BBC Culture: The French icon who revolutionised women's clothes
Feb. 2, 2021
In fashion folklore, Gabrielle Chanel is famously credited as the designer who popularised trousers, making them a key piece in women's wardrobes, and also for helping to liberate women from the tyranny of the corset. Instead of caging them in stuffy, superfluous designs, her clothes prioritised freedom of movement, mobility and comfort. She broke down sartorial codes by borrowing elements of men's fashion, such as pockets and tweed, and erased waistlines and bustlines to create androgynous silhouettes. Like any good trailblazer, Chanel's defiance of societal and gender norms early in her career befuddled some, and inspired others.
It's easy see why some view her as a feminist icon. But an exhibition about the designer at the Palais Galliera in Paris (which is temporarily closed but can be viewed online), stops short of calling Gabrielle, better known as Coco, a feminist. While words like "feminine" and "femininity" appear often to describe her creations, nowhere in the 16,145-sq-ft exhibition is feminism mentioned.
More at https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20210201-the-french-icon-who-revolutionised-womens-clothes
