Chanel

Mademoiselle Chanel, founder of the famous Chanel line, has been describes as a woman “whose decrees have force of law beyond the borders of our nation” by the Princess Bibesco. Born in 1883, Chanel revolutionized women’s fashion by making it comfortable and on par with men’s clothing. She threw out the uncomfortable, unhealthy corset and replaced it with simpler suits and dresses, even going as far as daring to put women in pants. She opened her first store in 1912, and by the 1920’s, Coco Chanel was one of the top fashion designers in Paris. She began with her simple dresses, but today, years after Chanel’s death in 1971, the company continues to sell clothing plus jewelry, textiles, and, perhaps their current most famous item, the Chanel perfume.