trends

Iconic Coco Chanel designs

Some iconic Chanel designs and products include:

• Faux pearls
• The little black dress
• 2.55 quilted bag
• Yachting trousers (sailors’ bell-bottoms)
• Chanel tweed suit
• Quilted flats

Coco Chanel quotes

Apart from the famous quote that I mentioned above there are some more quotes from Coco Chanel worth mentioning:

“Fashion is not something that exists in dresses only. Fashion is in the sky, in the street, fashion has to do with ideas, the way we live, what is happening.” “In order to be irreplaceable one must always be different.” “A girl should be two things: classy and fabulous.” “”The best color in the whole world, is the one that looks good, on you!” “”The best color in the whole world, is the one that looks good, on you!” “As long as you know men are like children, you know everything!” “A woman is closest to being naked when she is well dressed”

I am truly inspired by some of her iconic designs and aim to infuse a little more Chanel style into my wardrobe.

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Feature image by Vogue

Sylvia is 40+style’s editor-in-chief and has been helping women find their unique style since 2011. An alumni of the School of Color and Design, she is devoted to empowering women of any age to look and feel their best. Read more about Sylvia and 40+style on this page .

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14 Comments

She was one of the kind and she wasn’t even beautiful like a classic beauty.Still to my eyes she’s even more beautiful because she had her own distinct style.I get inspired and I hope I will find mine.That’s one of the reasons I blog after all.

Love this entry! PS: I think you mean Karl Lagerfeld.

Thanks Chouette! Yes, of course I meant karl Lagerfeld. Corrected it now.

Love Coco’s style because it’s so neat! I love groomed, don’t like casual, can’t do boho. My other style icons are Wallis Simpson and Margot Fonteyn. Could happily wear a skirt suit every day!

Yes that’s true. I guess I like the simplicity of her style and the timelessness. The black and white combi almost always works for me as well…

Some of the designers want to take credit for their inovative designs today, but if you look back, what they really were is inspired by the great original s that came before!

Coco Chanel influence on fashion still inspires me and many other women around the world today. She’s a true fashion icon and always had an eye for style..

Have you seen all the latest Chanel movies. Apart from Coco & Igor, there is also Coco before Chanel which is very good too.

No,i haven’t seen all of her movies! Her life before Channel would be very interesting to watch.. Thanks!

It’s a great movie. Have fun watching it!

To me, Chanel is the epitome of style, I can’t think of any other person who’s style is equally timeless. My favourites are the breton stripe tops, ballerina flats and the 2.55.

She is also so unique as she is also the only female designer that is still so prominent in fashion today….

As a person she had quite a few flaws but her talent for style and design is, I believe, undisputed. I’m actually wearing a Chanel inspired ecru white and black outfit today. Should try to photograph it…..

Coco Chanel is a fashion icon. Her personal life was filled with one scandal after another but she defined modern style more than any other designer. The 2.55 bag, little black dress, the Chanel suit, ropes of pearls – all classics. Even her perfume (No.5) is still popular. She changed the way women dress. She was ahead of her time. I admire every item she ever sent down a runway.

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Flares: A Brief History

Emily Pack – 20 August 2021

In the 1920s, Coco Chanel brought flares to mainstream fashion wear, creating “Yacht Pants” and “Beach Pajamas" for women, inspired by sailor's style. However, these did not become a wardrobe staple for the fashion-conscious until the 1960s, when they began popping up on forward-thinking celebrities like Mick Jagger, James Brown and Jimi Hendrix.

In this photo: The PHIX Wool Flared Trouser. Click to shop . Suddenly, flares were everywhere, infusing hippie, Glam Rock, Rollermania and disco fashions. Groups such as Slade and ABBA brought flares to the forefront, as did John Travolta in Saturday Night Fever.

From the stage to the street, below you can see them worn by picketers at the Grunwick dispute in north London, 1977.

Shop our latest collection of flares and other tailored trousers online now .

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When Did Coco Chanel Invent Pants?

June 1, 2023

thedutchladydesigns

Coco Chanel is a name that resonates with fashion enthusiasts worldwide. She was a pioneer in the fashion industry, known for her innovative designs and rebellious attitude towards traditional women’s clothing. One of the most significant contributions she made to fashion was popularizing pants for women.

Chanel’s love for pants began when she borrowed her boyfriend’s trousers during a trip to the countryside. This experience led her to realize the practicality and comfort that pants offered compared to restrictive dresses and skirts. In the 1920s, she began designing wide-legged trousers for women, which were initially intended as beachwear.

However, it wasn’t until 1933 that Coco Chanel truly revolutionized women’s fashion by introducing tailored trousers as part of her collection. This move caused quite a stir, as it was considered scandalous for women to wear pants outside of sports and leisure activities. Nonetheless, Chanel persisted and continued to promote this new style, eventually making it not only acceptable but also fashionable.

Chanel’s trousers were designed with comfort in mind while still maintaining an air of sophistication. She believed that fashion should be functional and practical without sacrificing style. Her designs featured high waistlines, pleats, and pockets – all elements that were traditionally associated with men’s clothing.

The popularity of Chanel’s pants grew quickly among fashionable women who appreciated the freedom they provided. They allowed women to move more comfortably and participate in activities that were previously off-limits. The trend caught on quickly and soon became a symbol of liberation for women.

In conclusion, Coco Chanel is credited with popularizing pants for women in mainstream fashion during the 1930s. Her innovative designs challenged traditional gender roles in clothing and paved the way for future generations of designers to create comfortable yet stylish clothing options for women. Her contribution has had a lasting impact on the world of fashion even today.

Key Takeaways

• Coco Chanel popularized pants for women in mainstream fashion.
• Chanel’s love for pants began when she borrowed her boyfriend’s trousers during a trip to the countryside.
• Chanel’s trousers were designed with comfort in mind while still maintaining an air of sophistication.
• The popularity of Chanel’s pants grew quickly among fashionable women who appreciated the freedom they provided.
• The trend caught on quickly and soon became a symbol of liberation for women.

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5 Incredible Facts about Coco Chanel

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• Beyond Paris

DEAUVILLE, THE RIVIERA OF NORMANDY, AND COCO CHANEL

Posted in Beyond Paris .

Just 2 ½ hrs from Paris by train, Deauville is a favourite destination for many well-heeled Parisians looking for a weekend getaway.  It’s often referred to as the Queen of the Normandy coast, ‘Paris-sur-Mer’ or the Kingdom of Elegance.  Notable for its long sandy beach, beautiful Belle Epoque hotels, casino and racecourses, Deauville has been a playground for the rich and famous since the mid 19 th century.  There was a second wave of development at the turn of the century, and Deauville became a favourite resort with the “fast set” including the dashing English polo player, ‘Boy’ Capel and his mistress, Coco Chanel.  She was quick to see the town’s potential for the leisured classes to indulge themselves further with some retail therapy, and opened her first shop here in 1913, marking the beginning of her fashion empire.  Deauville has also been the background for countless films—the infamous Lord Lucan was once screen tested for the role of James Bond here!

Deauville is situated on the Côte Fleurie in the Calvados Departement of Normandy.  It was once a small agricultural village perched on a hill overlooking the sea, opposite Trouville, across the Seine estuary from Le Havre.  Grouped around the 12th century church of Saint-Laurent, the hundred or so residents of “Dosville”, as it was known then, were, for the most part, farmers, and animal breeders.  The marshland and dunes below the village, on which Deauville would later be built, were used by the locals for sheep and cattle grazing.

During the summer of 1858, the Duc de Morny, a wealthy, worldly financier and half-brother to Napoleon III, visited nearby Trouville to stay with his friend and physician one Dr Olliffe.  During his stay, De Morny conceived of the idea of developing the expanse of swamp and sand into “an elegant kingdom”, as he called it, within easy distance of Paris.  In partnership with Dr Olliffe, a banker named Donon and an architect, Desle-François Breney—said to be the best in Paris—de Morny acquired 200 hectares of land and 3km stretch of sandy beach facing Trouville, and created in just 4 years a town whose magnificent Anglo-Norman timber-framed grand hotels and villas, racecourse, and rail link to Paris, designed to attract a wealthy, aristocratic clientele.

These founders then established a real estate company and a local bank in 1863-64, but despite their considerable achievements, they were not to complete their goal as de Morny died in 1865, the Franco-Prussian war began, and the Second Empire fell in 1870.  Although the Deauville project was still unfinished, nevertheless the railway connection to Paris had been laid, the construction of the Hippodrome de Deauville-La Touques was completed in 1862, and many luxurious villas built.

The Deauville Polo Club, founded in 1907, had become a magnet for wealthy fans of the sport, thanks to the influence of its founders Baron Robert de Rothschild and the club’s first President, the Duc de Gramont.  They ensured that the club welcomed the most important members of European and British aristocracy.  It was a location that was ripe for further investment.

1911 was an important year for the development of Deauville.  That year saw the construction of its casino, the sumptuous Monte Carlo-style Barriere de Deauville, designed by Georges Wybo, the same architect who designed Printemps department store in Paris.  Its Anglo-Norman architecture includes half-timbering, dovecots, turrets, gables and a décor that resembles a cosy but stately English country house.

In 1913 Wybo also designed Deauville’s Hotel Royal.  A number of other luxury hotels were also built, ensuring that discerning Parisians and an international smart set couldn’t resist Deauville’s charms.  By 1923, elegant holiday-makers paraded along the new 643 metre timber promenade that borders the vast beach.

Famous faces such as cabaret stars Josephine Baker, Mistinguett and Maurice Chevalier, musicians, writers and artists including Sacha Guitry, Gustave Flaubert, Colette, Eugene Boudin, Raoul Dufy, Camille Saint-Saens and Arthur Rubinstein, the era’s greatest names from business such as André Citroën, royalty, Heads of State, and of course Chanel, were all regular visitors to Deauville.

Since the 1920s Deauville has been the location for a many films including ‘A Man and a Woman’, Agatha Christie’s ‘Murder on the Links’, and books including Marcel Proust’s ‘A La Recherche du Temps Perdu’ (a combination of Deauville and nearby Cabourg were the inspirations for the fictional town of Balbec), F. Scott Fitzgerald’s ‘The Great Gatsby’ as a place where Tom Buchanan and Daisy visited on their honeymoon, and the magnificent casino was the model for Ian Fleming’s first James Bond novel, ‘Casino Royale’ published in 1953.  Georges Simenon’s early ‘Maigret’ stories were set in Deauville, and the English author, Ford Maddox Ford, lived his final years there and is buried in the town cemetery.

In 1913, the Normandy coast with its expansive grey-blue skies and long, sandy beaches still resembled the representations depicted by Eugène Boudin and the Impressionists at the turn of the 19 th century.

There was no swimming, or very little at most; visitors splashed about in the shallows or baited for shrimp, and the more elegant among the visitors were seated decorously under their parasols or sheltered from the sun in their canvas beach tents, wearing the same restrictive outfits on the sand as they wore in town.  They were unaware that a revolution was underway.

1913 was the year that Gabrielle (‘Coco’) Chanel opened her first fashion boutique, ‘Gabrielle Chanel’, on rue Gontaut-Biron (now rue Lucien Barriere) in Deauville, between the casino and the Normandy Hotel.  The shop was only possible courtesy of the financial backing of her lover, ‘Boy’ Capel, who had become a director of the Deauville Polo Club in 1912.

Fiercely independent, it was important to Chanel that she repaid him as soon as she could.  She had been born in Saumur in the Loire into abject poverty and abandoned at 12 to be raised in an austere convent where she learnt to sew.  Throughout her life, she was obsessively determined never to be poor again, and never to sacrifice her independence.

Mademoiselle Chanel, who had successfully opened her millinery shop in 1910 called “Chanel Modes”, located at 21 rue Cambon in Paris, winning over the most elite socialites of the time.  However, it was in Deauville where she was the first to invent a sporty sense of style that reflected a changing society, a style that would forever alter the course of women’s fashion history.

Here at this chic resort destination, she initially sold just her popular wide-brimmed hats that were simply decorated with a single feather or ribbon.  Yet most importantly, she started offering wealthy clients an entirely new concept of day-wear apparel suited to an active life in the outdoors.

Once the beachside boardwalk, Le Chemin des Planches, was built in 1921, Chanel would use it to have models such as her young aunt Adrienne and her sister Antoinette, wearing a selection of her latest designs sauntering along its length, back and forth, to tempt her potential customers into her boutique.  The shop became so successful that fashionable ladies would crowd outside waiting to gain entry.  One local newspaper described Chanel, somewhat patronisingly, as ‘La Marchande de Frivolitiés’.

Her radical, first collection included the fishermen’s striped jersey sweater, la marini ère , that was to become a much-copied eternal classic, defying time, and the vagaries of fashion movements ever since.

La marini ère was first worn by quartermasters and seamen in the French Navy in the mid-1800s. Many sailors in the French Navy were from Brittany and Normandy.  Their striped tops became known as Breton jerseys, and even today, la mariniere is described as having ‘breton stripes’.  One of the original markers of la mariniere , Saint James, is still located in Normandy, very close to the Breton border.  Saint James’ jersey cloth manufacturing tradition goes back to the 1100s, and they became an official supplier of marini ères to the French Navy in the mid-1800s—indeed, they still supply these sweaters to the French Navy to this day.

Chanel saw fishermen on the beaches wearing their long-sleeve striped shirts and began wearing them herself.  The Navy uniform mariniere could be tucked into men’s trousers and kept them warm all the way to their thighs.  She redesigned and adjusted the proportions of the sweater to be suitable for womenswear, and it was ground-breaking for two reasons: it was the first time humble work-wear had entered the fashion scene, and the casual, loose design was a total rejection of the multi-layered, heavily corseted silhouette, as well as cumbersome hairstyles, imposed by the Belle Epoque.  In retrospect, la mariniere and Chanel’s first collection has been hailed as nothing less than an emancipation of women’s bodies.  By using simple jersey fabric, which until then had been used primarily for hosiery and men’s underwear, and considered too “ordinary” for high fashion, it was also very much in keeping with Chanel’s practical attitude to adapt this fabric during times of privation and materials shortage with the onset of WW1.

Other garments followed, embodying a casual chic that instantly put everything else out of fashion:  la marini ère was paired with sailor pants (which were sometimes called ‘yachting’ pants) or pleated skirts.  This new look also included soft, cardigan-style jackets, polo shirts, jodhpurs, and famously, beach pyjamas that she accessorised with pearls (both fake and real), and silk camellias loosely stitched to the belt or collar lapel.

These were clothes that had never been seen on women before, who every day were hobbled in cascades of silk, secured by a million tiny hooks, stuffed into the tightest, whale-boned Casaque jackets over lace bodices with high, boned collars and double ruffed sleeves.

Although many were shocked by Chanel’s radical designs, they created a sensation among the overdressed (and probably overheated) ladies—exactly the reactions Chanel expected—and Deauville, where high society came to relax and play, was the perfect environment in which to launch her new fashion concept.  Chanel once said ‘ nothing makes a woman look older than obvious expensiveness, ornateness, complication’ .

Chanel had anticipated the coming of a new era where women would eagerly adopt a new way of dressing to complement their more active, outdoor lifestyles that included swimming, horse-riding, skiing, tennis, and yachting.  She created a wardrobe that would become known as “sportswear”, not because other women played sports, she said, but because she did, and declared that with her new fashions, “I restored the freedom of women” .  Her ‘sportswear’ in the Deauville boutique reflected this revolution in how women’s relationship with their bodies was changing, along with their way of life and leisure pursuits.  In the outdoor environment of turf, sea and sunbathing at Deauville, Chanel also made suntans not only acceptable, but a symbol denoting a life of privilege and leisure.

“Simplicity is the keynote to all true elegance.”  Coco Chanel.

She breathed much-needed fresh air—indeed new life—into fashion, fully embracing the spirit of the times, which the Avant-gardists were also doing at that time in such areas of the arts as painting, sculpture, literature, and music.

The success of Chanel’s boutique had an impact on the reputation of Deauville as a resort for the international smart set soon inspired numerous Parisian stores to establish branches in the town.  Printemps department store opened its first store outside Paris in Deauville in 1912.

Following hot on its heels, Parisian fashion designer Paul Poiret opened an interior design business, La Maison Martine, selling a range of items ranging from carpets, glassware made in Murano, lighting, wallpapers, and other décor pieces, not only for the home but also private cruise boats.  Other fashion designers such as Madeleine Vionnet, Jeanne Lanvin, Chanel’s arch-rival Elsa Schiaparelli, and Jean Patou all sent models and a selection from their collections to parade on Les Planches—an acknowledgement of the incredible success of Chanel’s idea.  In 1924, Patou opened a specialised sportswear boutique called “Le Coin des Sports” in Deauville, and like Chanel’s sports and leisurewear, much of it was made from jersey knit fabric.

An obvious extension of the fashion world was the luxury jewellery houses.  In 1912, high-end Parisian jeweller, Van Cleef & Arpels, was the first to open up what they called a “salon” in Deauville.  They didn’t have the resort to themselves for much longer.  News of their success soon spread, and not unsurprisingly, one of their Parisian competitors, Lacloche et Cie, opened a branch there in 1923.  It didn’t take too long for others joined them.

Deauville had a number of venues where the wealthy leisured visitors spent time, one such was of course the casino.  Today it’s easy to find, located beside Place Yves Saint-Laurent, commemorating the designer who had a house in Deauville.

One of the favourite pastimes of the wealthy visitors to Deauville was horseracing, and it’s still true to say that in Deauville, the horse is king.  Behind the town are the two racecourses, Hippodrome Deauville La Touques and Hippodrome Deauville Clairefontaine.  Since the town’s beginnings, horseracing has been a major part of life here.  Flat racing takes place all year-round, while in August, 3 polo pitches host international sides in matches.

The town is inseparable from many equestrian events and activities aside from racing.  Throughout the year there’s show jumping, horse auctions, and international meetings, you can take a ride through town in a traditional carriage and enjoy unforgettable rides along the beach.  If you’re an early riser, you can watch the racehorses exercising on the beach first thing in the morning.

A must-see for anyone interested in the history of Deauville is a visit to the Villa Strassburger.  The grandest house of the Belle Époque, built in 1907 by Henri de Rothschild, it was bought by American newspaper mogul and racehorse owner Ralph Strassburger in 1924.  The entire villa, which was donated to the town in 1980 by Strassburger’s only son, is kept just as it was in the 1920s and ‘30s and is classified as a Monument Historique.

Fine chintz-covered furniture sits alongside gramophone players and Bakelite telephones, and upstairs, a huge, black vacuum-cleaner squats ominously on the landing.  There are a number of framed pen-and-ink cartoons from contemporary magazines that show the style in which Strassburger enjoyed life in Deauville.  You can see him frolicking in the sea with the likes of Edith Piaf and the Aga Khan, enjoying champagne with singers Juliette Gréco and Maurice Chevalier.  Take a particular note of the green-tiled bathroom, with its oversize shower and walk-in sauna.  This entire room was installed by the Nazis, whose local commander occupied the villa during the Occupation, and also had an underground bunker built at the back of the house.  Visits from June to Sept.

Along with most of the other luxury villas of Deauville, the enormous Belle Epoque villa that Andre Citroen rented for the summer each year, ‘Les Abeilles’ (The Bees), was also taken over by German officers during the Occupation.

Whether or not you like to gamble, it’s worth popping into the Casino Barrière de Deauville.  The beautiful façade, with its majestic high windows and elegant entrance hall has been designed to feel like a royal palace—crystal chandeliers, high ceilings and lots of regal red and gold décor in the parlours and lounges.

The casino also has a stunning theatre, although it’s referred to as the Italian Theatre, it’s said to have been inspired by the theatre at the Palais de Versailles with its oval shape, large horseshoe-shaped balcony, punctuated with tall, fluted timber columns and elegant décor.

For the casino’s inauguration in 1912, the theatre’s first performance was by the Ballets Russes, whose star Vaslav Nijinsky performed ‘Le Spectre de la Rose’.  Chanel collaborated on productions choreographed by Diaghilev Nijinsky and composer Igor Stravinsky for the Ballets Russes over many years up until 1937.

The ’Pompeian Baths’ are certainly something to see!  Designed by Parisian architect Charles Adda, who was responsible for Les Planches boardwalk, built this structure in 1923, replacing the original beach cabins which had deteriorated and no longer considered appropriate for the increasingly fashionable resort town.  Although its design is typical of the Roaring Twenties, Adda used ancient Roman bath complexes as his inspiration, complete with beautiful mosaics.  Built around nine courtyards, it has 50 shower, massage and steam rooms as well as swimming pools, an American bar, a hairdresser and shops.

Chanel could see the possibilities with the popularity of the new Baths and the improvements to the beachfront, and used Les Planches promenade as an outdoor catwalk as soon as it was completed.  Other designers soon copied her idea.  We’re very used to promotional and marketing techniques such as this, but until Chanel did it, it had never been done before.  It’s now listed as a Monument Historique.

The story of Deauville cannot ignore its 1930s Depression and wartime experiences.  The aura of a hedonistic paradise died completely and wouldn’t resurface until the 1950s.  During the war, the German Army occupied Deauville, and luxury villas, hotels and the casino were all occupied or used by them, until Operation Overlord—the D-Day landings—was launched on 06 June 1944 on the coast of Normandy.  Deauville was one of the towns that suffered the most damage during this operation, due to its occupation by the Nazis.  Chanel had seen the writing on the wall and closed all her shops, including the Deauville boutique, in 1939.

Deauville’s fortunes were on the rise from 1951 when every August, the town welcomed the ultimate playboy of the time, the Dominican sporting diplomat, Porfirio Rubirosa.  With his good looks, athleticism and irresistible charm, he attracted Hollywood film stars and together with his own polo team, international polo competitions were revived.

Over the years Deauville has enlarged its cultural landscape.  Said to be the biggest French film festival after Cannes, the Deauville American Film Festival was created in 1975 to promote independent American cinema in France.  Nearly 100 films are screened each year for 10 days in early September and is the only European festival of this scale to be open to the public.  More recently, an annual Asian film festival has begun.

There are 2 classical music festivals, the Easter Festival and Musical August, a jazz festival, Swing’In Deauville in July, and a Books & Music fair in May, as well as plays concerts, dance and recitals at the Deauville International Centre and the Barrière Casino throughout the year.  July also has the Deauville Classic Week with the French Open Dragon Boats and a World Bridge Festival, and if you’re around in October, it’d be fun to time your visit to catch the Paris-Deauville Rally for classic cars.

For a change of scene, the lush countryside in this region has an abundance of trees and orchards from which come the half-timbered houses typical of the region.  And, of course, there’s food:  apples (think Normandy’s famous cider), some of the best butter in France, cream, rich cheeses and high quality meat.  This is a place to abandon any thoughts of dieting!

Deauville is a great base from which to explore other picturesque villages, towns and sights nearby, such as Villerville, Trouville-sur-Mer, Cabourg, Honfleur and perhaps even a little further afield to Falaise, birthplace of William the Conqueror.  Perhaps I’ll look at some of these in greater depth some time soon.

Comments (4)

Tony taggart.

August 3, 2021 at 6:41 pm

We are both amazed at your meticulous research particularly on this very informative blog! It is certainly a tease and real motivation to get back over to see this and your other areas of interest. Annette thinks we might have to move there for 12 months, how is your booking schedule?

Cheryl Brooks

August 3, 2021 at 8:33 pm

Dear Tony and Annette, What lovely comments! I’m so delighted you enjoy the blogs, as I do writing them. We too are longing to be able to return to our favourite destination asap, and of course, you know you always have your little Paris home awaiting your return at any time. Yes, I think 12 months sounds like a great idea–we’ll meet you there! Cheers for now, Cheryl

August 4, 2021 at 9:29 am

Dear Cheryl, Thoroughly enjoy your most informative posts and particularly this one on Deauville. Think I would be very happy there in ‘Coco Chanel Land’. Must visit eventually…………one day! Rxx?

August 4, 2021 at 9:33 am

Dear Robbie, Thanks so much for your response to the article. It is indeed a beautiful part of the country. It’s quite unlike other parts of France, esp. given the huge amt. of Belle Epoque architecture everywhere. Very special indeed. It’s right up there on our must-revisit list–and may that come very soon! It’s important to have something to look forward to. xx Cheryl

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RESORT 2020

Sally LaPointe’s Resort 2020 moodboard was covered in 100-year-old photographs of women in silk pajamas. It was back in the 1920s that pajama dressing first became a trend for women, though they weren’t wearing them to bed: The silky separates were an early example of “borrowed from the boys” style, co-opted from men’s sleepwear and cleverly reinterpreted as comfortable day clothes. At a time when most women didn’t wear pants in public at all, it was considered pretty gutsy to wear a drapey silk PJ pant during the day. Coco Chanel famously wore them on the beach, referring to them as “yachting pants.” LaPointe was instantly drawn to that backstory, and as a designer who strives to combine luxury and comfort in her collections, she saw an opportunity to put a new twist on head-to-toe silk dressing.

Don’t expect to see piped button-downs and kitschy prints. LaPointe’s interpretations were reliably haute, comprised of double-faced satin blouses with built-in scarves, matching pants or floor-grazing skirts, and evening sets hand-embroidered with sequins. She peppered in a few belted pants in a substantial, buttery linen for a bit of contrast, as well as her now-signature cropped knits, which came in a new cashmere-silk blend (which sells at a friendlier price point sans her usual fur trim). She joked that plenty of women really will wear this stuff on the beach like Chanel and her friends in the ’20s, but with the exception of the crochet pants and sequins, most of these looks could more than pass in an office setting.

For an on-the-go woman, a satin blouse and matching pants would likely be a lot more comfortable than a pantsuit, too. LaPointe says the best feedback she gets from her customers and stores is that her clothes are truly livable; they’re seriously luxe, yet easy and non-restricting. That’s why she’s so committed to monochrome looks, too: She was happy to report that her customers will buy a full look straight off the rack, then never think about how to style it again.

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Coco Chanel’s Most Notorious Creations and Their Presence in Online Luxury Resale - Written by Josie Howell

November 09, 2018

Coco Chanel is the most famous female fashion designer in history , if not the most famous fashion designer period. She was known for being scandalous in general, but she was also fearless when it came to her designs and was not scared to break barriers. She was determined to make clothing for women that was enjoyed by women while wearing the clothing and also visually to those who saw the clothing. In simpler terms, her clothing was comfortable, functional, and stylish all at the same time.

Chanel was able to successfully make clothing that was appealing to women, because she was the first woman to make clothing for women all over the world; she created fashion that had never been made or seen before. Some of her creations changed the course of fashion history and helped Chanel become the legend that she is today. These are creations that will probably never go out of fashion and will continuously be worn and enjoyed by future generations.

• The Quilted 2.55 Flap Bag

Worn by many iconic people, the Chanel 2.55 is a cult creation by Coco Chanel herself. It is called the 2.55 bag since it was released on the date of February of 1955. While at the time women had not yet worn cross body bags and were a bit hesitant to take it on, they eventually adopted it into their everyday looks and after that, the rest is history. For those of you who live for your functional and stylish cross-body bags, you can thank Coco Chanel for implementing it into women’s everyday fashion.

• The Boy Bag

• Chanel No. 5 Perfume

Created in 1922, the classic Chanel No. 5 perfume was Coco Chanel’s first ever perfume and was also the most expensive perfume in the world at the time. It is so popular that even those who aren’t familiar with the Chanel brand or really fashion in general know what the Chanel No 5 Perfume is. It is referenced in multiple movies and television shows, including Gossip Girl, where it was the only scent that Blair Waldorf would wear since no other fragrance lived up to her standards. Back when the perfume was first created, it was famously worn by the infamous Marilyn Monroe, which heightened its popularity that much more. As of 2016, it is still the best-selling perfume in the world.

• The Little Black Dress

The creation of the little black dress in everyday wear was an iconic moment in fashion history. At the time, women only wore black dresses to funerals and when mourning, so it was seen as taboo to wear it for any other occasion. Of course, this did not stop Chanel from creating her iconic little black dress. Being both affordable, cute, and luxurious, vogue magazine claimed this dress to be a “uniform of women with taste,” which solidified the acceptance of black dresses in the fashion world and launched Chanel’s little black dress into the popular classic piece that it is today.

• Two-Toned Shoes

The Two-Toned shoes were first introduced in 1957, and once it had been seen worn by multiple celebrities of the time, they became instantly and exceedingly popular. Like most of Chanel’s popular creations, it became a classic for breaking the rules of fashion. Women at this time wore shoes that matched the color of whatever they were wearing, but since these shoes were two-toned, that didn’t happen, yet somehow it worked anyways. The shoes came in both heels and flats, so they could really be worn with any kind of outfit. Women loved the design and also were able to get great use out of them.

• Faux Pearls

If you have any faux pearls or diamonds, or any faux gemstones at all, you can thank Coco Chanel for making it mainstream and acceptable to wear. Chanel was very well-known for wearing a neck-full of faux pearls . Her reason for normalizing this was so that everyone could accessorize and be more creative with their outfits, including the majority of those who could not afford real gems. Chanel said that if gems were more affordable, then more women could accessorize rather than just wear plain outfits.

• Tweed Jackets

In 1924, the House of Chanel started using tweed in the creations of her jackets. Chanel got this idea from wearing her boyfriend at the time’s jacket that was made from tweed. Chanel was very often influenced by menswear and is known for putting a feminine, tomboy twist on their clothing, and this case was no different. Chanel found that this tweed jacket of her boyfriends was very comfortable and inevitably became inspired by it. Now this classic jacket exudes sophistication by anyone who wears the jacket or really anything similar to it. It is the definition of luxury, chic style that has stood the test of time.

• Yachting Pants

Designing pants and trousers for women was yet another historical creation in fashion. It was also yet another fashion creation by Coco Chanel that was influenced from men’s fashion. Chanel’s fearlessness when it came to fashion was the reason that everyday women felt like they could be fearless as well and it is also a huge reason why fashion is the way that it is today. Her yachting pants especially influence everyday fashion trends. It was without a doubt the beginning of women’s fashion becoming both stylish and comfortable at the same time.

The Breton top is famous for changing women’s casual wear forever. Coco Chanel was inspired to make the Breton top after sailing the French coast and seeing the stripes on the suites of sailors. She then immediately implemented these striped into her 1917 collection and has made an appearance in women’s fashion ever since. Today, having a basic striped shirt is a staple piece for most people’s wardrobe. It is simple, chic, and goes with a lot of different casual looks.

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Veliky Novgorod Region: Why you need to see the jewel in Russia’s ‘Silver Necklace’

Valday Iversky Monastery

For those of you making the trip to Veliky Novgorod Region, here is a list of unmissable activities and places of interest to really get you acquainted with the area and its history.

1.    Learn the history of the Russian state in Veliky Novgorod

Of course, this city is unmissable; being the historical center of Russian statehood with the most ancient cathedral in the country, Sophia Cathedral, erected more than one thousand years ago, is a place of power for the whole of Russia. The city was the first-ever Russian settlement straddling both sides of a river (Volkhov), with the imposing Kremlin on one side, and medieval churches and buildings in the historic market district on the other.

Veliky Novgorod Kremlin

You can spice up the historical tour with various custom ones available, including the ancient cemetery at night or an alco-tour of the city (where you get to try local food and drink). For more information on the city excursions, you can go here .

2.  Explore traditional folk craft at the workshop in Kresttsy settlement

Krestetsky stitching is a traditional Russian pattern - a folk craft that was born and developed in this area since the 1860-s. In Soviet times a small factory producing original unique linen products was built here. During Perestroika it was nearly closed due to the catastrophic economic crisis in the country. The risk for the Krestetsky stitch being completely forgotten was quite real. It is now a private factory and shop with guided tours.

NOVGOROD REGION, RUSSIA - JANUARY 24, 2019: Linen products of the Kresttsy Stitch clothing factory reviving and implementing the Kresttsy stitchery, a traditional local embroidery technique dating from the 1860s, in the village of Kresttsy, Novgorod Region

The pattern is very beautiful and difficult to master, so the possibility to observe the birth of a masterpiece is quite unique. Head over to the factory website for more details.

3.  Meet the old believers in the village of Lyakova

Russia’s so-called ‘old believers’ did not accept the reformation of Orthodox Christianity in Russia in the 17th century, choosing instead to keep the old traditions in church services and rites, in defiance of the state’s persecution, lasting centuries. Old believers are divided into two groups, those who accept the church hierarchy and those who do not accept priests at all, pray in their own houses, and are governed by the community leaders. At this time there are about one million old believers scattered around the country with no official statistics to confirm that figure.    

The old believers of Lyakova village will gladly welcome you in the old traditional peasant’s house, explaining how it was organized, and how life, in general, looked in the distant peasant past.  This immersion is accompanied by a traditional dinner with borsch, salo (pork scratchings) and tea brewed in a traditional samovar. Book your ticket here .

4.  Take the eco-trail at the Valdai national park 

This national park is one of the largest specially protected natural areas in the European part of Russia. Russian president Vladimir Putin has one of his ‘datchas’ here. The territory of the park that covers an area of 159 thousand hectares includes several lakes (Borovno, Valdai, Velje, Seliger) as well as rare animals and plants.

Many nature lovers come here to hike, swim in the lakes and camp. This year the big eco-trail was opened. If you enjoy hiking, you can walk all 59 kilometers in five days, starting from the town of Valdai and covering around 12 kilometers a day. On the way, you will have all the facilities needed for camping and spending time in nature, from toilets to camping equipment and various amenities. Visit the park’s website for more info.

5.   Visit the Valday Iversky Monastery

Located on an island 10 kilometers from the town of Valday, this monastery appears to be floating on the lake, when you look at it from a distance.

This is a male Orthodox monastery established in 1653. It was one of the three monasteries founded by the Patriarch Nikon (his reformation of the Orthodox Church in Russia and its unification with the Greek Orthodox church caused the split between ‘old’ and ‘new’ believers). The icon of the Mother of God – Iverskaya – is the treasure of the monastery and the reason for the active pilgrimage to this place.

6. Ring the bells at the Valday Museum of Bells

The region of Novgorod was the center of Russian statehood under the rule of the Rurikovich dynasty. After the collapse of Kievan Rus’, the region was an autonomous Russian state with a republican form of government, the symbol of which was a big Bell that every citizen could ring in order to gather the townspeople for a vote or resolve a community issue. So it is not by accident that the first-ever Museum of Bells in Russia was opened here.

Valday Museum of Bells

If you manage to get Nadezhda Yakovleva for a guide, you are guaranteed a one-person performance along with your historical facts, it’s fascinating and great fun as well.

 7.   Immerse yourself in 10th-century life at the settlement in Lyubytino village

This village of ancient Slavs has been restored in order to give tourists the impression of life centuries ago. Different types of Russian wooden cottages (izba) are represented here, as well as utility buildings and the ancient burial mounds, used by Slavs for burial rites.

Lyubytino is an urban locality (a work settlement) and the administrative center of Lyubytinsky District of Novgorod Oblast, Russia, located on the Msta River. Municipally, it serves as the administrative center of Lyubytinskoye Urban Settlement

For those seeking total immersion, there is the possibility of getting dressed in the traditional clothing of the time and have a photo session.

 8.   Visit the museum of local lore in the town of Borovichi

This is one of the oldest museums in the region, established in 1918, and located in a 19th century stone house with a mezzanine. It is devoted to the history of the region from the Stone Age to the Revolution of 1917.

By the end of the 19th century, Borovichi became an industrial city that attained fame in Europe due to the first international agricultural handicraft and industrial exhibition held here, which was established under the auspices of the Prince of Oldenburg, who underlined the importance of this region between the two Russian capitals. France then presented half of the items at the exhibition.

The region is also known for a unique material produced here: Franco-Russian pyro-granite plants of Prince Golitsyn were located in Borovichi, and the recipe for producing it remains secret to this day. This material got a large silver medal at the World Exhibition in Paris in 1889.

We highly recommend that you take a guide here, as there are many activities including role play and various fun games, as well as just beautiful stories told during it. Find out more here .

If you need some guidance in the area, feel free to address the Rus Novgorodskaya touristic center.

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• Tourist Attractions
• Tourist Attractions in Russia
• Novgorod Oblast Tourist Attractions

Veliky Novgorod

The whole city of Veliky Novgorod is a big museum; there are many well-preserved monuments dating back to the 11th century and later centuries.

Veliky Novgorod attractions

Novgorod kremlin, trade side and yaroslav’s courtyard, st. george's monastery, vitoslavlitsy museum of wooden architecture.

Request a private tour, tailor-made for individuals and small groups to meet your needs and preferences.

Discover historical attractions of Veliky Novgorod

• Private trip from St. Petersburg
• Visit Novgorod Kremlin and the Cathedral of St. Sophia
• Explore Yaroslav’s Court with its medieval churches
• Pick-up and drop-off at your hotel

Group of 2: 16000 Rubles/person

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