As I was reading the chapter by Rhonda Garelick, The Layered Look, I was struck by the truly revolutionary effect that Coco Chanel's fashion designs had on the experience of being a female at the turn of the 20th century. As Garelick states on page 42, "Her designs rejected the old paradigm of woman as immobile art object and eliminated the elaborate layers of fabric and undergarments that women typically wore." This simplification of female style freed women, quite literally, from the restraints of corsets and over-accessorized dresses. She even popularized pants for ladies! But through this change, the objectification of women was not as easy any more. Chanel's style has often been described as boyish, and I do think that there is an important parallel connection between this physical change in female appearance and the greater social changes that were beginning to occur at the time. As their bodies grew less exaggerated, women were beginning to achieve more power and mobility on their own, embodying this more male appearance and taking it to the next level.
Yet also, as she shed the layers of clothing she added a sense of self to her designs. Elements of Chanel's character and personality made it into her clothes and provided her women clients with a mission as they donned these new designs. As the article states, Chanel's assistant, Lilou Marquand, wrote that Chanel, "had a message to transmit." This message sparked a movement and inspiration among women that has persisted until the present day.
Yes but since Title IX and so many other changes (legal, moral as well as economical), I wonder if Chanel is not now becoming a status symbol, more than a reminder of the long way we've come as women. The excessive prices of her designs smack of privilege and the 1%, to some people. One must admit that her company's products are out of range for the huge majority of customers...
ReplyDeleteIs that liberating?