Gabrielle ‘Coco’ Chanel’s pioneering designs changed the course of women’s fashion in the 20th century. For the UK’s first exhibition dedicated to the French designer, the Victoria and Albert Museum in London traces the full breadth of her extraordinary six-decade career: from the opening of her first millinery boutique in Paris in 1910, through to her final collection in 1971. The exhibition opens with the Marinière Blouse (1916), one of Chanel’s earliest surviving garments. Rarely-seen photographs appear alongside garments created and worn by the designer herself – not least her signature monochrome suit from 1969. Find out more on the V&A’s website.
Preview below | View Apollo’s Art Diary
Roussy Sert wearing a long white sequin dress by Chanel, published in Vogue (15 December 1936). Photo: Andre Durst/Condé Nast/Shutterstock
Dress and suit jacket (Spring/Summer 1926), Gabrielle Chanel. Patrimoine de Chanel, Paris. Photo: Nicholas Alan Cope; © Chanel
Suit (Autumn/Winter 1964), Gabrielle Chanel. Patrimoine de Chanel, Paris. Photo: Nicholas Alan Cope; © Chanel
Dress (1935), Gabrielle Chanel. Photo: Nicholas Alan Cope; © Palais Galliera, Paris