Coco Chanel & Emilio Pucci
1950’s
Sonya Cheema
50’s Fashion
Coco Chanel
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xjzH6vRn5P0&l
ist=PLEE61EDB90F0AA88F&index=6
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4LC5VbEJm6I
• Gabrielle Chanel was born August 19,
1883, in Saumur, France. Chanel was raised
in an orphanage and taught to sew. She had
a brief career as a singer before opening her
first clothes shop in 1910. Chanel started
out selling hats in her shop and later added
stores in Deauville and began making
clothes.
• In the 1920s, Chanel took her thriving
business to new heights. She launched her
first perfume, Chanel No. 5, which was the
first to feature a designer’s name. She later
introduced her legendary little black dress
and the Chanel suit.
• Coco Chanel died on January 10, 1971, at
her apartment in the Hotel Ritz. A little
more than a decade after her death, designer
Karl Lagerfeld took the reins at her
company to continue the Chanel legacy.
• After World War II. Women were
no longer designing because men had
taken over now that they were back
from the war. They started
designing fashion that they would
like to see on women, rather than
what women would feel comfortable
wearing – waist cinchers, padded
bras, heavy skirts and stiff jackets.
Chanel decided to re-enter the
fashion world in the 1950s to
reinvent womenswear.
• In 1954 Chanel decided to start designing
again and said,“There are too many men
in this business, and they don't know how
to make clothes for women. All this
fantastic pinching and puffing. How can
a woman wear a dress that's cut so she
can't lift up her arm to pick up a
telephone?"
• She knew what women wanted, and they
responded enthusiastically to her designs.
In the 1950s her famous Chanel suit was
an enormous hit. She also popularized pea
jackets and bell-bottom trousers, as well
as jewelry worn with sportswear.
• Chanel’s first success was using jersey
fabric, a machine knit material
manufactured for her. Her suits featured
this jersey fabric, a pleated skirt, low
heeled shoes, and a belted pullover top.
Her jackets featured gold buttons,
pockets that could actually hold things
(unlike prior designs where pockets were
just for show), and they allowed for
quick and easy movement.
• This jersey material worked well because
there was a low supply of other fabrics
due to the war, and women desired more
simple and practical clothing.
• Her iconic little black dress was made of
thin , flowy silk material and had a
boyish shape.
Emilio Pucci
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9R7whHwHln4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BBvuoyfqUQ8
• Emilio Pucci was born in 1914. Being born into
an aristocratic family, he was the first Pucci to
actually work in over 1,000 years.
• He spent two years at Milan University before
moving to the University of Georgia in Athens,
Georgia.
• Returning to Italy, he spent the war years as a
bomber in the Italian Air Force. Pucci was a
keen sportsman and as a high school student
had been a member of the Italian Olympic ski
team.
• After World War II, in 1947, he was
photographed by Toni Frissell of Harper's
Bazaar on the Italian ski slopes, wearing ski
pants of his own design. The magazine asked
him to create some winter clothes for women,
which were put on sale in various New York
stores.
• In 1949, Pucci opened a boutique in
Capri, selling the range of his interesting
items but especially "Capri Pants" which
took the world by storm. In 1951, the
first fashion show took place in Florence.
• During the 50's, Pucci gained a
reputation as a designer of brilliantly
patterned sportswear and relaxed
daywear. He contributed to the success of
post-war Italian fashion design. He used
silk jersey for his dresses which were light
weight, wrinkle free and supremely
comfortable.
• Pucci sold an astonishing array of casual
wear, from the new Capri pants to silk
dresses, scarves, jumpsuits, and pajamas.
His bold use of prints, which featured
colors that clashed, made his creations
stand out from the other designers of his
time.
Chanel vs. Pucci
• Pucci and Chanel differed greatly in their
designs. Chanel was more conservative,
classic, and used monotone colors.
Pucci’s designs are more sporty, laid
back, bright, colorful, and he used
patterns. Chanel used detailed
embroidery, but rarely any patterns.
• Chanel went back to designing in the 50s
because she wanted to change
womenswear to make it more
comfortable and something women
would be enthusiastic to wear. Pucci
started out designing sportswear after
his own ski pants were discovered by the
news. Pucci is known for his outrageous
patterns while Chanel is known for her
statement pieces such as the Chanel suit,
the little black dress, and her perfume.
Websites used
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http://womenshistory.about.com/od/chanelcoco/a/coco_chanel.htm
http://biography.yourdictionary.com/coco-chanel
http://www.fashionmodeldirectory.com/designers/emilio-pucci/
http://www.lifeinitaly.com/fashion/emilio-pucci.asp