Chanel on Menswear

8/10/2019 Chanel on Menswear

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Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . pg. 6

The Chanel suit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .pg. 8

Trousers for women . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .pg. 10

Jersey. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . pg. 12

Dress and culture scale. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .pg. 13

The art of dress. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . pg. 15

The future of dress. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . pg. 19

Bibliography. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .pg. 21


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Known for her timeless designs, Coco Chanel is a designer for the ages. A pioneer of fashion by

breaking the social norms of her time, the world of womens clothing has much to thank this

designer for. In an attempt to empower women and showcase their independence and

professionalism during the time of WWII, Chanel created the first womens suits and pants. She

revolutionized the sustainability of the fashion industry by getting creative with cheap fabrics,

particularly jersey, and using the taboo material to create dresses for the feminine figure.

Chanel did not begin her clothing line with a particular goal in mind, with a ten-year plan, or

with any kind of mission statement. From humble beginnings to the peak of her creativity,

Chanel has become a household name. Through less than successful years and difficult

challenges, the House of Chanel remains one of the most couture names in fashion today.

Without her influence, how much longer would women be forced into the social norms of

ankle-length dresses and other heavy, restrictive attire? Chanels ideas of simplicity and

comfort have not only influenced womens loungewear, but also have influenced the way

women are perceived and respected in the workplace. Chanels clothing speaks of gender

equality and feminine empowerment.

Through this research I have recognized the role society plays in fashion, and in turn the way

fashion influences society. The evolution of fashion through the ages is not only trendy but also

necessary as gender binaries are broken, social norms are challenged, and recognition for

individuality remains a quality to be desired. Much at the root of these influences on fashion

and society is Coco Chanel, at least as far as womens fashion is concerned. Clothing is not only

what we wear, but a reflection of our ideals, our goals, and the environment around us. Our

clothing has just as much an impact on society as society has an impact on our clothing.

- Mekenna Malan

FSCE 3080


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Chanel opened a clothing store in Paris in 1921. While in Paris, she designed the Chanel suit,

the first suit ever created for women. Generally designed as a boxy wool jacket with braid trim,

metallic buttons, and fitted sleeves, the suit gave the women who wore it a sleek and

professional look. It was more than a fashion statement: the suit allowed those who wore it to

display the pursuit of their industrial goals and encourage an independent lifestyle during the

time the husbands of WWI were coming home from the battlefield.

The Chanel suit falls into the body enclosuresgroup of the classification system. It is pre-shaped

and wrapped around the body. The Chanel suit specifically affects the shape and structure of

the body wearing it.

The body is an armature for this particular dress practice. Based on Sheldons somatotypes,

women with any of the three body types could wear a Chanel suit to showcase theirindependence and indicate to others their professional agenda.

As previously mentioned, the Chanel suit was brought about because of environmental and

occupational changes. While men were leaving to fight in WWI, women were more likely to get

jobs to support their families. After the war ended, women continued to prove their dominance

in the workplace, and Chanel was the first to create a suit that embodied feminine freedom.

According to Siples clothing zones, the Chanel suit fits perfectly with both the two and three -

layer zones. In a cool climate, a suit gives the perfect amount of warmth. Wearing a Chanel suit

in a one-layer zone would be too hot, whereas wearing it in any cooler clothing zone would be

freezing.


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Women in the west began wearing pants for work and sports in the late 1800s. With the influence of

Coco Chanel, a womens line of trousers became seen as chic as late as the 1930s. Even during that

time, the idea of women in pants was seen as scandalous to many. Chanel led by her own example, as

she was quite annoyed with wearing skirts, and there are many stories of her making unorthodoxstatements by tossing them aside. Once while horse riding, she was rumored to have literally taken the

pants off of a male rider and wearing them. Her legions of chic and gutsy followers modeled their

own styles after her not long after she made a statement in sailors pants at a beach resort in lieu of a

swimsuit.

Trousers fall into the body enclosuresgroup of the classification system. It is suspended from the hips.

Trousers on women specifically affect the volume & proportion, shape & structure, and texture of a

body example. Wearing trousers may have affected the sound an outfit may make when walking,

especially as a change from the skirts and dresses that women were used to wearing.

The body is an armature for this particular dress practice. Based on Sheldons somatotypes, women with

any of the three body types could wear trousers to showcase their independence and indicate to others

their professional agenda.

A womens line of trousers was brought about by Chanel largely because of her own interests. She found

it extremely difficult to ride a horse in a skirt, and showcased feminism at its finest by proving that

women could wear trousers the same as men. "I gave women a sense of freedom," she once said. "I

gave them back their bodies: bodies that were drenched in sweat, due to fashion's finery, lace, corsets,

underclothes, padding."

According to Siples clothing zones, trousers fit perfectly with both the two and three-layer zones. In a

cool climate, trousers give the perfect amount of warmth. Wearing trousers in a one-layer zone would

be too hot, whereas wearing it in any cooler clothing zone would be freezing.


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With the goal of comfort closer achieved with the incorporation of trousers in womens dress practices,using jersey as a fabric for feminine clothing was a game-changer. Chanel made this statement in 1916,

using jersey for the first time for anything other than mens undergarments. Chanel designed neutral-

colored jersey dresses to hug and flatter a womans natural figure, rather than distort it.

Clothing made of jersey falls into the body enclosuresgroup of the classification system. Designs can be

a combination of both wrapped and suspended enclosures. Jersey dresses specifically affect the volume

& proportion, shape & structure, and texture of a body example. In a time when popular clothing was

meant to emphasize and alter a womans body shape, jersey was made popular by being one of the first

breathable dress fabrics.

The body is an armature for this particular dress practice. Based on Sheldons somatotypes, women with

any of the three body types could wear jersey dresses to showcase their natural body type and dress

chic in a comfortable way.

Not only was Chanels incorporation of jersey into womens fashion chic, but it was also timely. At the

end of WWI, expensive fabric was hard to come by. Chanel designed clothing with jersey because it was

a breathable and forgiving fabric, but it was also a necessity.

According to Siples clothing zones, jersey fits perfectly with both the one and two-layer zones. Because

jersey is a light fabric, it could be worn comfortably in moderate heat. Wearing jersey in a climate any

colder than a two-layer zone would be too cold.


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High-density urban setting Women in the workplace

Economic Hardship Only cheap fabrics available

War

Merge in gender roles


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Coco Chanel incorporated menswear into womens fashion due society at the time of her creations and

the economic hardships that resulted due to war. With the men fighting, women were required to begin

working in order to keep their families financially stable. As women in the workplace grew to become a

culture trait, Chanel designed trousers and suits for women to showcase their newfound independence

and professional work ethic. Due to the bad economy, Chanel searched to find a cheaper fabric

alternative, and began to use jersey. Although only have been used in the past to make mens

undergarments, the fabric was comfortable, workable, and above all, affordable.

Dress is a shorthand expression of cultural history because dress reflects the beliefs, ideologies, and

characteristics of a certain frame of time. While war, economic hardship, and gender norms were

changing, Chanel allowed these unsatisfactory culture traits to fuel her creative genius and created high-

end clothing for industrialized women. Her creations span throughout all culture scales, as domestic-

scale mothers were required to venture into the workspace to feed their families, they began wearing

comfortable and professional suits and trousers. Her clothing - namely the trousers, suits and jersey

fabrics that she incorporated into womens fashion was trendy and scandalous enough at the time to

appeal to women in both the political and commercial-scale cultures as well.

The use of jersey fabric and incorporation of suits and trousers into womens fashion are easily

identified as zeitgeist, or the spirit of the times. The modification of the popular womens skirts into

trousers exemplified the social value of being a part of the working class. The modification of dresses

into suits for women exemplified the trend of the womens trouser and the trend of feminine

independence. Using cheap jersey fabric to create womens clothing despite its past use for mens

underwear exemplified the social value and trend of being frugal during the Great Depression.


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The incorporation of suits and trousers are, in a way, body-dominant. Rather than drawing attention to

parts of the body on the individual wearing the suit, the integration of menswear into womens fashion

was to draw attention to the woman as an independent and professional being. With their husbands

away at war, women discovered their self-reliance as the breadwinner of the family. Both the suit and

trouser, as Chanel made for women, was meant to announce through dress the professional status and

work ethic of the female wearing it. This fashion statement remains today. Using jersey fabrics to create

dresses was a body-dominant move by Chanel. The jersey fabric fit more snug and shaped around the

female body more fluidly than the fabric used to create dresses in the past. A body-dominant female

silhouette was created.

Chanels aesthetic complied with the belief that less is more. Ease of movement through lightweight

fabrics was created often through her designs, and a stripped-down silhouette that portrayed the power

of menswear became the Chanel aesthetic as well. The Chanel aesthetic went directly against the

popular aesthetic for womens clothing at the time (Erick, 2009). The prescribed form for womens

fashion was long dresses and skirts for women, made of thick and heavy fabrics. This is the completeopposite of Chanels shapely jersey dresses, pin-tucked suits, skirts that cut off higher up the leg than

before, and trousers for women. Women who participated in Chanels revolution conveyed a message

of self-sufficiency, power, and professionalism.


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The ensembles Chanel created that incorporated menswear defied the cultural norm of what was

attractive at the time. The form of Chanels clothing brought more attention and emphasis to the female

form than other popular clothing. When she first released her creations, her shorter dresses and

feminine silhouettes, even though created through menswear, were considered scandalous. Chanel

often created clothing with monochrome colors, often creating harmonious ensembles in full black.

Those who dressed in Chanels feminine menswear were making a statement of individuality. Those who

wore traditional dresses during the time of Chanels popularity might have been considered dependent

homemakers, while those who wore her suits and jerseys portrayed an individualistic mindset of

professional and financial independence. Cultural ideas of unique individuals often portray said

individuals as trailblazers, and these hardworking women were just that.


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Women continue to wear suits to announce professionalism and assert independence in society and inthe workplace. Globalization has also led to women wearing variations of trousers instead of dresses

every day. More women around the world from different countries and social practices are beginning to

wear pants as well. Jersey continues to be a fabric used to create more than just mens underwear

jersey dresses are still popular today, and almost all items of clothing have been made with jersey fabric

in the modern age. Globalization has only increased the trend of incorporating mens clothing into

womens fashion, and it will most likely continue to integrate in the future, as multiple unisex clothing

stores are becoming more popular throughout the world (Barbaro & Wilson, 2006).

Chanels legacy will live on and continue to influence designers to push social norms, experiment with

sustainable fabrics, and push for gender equality through clothing styles.


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SOURCES

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Dunne, E. (2013). Seven Wonders: How Coco Chanel changed the course of womens fashion. Retrieved

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Gurjot New York (2013). The History of the Suit: Coco Chanel and the First Womens Suit. Retrieved onNovember 17, 2014, fromhttp://www.gurjotnewyork.com/blog/the-history-of-the-

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Krick, J. (2014). Gabrielle Coco Chanel (1883-1971) and the House of Chanel. Retrieved November 17,

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Lester, T.L. (2009). 5 things you can thank Coco Chanel for (including her awesome new Biopic).

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coco-ch

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http://becuo.com/little-black-dress-chanel-1926

http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/showthread.php?t=81652&page=26

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Chanel on Menswear

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