Are you “Loco” for Coco? - Pt. 1

There is no question whether I have a thing for the timelessness that the House of Chanel provides us every single season, and - trust me, I have not hidden my “Coco/Karl” fondness at all. If you can recall I did decide to feature an article solely dedicated to Chanel in Style Magazine’s March Issue from this year, written by the delightful Dina Delphine (Dina_da_Dino) - accompanied with a rather simple photoshoot (the world-wide famous Chanel logotype, an interlocking double-Cs as a background) to emphasize the Chanel clothes featured in the photoshoot itself. Even, Teen Style - Style Magazine’s sister site has given all of us some Chanel treats on September/October’s Cover. After a talk I had with Selena (Model-Selena), Teen Style’s Editor-in-Chief - I actually found out that the stunning clutch was not a clutch after all; it is a bag featuring a detachable gold-tone link chain and she decided to remodel into a clutch. Not to mention the fact that I really want those Chanel bracelets gracing Mary’s wrist… Anyway, enough of me rambling about my adoration for Chanel - I don’t want you to get bored, because I still have not even half-way finished!

Eternal little black dresses, immortal costume jewellery (pearls, pearls, pearls…), everlasting tweed suits, timeless quilted handbags… Let’s just put it like this - minimalist, sophisticated, elegant, to be worn at any time of day. Over the years, Chanel has created details that today we associate with Chanel and Chanel only. As I have mentioned previously, just think of - the little black dress, tweeds, pearls, camellias, Byzantine crosses, stars, bows. Speaking of the house classics…

Oh, Karl - would you take me on a ride on the giant carousel featuring the super-sized signature classics of the House of Chanel? Until one of my wildest dreams come true, I would have to settle with my MeDoll all decked out in vintage Chanel. Yes, there is plenty of that - now, that we have a Coco Chanel doll on Stardoll. But, not just that - we have some of the more recent Chanel collections as well. With my fashionista Nancy Drew skills (as Britney would say), I have discovered many of the dresses that Stardoll created for the Coco Chanel doll.

Chanel evening wear all the way from the Roaring Twenties. If that is not vintage enough, I really don’t know what it is… This garment features metallic lace and threads, lavish embroidery, exquisite beading and sequins - all of which, show the flawless workmanship that was executed by Chanel's own embroidery workshop. Also, the garment bears a sticking resemblance to the Asian lacquered screens and the Oriental furniture which Coco loved and collected, both in pattern and colour palette. Talk about inspiration!

This bag is an icon; I mean is there a person that has not heard of the legendary Chanel 2.55 bag… Hmm, I guess not? Launched over fifty years ago by Coco Chanel herself, the Chanel 2.55 is as stylish today as it was back in the day. What’s so interesting about this bag is that it tells the story of the life of Coco Chanel as she went numerous times from bottom to the top and back again.

As I have read in one blog recently, Coco Chanel grew up in an orphanage - therefore, the double chain shoulder strap comes from the caretakers in the orphanage that would dangle keys from their waists. The zippered compartment on the inside of the front flap and this is rumoured to be where Coco would keep her love letters during an affair she had with Nazi spy, Hans Gunther von Dincklage. The brown-red color of the inside represents the same colors of the childrens' uniforms in the orphanage. Because of her fascination with horse racing and wanting to pay tribute to the coats worn by jockeys, Coco’s Chanel 2.55 bag features quilted material - now, that distinic feature is literary a synonym for the bag itself. Since Coco's original design there may have been many variations of the original design of the 2.55, but - all of them have kept the essence of the original, proving that this is not just another It-bag of the moment.

Karl Lagerfeld designed this ensemble for the House of Chanel, and - it truly illustrates his success in preserving and reinterpreting the classic style elements created by Coco Chanel, the same ones mentioned earlier in this post. In this example, or should I say - outfit, Karl decided to make his own references to Coco Chanel's pioneering designs of the previous decades. Pairing a men's underwear-type tank top, inscribed with the interlocked "CC" logo, with a tulle skirt - and, adding an oversized gold-colored metal and wood chain belt, Karl Lagerfeld has skillfully used a lot of the classic Chanel signatures while updating the overall look and bringing it up-to-date. Postmodernism at its best!

Illustration of Chanel - Courtesy of Danny Roberts