- Douglas Kirkland, Mademoiselle Chanel in her private apartment (House of Chanel 1962)
This photo is of Coco Chanel in her infamous apartment at 31 rue Cambon. This legendary place is where she began her career and opened her hat shop in 1910, eventually leading to her owning the entire building at rue Cambon. Douglas Kirkland, from Look Magazine shadowed Chanel for three weeks photographing her for a story in 1962. Chanel allowed him to photograph her in intimate scenes and opened her private life up to Kirkland, resulting as some of the most well-known documented imagery of Chanel to date.
This image displays the opulence and luxurious lifestyle Chanel lived with the grand fireplace, bookshelves ceiling high, and obnoxiously large decor behind her. I also chose the imagery because she is wearing one of her most iconic designs: a women’s tweed suit paired with her iconic pearls. Chanel being the subject of this photo is a pattern that you could see throughout the entirety of her life as she likes to be the center of attention.
I love scandal. When I read “Chanel: ‘L’elegance c’est moi’” from Women of Fashion, last week and learned about Chanel’s shocking upbringing/young adulthood – it sparked a whole new interest in her for me. I never knew that she was so rambunctious and that she lied quite often. I also never knew that she was a liberator for women. This image gives me an opportunity to dig a little bit deeper into her designs, her affairs, and how she was a prominent designer of her time as well as today.
2. Jackie Kennedy, June 1st 1971
In this photo, shot at an airport in New York, Jackie wears oversized Nina Ricci sunglasses, a camel wrap coat, a brown leather shoulder bag and a delicate neck scarf. In the early 60’s it was widely recognized by newspapers and magazines that Jackie Kennedy was always on trend and somewhat of a fashion icon of the time. This image shows her perfectly capturing the style of the early 70’s in elegant form adhering to the “classic look” while showing inspiration from disco with her oversized glasses and somewhat colorful scarf. She was a woman on the move and a woman of the time. Her clothing isn’t too uptight though it reflects the large movement in the 70’s of women working outside the home and the women’s liberation movement. This image has a powerful presence.
I have always found Jackie Kennedy to be very inspiring. She is an international icon for style and culture. She was arguably one of the most influential first ladies following her husbands death. She invested much of her time as First Lady focusing on the preservation of America’s history and is a crucial part of analyzing the history of fashion in the late 50’s-70’s as her dressing was a great reflection of the time. I aspire to be as put together, elegant, and well dressed as Jackie Kennedy was.
3. Kate Moss in Liza Bruce in 1993. Photograph: Richard
This photo is of Kate Moss in a sheer metallic dress at a model agency party in 1993. Scrolling through photos of her from this night she looks obscenely comfortable in almost nude, carrying a pack of Marlboro cigarettes and a beer with her. She was only 19. This night she was photographed and partied alongside many other famous supermodels of the time such as Naomi Campbell. Liza Bruce, was an up and coming designer from London allowed Moss to borrow the dress for the party and return it afterwards because it was being used in a photoshoot in the morning.
Moss, an English model who came to the states at the age of 14 to model was one of the most influential and famous supermodels of the 90’s and early 2000’s. She was most known for her effortless take on fashion and for her iconic slip dress looks. Following the risky photographs of her from this night, she continued to be the next face of Calvin Kleins underwear campaign with celebrities like Mark Wahlberg because of her effortless, grunge-y style. The 90’s were known as the “decade of the supermodel and fashion photographer” as well as the rise in the slip dress trend (due to Moss). This image tells a story about the 90’s.
Personally, the 90’s are my favorite decade of fashion. Some of my favorite designers such as Marc Jacobs, McQueen, and Isaac Mizrahi emerged or solidified their place in fashion in the 90’s. I love the effortless style, grunge scene and rise in the fixation on the supermodel. Another reason I love the 90’s is because the idea of the Supermodel was important to pop culture. I also love “The Big Five” which describes supermodels Naomi Campbell, Cindy Crawford, Lindy Evangelista, Christy Turlington and Claudia Schiffer, who were the most iconic models and fashion influence at the time (eventually Kate Moss was added to this list).
