Coco Chanel- A Fashion Must of the 20th Century

“Fashion is not something that exists in dresses only. Fashion is in the sky, in the street, fashion has to do with ideas, the way we live, what is happening.” - Coco Chanel

As I wrote recently about women’s fashion, my interest turned to one particular woman who influenced fashion in a major way in the 20th century, Gabrielle ‘Coco’ Chanel. This woman was famous for her contemporary relaxed style of “casual elegance” in design, but also for her pioneering fashion firsts, like pea jackets and bellbottom pants. She led a very interesting life, not only designing fashionable clothes, but also helping serve her country as a nurse in WWI. I’d like to give you a little more of a background on this influential woman of the 20th century.

Though Chanel made great effort to change her real origins, it’s determined that she was born in a poorhouse in 1883 to parents, Albert Chanel and Jeanne Devolle in the small city of Saumur, France. She was one of five children and unfortunately when she was twelve her mother died of tuberculosis. As a result of the family’s monetary problems, young Chanel was sent off to a monestary in Aubazine where she learned the trade of seamstress.
At the ripe age of 18, Coco left the monastery to work for a local tailor. While working there she met Étienne Balsan, a man whose generosity knew no bounds. He introduced Chanel to a life of “diamonds, dresses and pearls”. While Chanel lived with Balsan she started up a hobby of designing hats, which later helped her when she opened her first shop in 1913 selling fashionable raincoats and jackets.

From her humble beginnings as a simple seamstress, Chanel’s livelihood grew to include another shop in Brittany, France where she sold hats to famous French actresses. Thus, her reputation was established and by the 1920s she was expanding to include couture in her line. She started using simpler, less fashionable fabrics of the time, like jersey, which was a first in the French fashion world. According to Wikipedia, she told Harper’s Bazaar that “simplicity is the keynote of true elegance”. Her designs reflected this in her simple yet chic apparel. Interestingly enough, Chanel was quite instrumental in developing the style of the 1920’s flapper.

Chanel developed her signature cardigan jacket in 1925 and her signature “little black dress” in 1926. Her first signature fragrance, Chanel No. 5, introduced in 1921 has enjoyed immense success even until the present day. In fact, one Chanel No. 5 bottle is sold every 30 seconds. Impressive, I’d say.

As I mentioned previously, Coco Chanel had a nursing stint earlier in the First World War, and yet she’s noted more for affair with a Nazi Spy in WWII. As I had never heard this information prior to researching her on the net, it was rather interesting to me that Chanel has such an interesting liason. Unfortunately, the affair put a hold on her career as she was exiled, in a manner, to Switzerland. When she returned to Paris four years later her new collections took a while to gain success with the Parisian people. Instead, her designs took hold with Americans and her popularity grew worldwide.

Coco Chanel lived and worked in Paris until her death in 1971 at the ripe age of 87. Her legacy is a large one, full of enduring fashion classics, and yet her strong presence as a female figurehead is what makes her unforgettable still today.

“In order to be irreplaceable one must always be different”. -Coco Chanel

Women's Fashions in Early 20th Century Europe

During the 20th century much was changing in Europe. There were two major world wars and in a large part cultural views were transforming. The family’s values were changing and a sense of freedom was being instilled more in women. Because of their new found freedom, women started to revamp their lifestyles. One thing in particular I’d like to focus on is how much women’s fashions were redefined during the earlier part of the 20th century.

Because of the First World War (1914-1918), many fashions that had once been rather static began changing at an accelerated pace. The largest and most noticeable change was the hemline. According to costumes.org hems, which had risen from floor length to ankle length prior to the war, rose to midcalf by 1916 and have stayed higher ever since. Before the war, where dressing like a man had been declared ugly and immoral, now it was more acceptable for women to wear trousers and short hair. This transition towards a masculine appearance had much to do with the jobs women were taking during the war. Many men were gone to fight, and when women took over their jobs it was much more practical, and in fact safer, to habituate a masculine style. Eventually during the twenties short hair became very popular and the flapper movement upped the drama of women’s clothing. Hemlines rose to the knee and more exciting still, flesh colored stockings were being used and paired with sexy heels, (not the button up boots of years past).

As fashion is just a reflection of the values of society, trends continued to take a more casual approach as the twenties progressed. Because the values of the older generation had gotten them into war, the younger generation tended to shy away from anything that reminded them of that, most especially in clothing styles. Sexuality in all it’s forms were beginning to be embraced by women and this movement was echoed in their clothing. Thinner figures started to become popular among women and diets were put in place so they could mold themselves into that “stylish”, slimmer, flatter teenage shape. Waistlines dropped to hip length and the brassiere started to replace corsets completely.

Hollywood had a large effect not only on the fashion of America, but Europe as well. Lipstick and perms became quite popular, making salons a fashionable place for ladies to gather and socialize.

The Second World War broke out in Europe in 1939, the same year as Nylon was introduced. Even though there were other exciting new innovations during this period, because of the war, rations caused fashion to became a rather “make do and mend” style. Women’s styles made the greatest changes during this period. Men’s old suits were reused and sewn into women’s suits, “complete with the tailored details and shoulder padding previously found in the garments” (costumes.org). Rationing in Europe also encouraged less fabric use, and thus the invention of every woman’s must, “The Little Black Dress”. Trying to stay fashionable during the war was tough, but style magazines promoted this style as quite practical. Just take that simple, short black dress and change it up from day to night with different accessories.

All in all, the changes made to women’s fashion in the early part of the 20th century were considerable and quite influential during the rest of the century. I find that viewing fashion as a historical marker is quite useful and interesting if one knows what to look for.

The European Union

Recently I attended a lecture on business in Britain and the “new” Europe. There were many points of interest, but one in particular that I decided to research more in depth. The European Union (EU) is a very important part of the culture and politics of the 20th century, so I’ll go over a bit of its history and what it’s achieving in present day Europe.

The European Union was in theory started long before its founding in 1993 as a reaction to the second World War. The idea was to curtail the extreme forms of nationalism that had traumatized the continent. After several attempts over the years were made to join countries together economically, it wasn’t until after the Iron Curtain fell in 1990 that criteria was established for candidacy into the Union and the ball got rolling. Once the Maastricht Treaty was put into play in Nov. 1993, the European Union was established with 12 nations of the European Community.
By 2002, the Euro had replaced the national currencies of 12 member nations. The EU’s growth continued and in 2004 it saw it’s largest growth when 10 nations joined the Union bringing the final total today to 27 member countries.

The European Union’s goal is to give greater freedom to its citizens through their work, lifestyle, study, and travel in member states. According to Wikipedia, the European Union has effictively “established a single economic market across the territory of all its members.” This is important because it means that trade occurs more often and therefore stimulates the economy in all regions. Wikipedia also sites that the EU “generated an estimated nominal gross domestic product (GDP) of US$16.83 trillion in 2007, amounting to 31% of the world’s total economic output, which makes it the largest economy in the world by nominal GDP…”. That’s pretty darn impressive.

In regards to how the EU operates, I found out that it’s developed a single market through certain laws- which apply to all the member states. These laws guarantee certain rights to the EU’s members. Most importantly, the EU insures the freedom of movement of “people, goods, services and capital.” It helps to keep up a standard trade policy, as well as a regional development policy. Because of its vast importance in Europe, its role in foreign policy is quite substantial. It has members in the United Nations, at G8 summits, and in the World Trade Organization.

Overall, the European Union has made trade and travel much easier to the people of Europe. Because density is such an issue in Europe (450 million compared to America’s 300 million) having these trade barriers broken down has benefited the economy and helped frustrated travelers.

Wilfred Owen- WWI Poet

Recently I’ve been studying WWI in my Politics and Culture class, while also reading the novel Regeneration, by Pat Barker. Many famous war poets are mentioned, one of the most famous (and lead character of the novel) being Siegfried Sassoon. Who I’d like to focus on right now was someone he mentored. A smaller role in the novel, but a large contributor to war poetry, Wilfred Owen is even considered by some to be a greater poet than his mentor, Sassoon.

Here’s a brief history:

Wilfred Edward Salter Owen was born in 1893. He lived mainly in Berkinhead until he left England to tutor in France before the war. He enlisted in the Artists’ Rifles in 1915 and was commissioned later in 1917 as a second lieutenant with the Manchester Regiement. After some severely traumatic experiences, Owens was diagnosed with shell shock and sent to Craiglockhart War Hospital where he met his famous mentor, Siegfried Sassoon.

Although Owen had already been experimenting with poetry before the war, his light-hearted sonnets took a decidedly different path when encouragement by Sassoon had him practice more realism in his work. Owen started writing a bit in “Sassoon’s style” but mostly used that to help flavor his own work with a more “writing from experience” slant. As editor for “The Hydra “, a magazine published at Craiglockhart, he was able to present a few of his poems. Unfortunately, Owens was unable to see any work published before his death in 1918 (a week before the war ended).

Owen’s poetry was saved though, through the combined efforts of his former friend and mentor, Sassoon, and Eidith Sitwell and Edmund Blunden. Blunden edited his poems into a new anthology in 1931 and from then on Owen’s popularity as a war poet has grown. Today he is considered one of the greatest if not THE greatest war poet from the First World War. His extraordinary poems on the horrors of trench and gas warfare make it hard to ignore how terrible and life changing the war was.

To see Wilfred Owen’s poetry go to:

http://www.everypoet.com/archive/poetry/Wilfred_Owen/

And for a sample, here’s one of his most famous poems,

Dulce et Decorum est

Bent double, like old beggars under sacks,

Knock-kneed, coughing like hags, we cursed through sludge,

Till on the haunting flares we turned our backs,

And towards our distant rest began to trudge.

Men marched asleep. Many had lost their boots,

But limped on, blood-shod. All went lame, all blind;

Drunk with fatigue; deaf even to the hoots

Of gas-shells dropping softly behind.

Gas! Gas! Quick, boys! -- - An ecstasy of fumbling

Fitting the clumsy helmets just in time,

But someone still was yelling out and stumbling

And flound'ring like a man in fire or lime. -- -

Dim through the misty panes and thick green light,

As under a green sea, I saw him drowning.

In all my dreams before my helpless sight

He plunges at me, guttering, choking, drowning.

If in some smothering dreams, you too could pace

Behind the wagon that we flung him in,

And watch the white eyes writhing in his face,

His hanging face, like a devil's sick of sin,

If you could hear, at every jolt, the blood

Come gargling from the froth-corrupted lungs

Bitten as the cud

Of vile, incurable sores on innocent tongues, -- -

My friend, you would not tell with such high zest

To children ardent for some desperate glory,

The old Lie: Dulce et decorum est

Pro patria mori.

Museums- Trés Important !!!!

As a result of being in London for the past month and a half, I’m just coming to realize that I’ve probably visited more museums recently than I may have my entire life. I’ve enjoyed countless paintings and amazing artifacts, seen dozens of priceless antiquities, and I wouldn’t trade those experiences for anything.
The question I’d like to pose is this: What impact has this cornucopia of historical artifacts had on today’s culture? For me, the answer is simple. My world has expanded every time I enter a new museum. I am more cultured, more socially aware, less ignorant of history, intellectually and visually stimulated, and the list goes on.
In a recent BLC lecture, I learned that there are more than 300 museums in London alone! How incredible. As a student myself, I’ve noticed that every museum I’ve been to has never failed to have a flock of scholars, from elementary to college age. This really impresses me and makes me envious at the same time. Where I live now, in Arkansas, there are no serious museums within 2 hours of where I live. When I was in elementary and high school, we hardly ever went to museums, and if we did, it was on a serious venture, like my choir trips to New York and Chicago. To live in a city full of museums now is like a dream come true.
As I walked through The Science Museum the other day, I was able to watch as young children explored nature and science through hands on activities. If a child is able to experience these things throughout their schooling, imagine what an impact that will have on their education. Being offered these splendid educational opportunities will also contribute to the shaping of responsible, motivated adults.

Here’s an interesting figure for London:

“The figures for numbers of children engaged in educational programmes at these galleries are as follows:

2003-2004 2004-2005 estimated outturn

National Gallery 104,000 90,000
National Portrait Gallery 33,212 39,000
Tate Gallery 222,417 249,158
Victoria and Albert Museum 284,000 220,000”

I found this at: http://www.culture.gov.uk/reference_library/foi_requests/1471.aspx



Another aspect that is important to mention is the personal growth that museums help to develop. Because of the distinct subjects they each focus on, anyone can find a museum that fits their individual interests. If a person enjoys anthropology, for example, the British Museum would be a fabulous place to visit because of its rich sampling of cultures all across Europe. One area I’ve really taken advantage of is history. I visited the Imperial War Museum last week and learned an incredible amount about WWI alone. So much personal history was there that I could have never gotten out of a standard history textbook. Because I have a special focus on 20th century Europe this semester, I can appreciate how much of that history is imparted through these museums.

Another level of value is placed on museums when remembering tourism. Tourism is a very important part of how a city’s economy thrives. Museums are a GREAT source of tourism, and although most of the museums here are free of charge, they still bring in plenty of revenue and help to boost the economy. That said, if it weren’t for the very rich quality of the London museums, much of the attraction to visit would decrease and tourism would suffer.

Overall, the importance of museums to European society and culture has not been lost on me. I will forever be indebted to Europe, most especially the great city of London, for providing an enjoyable way to gain a wealth of knowledge during my stay here.

For those interested, here’s a website that lists all the museums in London:

http://www.londonnet.co.uk/ln/guide/about/museums.html