What was Coco Chanel's style really like? The exhibition Gabrielle Chanel. Fashion Manifesto shows how the dresses that she designed back in the day could still grace today's runways. Her Chanel No. 5 perfume was minimalist before minimalism was even a thing. The creator of the little black dress, tweed suits, two-tone shoes and quilted handbags was a very different animal to Karl "the Kaiser" Lagerfeld, who turned her label into a US$100 billion business
She was the greatest style icon of 20th century, whose designs still shape what we wear. Yet the Gabrielle "Coco" Chanel who emerges from the first exhibition ever dedicated to her work in Paris will come as a shock to fans of her brand's bling.
The creator of the little black dress, tweed suits, two-tone shoes and quilted handbags that are synonymous with French elegance was a very different animal to Karl "the Kaiser" Lagerfeld, who turned her label into a US$100 billion business.
(Related: The True Story of Gabrielle "Coco" Chanel: The Childhood That She Never Wanted You to Know)