The name contains an indication of the person thanks to whom the model became popular. The outfit fell in love with the public at the suggestion of Coco Chanel. She was remembered as an ardent fan of tweed items, among which a special place, undoubtedly, is given to the dress.
What is a Chanel dress?
The model simultaneously refers to business and casual clothing. There are practically no holiday and evening variations, and this is all due to the characteristics of the material. It does not flow or fall, it is very dense, holds its shape well and is opaque.
If you put in a little effort, you can turn the look into an evening look. Properly selected jewelry (neat, discreet, traditionally shaped, not vulgar; if there is a stone, then only natural), skillfully done hairstyle (no ponytails, disheveled, “wet hair” effect) and, perhaps, gloves or a turban from an expensive scarf will transform like the business dress would be beyond recognition.
The cut of the classic Chanel dress is incredibly simple. However, in this case, the absence of special elements and decorative inserts is only beneficial. The outfit became a phenomenon and went down in fashion history precisely because it showed how elegant restraint can be.
In addition to simplicity, the model has the following characteristics:
- unprinted;
- classic color palette with a main emphasis on black;
- opacity;
- modesty of the neckline;
- balance of length and fit.
A Coco-style item cannot be very tight and very short at the same time. Well, with regard to the color scheme and pattern, the canon is relatively often violated. Even Madame Chanel herself wore checkered tweed dresses. Its modern followers have advanced even further in the matter of ornamental shades.
What Chanel styles come in tweed?
Before Coco, designers paid virtually no attention to tweed. It seemed boring and not suitable for sewing women's clothing, which was at the peak of fashion in those distant times. However, the characteristics of the material allowed it to become the basis for the so-called Chanel style. The fabric provided the products with a clear silhouette and lines, but at the same time was soft. The girl looked dignified and elegant even at the end of the working day, because she was wearing clothes made of wrinkle-resistant material.
What they didn't have in those days was a tweed dress with a full, layered skirt. Coco clearly limited that only straight clothes and classic trapeze-type outfits should be sewn from her favorite fabric. Now there is a tendency to rethink some fundamental canons. Playing with traditions and boundaries has led to the fact that today Chanel’s followers offer the public to wear tweed, even something completely unrelated to this material, like a sundress.
Case
A Chanel-style sheath dress always comes with a clasp on the back. You simply won’t be able to wear it without this element – the cut in combination with the fabric simply does not leave such an opportunity. Although the product does not fit to such an extent that it becomes a second skin, it does not weigh either. It successfully balances between two extremes.
Important! Under a classic Chanel case, you should try wearing a flowing combination made of very high-quality silk. A thin thing will not add extra centimeters, but will allow the dress to sit beautifully on the body.
In the classical interpretation, the sleeve length is quite short, but now the parameters of this part of the dress can be anything. Models in which the sleeve is made not of tweed, but of openwork fabric or chiffon, look beautiful. However, a sophisticated Coco-style item definitely cannot have sleeves that are dissonant with the overall restrained mood of the dress. If there are openwork elements, they look expensive and are made in a noble black color.
If there is a cutout, it is insignificant. Showing breasts or underwear is not part of the plans of a girl trying to live up to the spirit of Chanel. The dress is sewn in such a way that the bra straps are hidden from prying eyes.
Legs are also not shown in the canonical version. The skirt ends at the knee, opening it slightly. For comfortable walking, there is a shallow slit at the back hem. This detail is also good because when you take a certain pose and place your legs, it indirectly allows you to outline the curve of the buttocks. But only outline them, and not show them off.
With basque
The peplum is designed to unobtrusively increase the volume of the chest or hips.She does it so carefully and elegantly that Coco Chanel allowed her presence on her discreet dresses. Perhaps this is perhaps the only decorative, rather than functional, cut element that was present on the classic wardrobe items of this cult personality.
The peplum can start not only at the waist level. There are very elegant models in which a wide tweed peplum acts as a top. It replaces sleeves, back and front. Ends above the waist. The tight-fitting part of the dress begins from the point of its end.
The skirt does not look fluffy no matter how the peplum is positioned. Its slightly tapered cut is a guarantee that playing on contrasts will elongate the figure and give fullness and volume to those parts of the female figure that need these characteristics.
Direct
A knee-length model with a round or thin cone-shaped neckline is an ideal solution for women with curvy figures and those who do not want to look interesting due to vulgarity. The item is not tight-fitting, comes without sleeves (but with very wide straps), with very small or transparent sleeves made of light fabric. The wide tweed sleeves (length: ¾) are definitely worth a look.
Straight dresses with a white collar look interesting: discreet, neat, slightly naive. They are involuntarily associated with educational institutions, and their owner - with a diligent student or a moderately strict teacher. At the same time, the length of such a wardrobe item often allows you to demonstrate the beauty of your legs. You can play up the overall mood of the look with stockings or knee-high socks and Oxfords or low-heeled shoes.
A-line
The classic tweed trapeze is a source of inspiration for designers, as well as an excellent base for creating various types of bows. The material fits the style perfectly. This is easy to notice outdoors in windy weather. A strong gust of air does not inflate the skirt, and the item itself does not begin to fit tightly, as happens with cone-shaped wardrobe items made of thin fabric.
Other notable features:
- length above the knee, mini is quite common;
- modest neckline, slightly rounded;
- sleeves that are short in length can be very puffy, but at the same time rigid and do not fly apart (there are also variations with cuffs);
- There may be pockets on the hem, which are not so much functional as they add a certain childishness to the image.
The key feature of the Chanel tweed a-line dress is that it looks quite beautiful even without decorative elements. This is partly due to the fact that very often two-colored material is used for such things. Neat ripples are quite catchy in themselves. To complete the picture, all that remains is to dilute this sea with a brooch. Or throw a short jacket with large buttons over your shoulders. The latter look incredibly cute.
Dresses in which only the hem, neckline and edges of the sleeves are trimmed with ruffled tweed are also worthy of attention. The main canvas is monochromatic, harmonizing in color with the ripples.
Low waist
There is a misconception that the style requires flowing materials. At shows in 2014 and 2017. designers who followed Chanel presented many refutations of this postulate. Dresses of a loose fit, sleeveless, with buttons on the front and small pockets looked very beautiful. The skirt started at the widest point of the hip and had tiny side slits.
Dress shirt
The item was shown as part of the Chanel summer 2019 cruise collection demonstration. The wardrobe item is made in the oversized spirit. Sleeve length: ¾. The front is decorated with large pockets.
Sundress
Surprisingly, even sundresses are made from tweed, although this contradicts classical ideas (a sample of a tweed sundress can be found in Karl Lagerfeld’s summer collection for 2019). The straps of such things are often made of other materials. Fit: loose, not fitted. Decorations: ruffles along the hem, large buttons, large pockets.
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