Chanel, Coco (Gabrielle) (1883–1971)

French fashion designer. She was renowned as a trendsetter and her designs have been copied worldwide. She created the ‘little black dress’, the informal cardigan suit, costume jewellery, and perfumes.

Her designs were inspired by her personal wish for simple, comfortable, and practical clothes. Throughout the 1920s and 1930s her look was widely influential; the basic ingredients were cardigans, woollen jersey dresses, the ‘little black dress’, bell-bottom trousers, and costume jewellery. Popular colours were grey, navy blue, black, and beige for the day, while for the evening she preferred white, black, and pastel shades. She closed her workshop in 1939 and did not return to fashion until 1954 when she began showing her classic suits again in soft tweed and jersey, often collarless and trimmed with braid and shown with costume jewellery such as artificial pearls or gilt chains. She continued working until her death.