Coco Chanel

If you look at pictures of women through-out history, you will find that prior to the twentieth century they are all wearing dresses. What happened in the twentieth century that caused women to start wearing pants? Well, what happened was Coco Chanel! Chanel was born in 1883 in France. She worked in a milliner in Paris as a young woman and in 1912 opened a shop and founded a couture house. She decided it was time to revolutionize woman’s clothing. She began by encouraging woman to wear casual but elegant clothing and to liberate themselves from corsets. Coco Chanel created clothing for woman that was simpler and more practical. Many of her styles were inspired by men’s clothing. The best thing she did was to introduce trousers and suits for women – something which had not been done before. As someone who wears slacks much more often that skirts, I am grateful for Coco’s vision. The 1920’s were a period of liberation for women. It was the decade in which women received the vote in many countries. Women began to work in professions and jobs which had previously been held by men. Coco’s fashion was a reflection of these social and political changes. Proudly wearing pant suits, many years after Coco Chanel’s inspiration . . . it’s a good thing!