Coco and Pablo among others

During the continuous Paris party of the 1920’s Coco became famous. In the book ‘Getting Along Famously’ by Melissa Hellstern the columnist Henry Bernstein described Coco’s Faubourg Saint-Honore home in this way; ‘... delicate and endless reflections of mirrors, sumptuous lacquers and white violence of legions of peonies.....’     

Into this scene many up and coming artists drifted. For a time Pablo Picasso kept a room at Coco’s Paris apartment. The images in this blog will give you an idea of what Pablo was creating at this time. 

She also helped Igor Stravinsky and his family find a home and offered financial assistance. Igor the Russian composer, pianist and conductor became famous for the music for three ballets he composed for Sergei Diaghilev. Sergei was the founder of the Ballets Russes. Stravinsky went on to be considered one of the most (according to Time) influential people of the 20th century.

The artists, musicians and designers who worked with Sergi besides Chanel and Picasso, were Braque, Matisse and Miro among others.      
  
What a fascinating time this must have been and there was Coco in the thick of it. She had started out her fashion career making hats and she went on to become the first fashion designer to be properly received into Parisian society.  

Coco stated

‘Life as actually experienced is of little account. 

But the life one has dreamed of 
that’s what matters, 

because it will continue after one’s death’

The impact of Coco and the many other great artists who surrounded her life certainly continues today. I am very grateful that while studying visual art we had lectures with dance, music and drama students and studied these topics as well. This helped developed an appreciation of the links between all the creative arts and how the can inform and inspire each other.    

A sample of Coco on Sample Board Online

Last week I came across images of Coco Chanel’s apartment on the Flickr.com website. I was particularly impressed by the staircase. What a remarkable women; Coco’s influence can still be felt today. Think Chanel No 5.

During 1922 the colour beige became the rage. Coco Chanel made the greatest impact on style in the 1920’s.She had her salon decorated in beige. Coco designed collarless tweed jackets in shades of subtle beige. She also used flesh coloured stockings with pale beige shoes to emphasize the length of the leg. The heels and toes of the shoes were black.

Coco created clothes modelled on the Englishman’s tailored styles. This included pullovers in pale shades. She also introduced the little black dress, bell bottomed trousers and was famous for the Chanel suit still in style today.

Chanel moved in artistic circles. Pablo Picasso, Igor Stravinsky, Sergei Diaghilev and Salvador Dali were among the men she met at dinner parties held by her great friend Misia Sert. The Paris of 1925 was a perpetual party according to George Auric.

Coco Chanel changed the fashion of the masses. She transformed women’s fashion by removing corsets, whalebone stays and chokers from her designs. She also encouraged women to cut their hair. She advocated sunbathing and bathing suits rebelling against the conventions of the day.

At this time glitter was introduced into the home, glossy lacquered furniture and screens, shiny floor tiles, and varnished walls. Gold, silver, bronze, steel and chrome were combined with marble and glass as ornaments on furniture. In the early 20’s silver and black were high fashion colours in decor.

Sonia Delaunay brought the intense colours and forms of Van Gogh, Gauguin and Cubism into textiles. She expressed colour in terms of musical scales, harmonies and rhythms.

I was going to finish this subject in one blog but I will finish for today and continue the discussion later giving Coco the last word today.
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‘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