Celebrating With Coco Chanel this Holiday Season

Coco Chanel is one of the most recognisable designers of the 20th century and of this one. Her suits and the fragrance Chanel No. 5 made the name stand for a certain kind of style, and women still turn to Chanel for the big moments in their lives. In 2010 we marked one hundred years of Chanel fashion. As Christmas comes round, a Chanel gift is one that lasts, and it comes from a woman who challenged stereotypes and went her own way.

Museum label headed 'Fashion to Dance': Lady Minoru Foley's 1929 Chanel dresses in silk tulle and sequins

Two feathered dresses in a museum display case, one in white feathers and one in yellow

Blue sequinned and beaded evening dress with a bow motif across the bodice, on a mannequin

Gabrielle Chanel. Fashion Manifesto

The V&A held an exhibition called Gabrielle Chanel. Fashion Manifesto from 16 September 2023 to 25 February 2024. I went for inspiration, and filmed some of her original work whilst I was there.

I drove down from Manchester to London for it in a Bentley. It was a press car, not mine. I write on opulent lifestyle for my own magazine, Gracie Opulanza.

Black-and-white exhibition photograph of a woman at a dressing table with fashion sketches on the wall

Three dresses at the V&A: blue sequins, a red pleated skirt with white piping, a red tiered sequinned dress

Coco Chanel: the history

Coco Chanel grew up in orphanages, where she learned to sew. In 1910 she opened her first shop in Paris, selling hats at first and clothes later. Her idea was that women’s fashion should be comfortable and practical without giving up beauty. She did a great deal to free women from corsets and the other restrictive underwear of her time.

She borrowed from menswear and brought tailoring into women’s clothes. Her best-known design is the collarless suit with a tailored skirt. She also took the black dress, which had been for mourning, and made it something to wear in the evening.

Black-and-white photograph of Coco Chanel smiling in a brimmed hat, pearl necklace and a cream jacket with black trim

Self belief

She came through personal scandal and public criticism to re-establish her house, staying true to herself and making no excuses. That is why she still speaks to women finding their own way through work, relationships and private life.

Women are neither purely good nor purely bad. They are a mix of qualities, and that mix is who they are. If you have a woman like that in your life, or you are one, Chanel is worth thinking about as a gift.

One option is the skincare line. Glowing skin is always in fashion, and the key to keeping it is to protect it from the sun and keep it moisturised.

Black-and-white photograph of Coco Chanel in a beret with a flower brooch, a tweed suit, pearls and a wide belt

Beauty and business

Chanel’s fragrances and beauty products are as well known as the clothes. They run from the classic Chanel No. 5 to the newer Chanel Chance, and alongside the perfumes there is make-up, skincare, and bath and body.

Chanel perfume bottle and two wooden travel boxes with black bands, in a case labelled 'A family of fragrances'

Chanel perfume atomiser beside a tan leather travel case in a museum display case

Chanel UV Essential is a daily SPF 50 product. As well as protecting the skin from UV rays it guards against pollution, and it moisturises against the dryness and cracking that cold winter weather can bring, especially to delicate skin.

Chanel Le Lift Crème Riche pot with a black lid and pink cream

Chanel No 5 box and a boxed set holding a lipstick case and a compact, in a museum case

Glass Chanel perfume bottle and its cream box on a glass shelf in a museum case

The letter from Queen Elizabeth

The exhibition included a handwritten letter from Queen Elizabeth, on Windsor Castle notepaper and dated April 1955.

Handwritten letter dated April 1955 on Windsor Castle notepaper, displayed in a museum case

Fashion sunglasses

This pick is for the woman who wants a bit of movie star glamour. The frames are silver with an unexpected filigree design, dressy enough for the party season. They also come in rose, black and ice blue.

Chanel sunglasses with cream and black frames and quilted-leather arms, beside a Chanel box

Earrings

Chanel’s jewellery always catches the eye. For the festive season, look at the Strass Bow Earrings. They sparkle, and they suit a party as well as a winter walk under the Christmas lights.

Display case of gold-toned Chanel jewellery in a dark gallery: necklaces, a collar, a bracelet and brooches

The same jewellery case from another angle, with a wide cuff and a long chain necklace

Gilded cuff and bracelet set with green, red and blue stones, under the label 'Historical Treasures'

Gold-toned crosses, a collar and a red-stone ring, Robert Goossens designs for Chanel, in a museum case

A winter hat by Chanel

In winter, warmth is a good gift, and a hat is the stylish way to give it. Knits, tweeds and velvets are the fabrics to look for. A black tweed hat with a flower on it is one she will wear for many winters.