FWSA Article || Revolutionising Women's Fashion - Coco Chanel

I was recently asked to write an article for the Feminist and Women's Studies Association Blog. I wrote an article on the revolutionising of women's fashion and the effect that Coco Chanel had on women's fashion. It was such an honour to be asked to write for this organisation and something I feel personally very proud of. 

The FWSA is a UK based association that focuses on promoting the feminist teaching and research and studies, nationally and internationally. They run a blog which invites people from everywhere to write article on a number of subjects from book reviews, to the media and the arts to events and projects - all with a feminist concern/idea at the heart of it.

You can read my article here - I've also included it below. Please have a read and let me know your thoughts.

I see fashion as an art form. An art form that we not only wear, but that changes continuously with our society: reflecting the influences within the media along with the economic situation. Women’s fashion has been, and still is, directly linked with our fight for freedom. It reflects our ever-changing position within society: the power, the repression, the sexism and the ‘stereotypes.’ Throughout history women’s fashion has been used as a tool for women and as our rights changed, so did our clothing. The revolution and liberation of women’s fashion bottles down to just a few individuals, one notably being Coco Chanel as she reformed the perceptions of women’s fashion and evolved the way feminism is explored through our clothing.

Towards the beginning of the 20th Century women’s fashion began to change dramatically, the turn of the century opened up to simplicity and with women’s fight for independence clothing moved to be more practical, free and above all feminine, a huge contrast from the confined and restricted frills and corsets of the 19thCentury. 1906 saw the decline of the train on women’s dresses, and soon enough hems began to rise (above the ankle.) Four years later in 1910 fashion began to focus on emphasising the female structure more, think hips and waist, and just one year later in 1911 the world began to see the attractiveness of slender bodies. However it should be noted that women were still being forced into specific and idealistic body types as a response to societies ever changing demand for the “ideal woman.”

|| Black || The Greatest Colour in Fashion & Art? ||

Yves Saint Laurent once said that “black is the liaison which connects art and fashion,” supporting Gianni Versace’s similar citation that “black is the quintessence of simplicity and elegance.”

The colour of black wasn’t really introduced into fashion until around the 14^th Century, in which the status of black within fashion and art began to change. The fine quality dyes began to be imported and exported and soon arrived on the market. Initially black was to be worn by governmental officials and magistrates, acting as a symbol of ‘importance’ and ‘seriousness.’

Black was the colour of power; of dignity; of humility and temperance with the rulers of the European world basking in the symbolism of black.

Gustave Doreé || The Inferno, Canto

In the 18^th century black began to retreat as a fashionable colour, and as Paris became the fashion capital of the world; the powerful men and women of the world began adorning shades of pastels, creams and colours – a sweet shops of colours.

Then came the Industrial Revolution and everything changed. The cities of Europe and a-like became stained black resulting in the art and literature of the time to reflect the landscape – think Charles Dickens and famous French artist Gustave Doré. 

Henri Matisse || Potrait of
Madame Matisse

Within the world of art, black was a controversial topic with some artists fully loathing the colour within their works, whereas others, such as Manet, incorporated the colour in their works to capture the lights and true emotion of the subject. In the 20^th century black became the colour of Fascism from counties such as Italy and Germany. However within art, black regained some the territory is had previously lost in around the 19^th century.

In 1945, Henri Matisse (personally one of my favourite artists) greatly expressed his love for the colour within his work, explaining the significance and importance of the colour: “when I didn’t know what colour to put down, I put down black … Black is a force: I use black as a ballast to simplify the construction … since the impressionists it seems to have made continuous progress, taking a more and more important part in colour orchestration, comparable to that of the double bass as a solo instrument.”

Coco Chanel's 'LBD'

In 1926 our beloved Coco Chanel famously said this: “A woman needs just three things; a black dress, a black sweater, and, on her arm, a man she loves.” Along with her famous LBD – Little Black Dress – she helped to revolutionize fashion, and of course the colour of black within fashion. Women’s fashion became sophisticated and simplified, symbolising freedom coinciding with chic. One of the most famous dresses inspired by this movement is of course the one worn by Audrey Hepburn in Breakfast at Tiffany’s, designed by Hubert de Givenchy.

In the 1950s, black became the symbol of individuality and intellectual and social rebellion, spanning from the leather jacketed greasers to the punk subculture of the late 20th century.

Designer Ann Demeulemeester said that black is of “the purest of colours … the most poetic, but at the same time strongest. It’s the colour of poets and writers and of rebels.”

Coco Chanel

Black within fashion is a recurrent feature, the only colour that stays no matter what. No matter the season. No matter occasion. No matter the style. Many speculate that black within fashion is greatly linked with the economy and in a sense I agree. Black has been, and still is, a symbol for various movements, subcultures and personal expression. Black became a way in which men and women could fully express themselves without giving in to the conformity pressed by society. It became is symbol of power, freedom, individuality and rebellion, and symbol that, without even knowing, would change the face of fashion and art continuously. Black is a colour that is in-definitively adaptable to our surroundings, social status, economical stance, and our political and moral movements.