A Bit About Chanel
In the beginning, Gabrielle Chanel (Coco) designs were derived from military uniforms and were described by Harper's Bazaar as something that should be “on the list of every buyer”.
The House of Chanel then designed a practical and now iconic suit of clothes, and the Chanel Suit was born. To compliment this suit, Coco Chanel commissioned the perfumer Ernest Beaux to create the now famous Chanel No.5, which came to its name after Coco was down to the final 5 samples.
Coco Chanel then partnered with Pierre Wertheimer, a wealthy French businessman, who ended up exploiting her talents but did fund expansion of the parfumerie which created the wealth they enjoyed, all from the success of No. 5 de Chanel.
Christian Dior was a major influence on Coco Chanel as his "New Look" took over the fashion world in the late 1940's. You can see his design influence in Chanel dresses to this day.
Chanel's coveted quilted leather handbag arrived in February of 1955, internally known at Chanel as 2.55 due to this release date. They also smartly mixed metal and leather chains to allow for sturdy and comfortable shoulder bags that can be converted to carry in the hand.
The son of Jacques Wertheimer took control of Chanel in 1974 and it is still owned currently by Alain and Gerard Wertheimer, his grandsons. Jacques had great influence within Chanel and gently persuaded Karl Lagerfeld away from Chloe in 1983 to become chief designer. Lagerfeld then brought the brand into the future by looking to the past inspirations like the vintage Chanel fabrics and gold toned accents.