A Tribute

To the one who made me so passionate about fashion...

She featured on the list of Time's 100 most important people of the century, long after she died.

She was, is, and will always remain mine, and countless other people's fashion icon and idol, inspiring generations to come.

"A woman can be over-dressed, never over-elegant." She knew very well that style comes not only from apparel, but also from attitude.

Gabrielle Bonheur "Coco" Chanel (1883-08-19 – 1971-01-10) was a pioneering French fashion designer whose modernist philosophy, menswear-inspired fashions and pursuit of expensive simplicity made her arguably the most important figure in the history of 20th-century fashion.

Image Courtsey: ©Man Ray Trust / ADAGP Paris 200

She created not only the little black dress, but also the beige slingback with black toecap, the total look, N°5, N°19, the tweed suit, the jersey dress, the chain belt, costume jewelry, the topstitched bag with gilt chain, the cashmere cardigan... a business, a style, a spirit. Her work is unquestionably part of the liberation of women. Replacing the corset with comfort and casual elegance, her fashion themes included simple suits and dresses, women's trousers, costume jewelry, perfume and textiles. No other designer has given so much to the society, and helped so much to free the women.

One of her first successes was the loose-fitting sweater, which she belted and teamed with a skirt. The influential Chanel suit, launched in 1923, was an elegant suit comprising a knee-length skirt and trim, boxy jacket, traditionally made of woven wool with black trim and gold buttons and worn with large costume-pearl necklaces. Coco Chanel also popularized the little black dress, whose blank-slate versatility allowed it to be worn for day and evening, depending on how it was accessorized.

But probably the one creation that ensured her success and fame, even during her bad phase is not a piece of clothing but a form of liquid gold — Chanel No. 5, in its Art Deco bottle, which was launched in 1923. It was the first perfume to bear a designer's name, just one of the numerous firsts by the highly talented designer. A bottle of Chanel No. 5 is sold every 30 seconds.

And she was, always, styllish, elegant, bold, and quotable...

"If you want to be irreplaceable, you have to be different. "

"Fashion is not simply a matter of clothes. Fashion is in the air, born upon the wind. One intuits it. It is in the sky and on the road."

"A girl should be two things: classy and fabulous."