Coco Chanel

At a time when women were trapped in corsets, Coco Chanel cut them loose.

She took jersey (once used for men’s underwear) and turned it into high fashion.

She made black, once reserved for mourning, the chicest color in the world.

She gave women trousers, collarless tweed suits, and handbags with straps so they could move freely.

Then, she created the most famous perfume in history: Chanel No. 5.

Not a dainty floral scent, but bold, complex, and unforgettable.

A fragrance designed for the modern woman.

By the 1920s, she had built a fashion empire, rubbing shoulders with aristocrats, artists, and political leaders.

Her lovers were as legendary as her designs… she had affairs with a Russian grand duke, a British duke, and a millionaire polo player.

But her ambition came first.

During WWII, she closed her couture house and moved into the Ritz, where she took a Nazi lover and allegedly worked as a German spy.

After the war, she fled to Switzerland, escaping prosecution.
Some say thanks to Winston Churchill.

Most designers would have faded into history.

But not Chanel.

At 70, she staged the greatest comeback fashion had ever seen.

In 1954, she relaunched her brand, reclaiming her place at the top.

Her tweed suits, little black dresses, and quilted handbags became the uniform of powerful women, from Jackie Kennedy to Princess Diana.

Coco Chanel changed how women lived in their clothes.

Today, her legacy is worn, sprayed, and debated worldwide.

Genius? Traitor? Both? You decide.