If
it was in the 1980s that designer fashion sensed the potential of its power, it
was not until the mid-1990s that its full might was realized. Today, a handful
of immensely wealthy luxury goods conglomerates own many of the biggest names,
while the individually owned designer brands boast sales figures of millions,
and even billions, of pounds. This is not something the British, in particular,
feel comfortable with. Here is my top 20 most influential designers, you need
to know them;
20) THIERRY
MUGLER: The Fantasist
As I like to put it, Thierry Muggner introduced fantasy and extreme
cuts into beautiful works of art. Mugler was born in Strasbourg, France on 21
December 1948. His passion led him to focus more on drawing than on school
and at the age of 9, he began to study classical dance. He made his first
outfit for a girl friend at the age of 14. Mugler published his first
photography book in 1988, "Thierry Mugler, Photographe": filled with
Mugler’s taste for travel and adventure. This first book was followed by a
monograph in 1999 entitled, “Fashion Fetish Fantasy” which assembles photos of
his creations. All the designs are worn by Thierry Mugler’s model and celebrity
friends in the book. In September 2010, Nicola Formichetti was announced to be
the new Creative Director of the Thierry Mugler brand. He changed the brand
name to MUGLER, removing the first name, and in January 2011, he launched the
brand's first menswear collection. 19) PRADA MILANO: The innovator
The ubiquity of strange and elaborate shoes, even stranger colours, the A-line and dirndl skirt and, this season in particular, lace (as worn most beautifully in the current Prada ad campaign by Linda Evangelista), are all thanks to this designer. Because her viewpoint is difficult to pin down she is labeled "intellectual" but while her intelligence is clearly a force to be reckoned with, she has the instincts of a wildcat when it comes to predicting what people might like to wear six months down the line. Prada is known to have generated trends that were soon emulated by other fashion designers.
18)DOLCE
AND GABANA (D&G): The Glamour Gurus
"Molto
sexy" indeed are the Italian design pairing of Dolce & Gabbana, who
continue to expand, ensuring their joyfully feminine aesthetic influences
everything from the red carpet to any young stylish man or woman on the street
who knows their designer labels. The irreverent – and more reasonably priced –
D&G label carries more clout than most second lines put together.
The quintessentially Italian Dolce & Gabbana aesthetic – think curvaceous tailoring and corseted dresses loaded with floral and animal prints, then scattered with rhinestone for good measure – is unsurprisingly loved by celebrities. Dolce and Gabbana have dressed Kylie Minogue and, of course, Madonna. Significantly, the duo are in possession of that rare thing, a sense of humour, a fact borne out this season by the D&G collection, which taps into the wardrobe of the Queen. That's Her Majesty as played by Helen Mirren in the 2006 film version, the real thing being not quite glamorous enough. Dice and Gabana in introduced Italian glamour and freedom of sexuality in fashion. Dolce and Gabbana are now fundamentally known for wanting to make women look “fantastically sexy”. Many of their designs are adapted from the feminist-era, before being glamorised and modernised.
The quintessentially Italian Dolce & Gabbana aesthetic – think curvaceous tailoring and corseted dresses loaded with floral and animal prints, then scattered with rhinestone for good measure – is unsurprisingly loved by celebrities. Dolce and Gabbana have dressed Kylie Minogue and, of course, Madonna. Significantly, the duo are in possession of that rare thing, a sense of humour, a fact borne out this season by the D&G collection, which taps into the wardrobe of the Queen. That's Her Majesty as played by Helen Mirren in the 2006 film version, the real thing being not quite glamorous enough. Dice and Gabana in introduced Italian glamour and freedom of sexuality in fashion. Dolce and Gabbana are now fundamentally known for wanting to make women look “fantastically sexy”. Many of their designs are adapted from the feminist-era, before being glamorised and modernised.
They describe their style as “sweet and sharp” and
“New Millennium cool”. They were once quoted as saying they are mostly
concerned with creating the best, most flattering clothes and sparkling trends.
D&G began achieving long awaited awards in the
1990s and, in 1991, they were awarded the ‘Wollmark Award’ and ‘Best Fragrance
of the Year’ in 1993. By the end of the 1990s, it was reported that their sales
were around $500 million per year. They have now become one of the world’s most
successful ready-to-wear companies and are considered Hollywood’s number one
choice of designer.
She capitalized on the electric punk look. The
queen of punk, the grande dame of British fashion, Vivienne Westwood is a
national institution. And rightly so, as if any name embodies the iconoclastic
and make-do-and-mend spirit of young British fashion, it must surely be hers.
Westwood is as proudly political and brilliantly outspoken as she is
innovative, taking little notice of what other designers are up to in favour of
following her own interests, which are tied up with the British tailoring
tradition, youth culture and French 18th-century painting in equal measures.
For years, Westwood's idiosyncratic persona detracted from her impact as a serious fashion force, but that is no longer the case. Like Comme des Garçons, Westwood has changed the face of contemporary fashion. It's small wonder, with this in mind, that her archive is referenced by so many of her contemporaries. Original and outrageous, British designer Vivienne Westwood is one of the most recognised and influential designers of the late twentieth century.
For years, Westwood's idiosyncratic persona detracted from her impact as a serious fashion force, but that is no longer the case. Like Comme des Garçons, Westwood has changed the face of contemporary fashion. It's small wonder, with this in mind, that her archive is referenced by so many of her contemporaries. Original and outrageous, British designer Vivienne Westwood is one of the most recognised and influential designers of the late twentieth century.
Then something remarkable happened, she met Malcolm
Mclaren, future manager of the Sex Pistols, and he led her into the underground
of the late 1960’s street. He lectured her on the political power of art and
liberated her creative desires from their bondage in working class conformity.
Westwood became a subversive seamstress of pop.
Her first designs hung in Let it Rock on the King’s
Road in 1971. Five years later the boutique, now named Sex, sold ripped
T-shirts, chains and assorted bondage gear and Westwood was dressing Johnny
Rotten and the Sex Pistols.
The punk storm drove Westwood before it, putting
her at the forefront of street culture but, as the drugs wore off and the
hangover kicked in, Westwood was left thinking "what next?"
Pirates were the answer. The early 1980s was the
time of the New Romantics, an urban arts scene that eschewed gender distinctive
dress to delight in the theatre of courtier costume and whirls of eyeliner.
Catching their mood, Westwood looked back to the 19th Century for her first
collection, which she called Pirates.
16) RALPH LAUREN:
The elder
statesman
He became the best selling
desidner in the world, and the face of American fashion. There was a time when
Ralph Lauren's catwalk shows were among the most influential. Now, though,
America, if not the world's, most famous designer has become something of an
elder statesman. It's worth noting that his most recent womenswear collection,
boasting the Anglophile tendencies that go hand-in-hand with his aspirational
aesthetic, chime perfectly with the look of the day; more importantly, though,
Ralph Lauren dresses America, from the US Olympic team to any schoolboy in
mufti in his Polo Ralph Lauren shirt, complete with instantly recognizable
dancing horse. The "lifestyle" concept was pretty much invented by this designer – not bad, considering he started out selling ties. His company, which celebrated its 40th anniversary this year, recently boasted annual worldwide sales of a massive $12bn, unprecedented even by the designer-fashion industry's highly lucrative standards.
15) OSCAR DE LARENTA: The King of
Evening Wear
Oscar de la Renta was born on
July 22, 1932, in the Dominican Republic. At the age of 18, he left the
Caribbean to study painting in Madrid. Enticed by fashion, he switched his
focus and quickly became one of the most sought-after names in haute couture. His
flattering and feminine pieces continue to inspire women all around the world. His
pieces are feminine and flattering. His work became the preferred wear of
American first ladies. He dressed first lady Nancy Reagan in the 1980s, and
then provided the gowns for inaugural events for both Hillary Clinton in 1997
and Laura Bush in 2005. Besides his passion for haute couture, de la Renta has
been a tireless patron of the arts. At one time or another, he has served on
the boards of The Metropolitan Opera, Carnegie Hall and Channel Thirteen/WNET.
He also supports several cultural institutions, including New Yorkers for
Children, the Americas Society and the Spanish Institute. He truly is the king
of evening wear. In 2002, de la Renta added his name to a whole new business venture:
furniture. His 100 pieces for Century Furniture featured dining tables,
upholstered chairs and couches. In 2004, despite the risk of lessening
the value of his brand as a whole, he added a less expensive line of
clothing called O Oscar. He said he wanted to attract new customers whom
he could not reach before
14) CHRISTIAN
LACROIX: The Absent Friend
He created the new look for haute
couture in the 1980’s. Born in Arles in 1951, Christian Lacroix studied Art
History at the University of Montpellier. He designed for Pucci for three
years, from 2002 until 2005. He diversified into jeans, perfume, childrenswear,
lingerie, menswear couture, ready-to-wear and homeware Christian Lacroix has
had a double bite of the fashion cake. The Eighties belonged to him and by
2008, he was back again. Originally he intended to become a museum curator - in
fact, he is a fashion impresario, who is widely credited with single-handedly
saving couture, wooing the media with his wildly photogenic designs. Christian
Lacroix's return to couture in 2007 was rapturously received. He has
stores in New York, Paris, Monaco, Dallas, Bahrain - and he is increasingly
working in theatre design as well as fashion. Something of a philosopher, his
words: "We all look for lost time," sum up his return to form. 13) JOHN PAUL GAULTER: The rebel
He created a new world of fashion by blurring the lines of gender, race and sexually. Conical bras, men in skirts, couture crafted in everyday fabrics from camouflage to distressed denim... Now that other designers have assimilated Jean Paul Gaultier's gender-bending, frisky and witty take on fashion, it is all too easy to forget it has its roots here.
Not only is Gaultier's persona larger than life – there was a time when he was probably the most famous fashion designer in the world – he is also the last traditionally trained French-born couturier. When he was overlooked for the top job at Dior in the mid-1990s (John Galliano landed the role instead), he set up his own haute-couture house, which is today a refreshingly contemporary counterpoint to the still mainly frilly and bourgeois designs that otherwise dominate.
12)
LAVIN PARIS: Forever Young
They are one of the couturiers to design not only for
women but for men and children. Lanvin made such beautiful clothes for her
daughter Marie-Blanche that they began to attract the attention of a number of
wealthy people who requested copies for their own children. Soon, Lanvin was making
dresses for their mothers, and some of the most famous names in Europe were
included in the clientele of her new boutique on the rue du Faubourg
Saint-Honoré, Paris. 1909, Lanvin joined the Syndicat de la Couture, which
marked her formal status as a couturière. One of the most influential designers
of the '20s and '30s, Jeanne Lanvin's skillful use of intricate trimmings,
virtuoso embroideries and beaded decorations in clear, light, floral colors
became a Lanvin trademark. When Lanvin died in 1946, ownership of the firm was
ceded to the designer's daughter, who had shared management of the firm from
1942 with a cousin and then a fashion-industry expert. Because Marie-Blanche de
Polignac was childless when she died in 1958, the ownership of the House of
Lanvin went to a cousin, Yves Lanvin. From
mid-60's through to the takeover by L'Oreal, Lanvin was run by Bernard Lanvin.
The export department was in the original factory in Nanterre where all the
perfumes were made and bottled. The administrative Head Office was in Paris at
3, Rue de Tilsitt. In 1979 Lanvin bought its independence from Squibb USA and a
major PR promotional tour was arranged by Paris in the United States in the
same year. Lanvin, is the oldest fashion house still in operation. 11) VALENTINO: King of Classy Beauty
10) GIVENCHY: The Iconoclast
He revived the elegance and sophistication of
traditional haute couture. "His are the only clothes in which I am myself.
He is far more than a couturier, he is a creator of personality," Hubert
de Givenchy's muse Audrey Hepburn said of the designer. Loved by some of the
most iconic stars of the 20th Century - from Grace Kelly, Elizabeth Taylor,
Jackie Kennedy and Wallis Simpson, to his most famous muse Audrey Hepburn -
Givenchy's name and legacy have been synonymous with Parisian chic for more
than 50 years. Givenchy sold his label in 1988, and retired seven years later,
only to watch his former business go from strength to strength under some of
the industry's most exciting designers; from John Galliano, to Alexander
McQueen, to Riccardo Tisci. Givenchy, now in his Eighties, is almost entirely
absent from the fashion spotlight, only emerging to comment on momentous
fashion o In 1927, he was born Hubert James Taffin de Givenchy to an
aristocratic family in the French city of Beauvais. The family's nobility
stemmed from his father's side from the 18th Century, and artistic
professions ran through his mother's hereditary line. Having lost his father in
1930, he was raised largely by his mother and maternal grandmother from whom he
inherited his passion for fabrics. Inspired, Givenchy left his hometown at the
age of 17 for the vibrant opportunities of Paris. ccasions like the royal
wedding. Selling his business to Louis Vuitton Moët Hennessey in 1988, and
retiring in 1995, Givenchy was succeeded by widely celebrated and innovative
designers including Alexander McQueen, John Galliano, Julien Macdonald, and
Riccardo Tisci - who now stands at the helm of the Givenchy empire, as
the creative director for the Givenchy haute couture and ready-to-wear
collections. Now in his Eighties, Givenchy - who lives in a country estate Le
Jonchet just outside of Paris - has all but removed himself from the fashion
world, emerging only occasionally for brief interviews or rare public talks,
like the one he gave at the Oxford Union in July 2010. He does occasionally
comment on key fashion moments, and earlier this year described Kate
Middleton's choice of former Givenchy designer Alexander McQueen's label
for her wedding dress as "a lovely thought, a nice tribute" following
McQueen's untimely death in February 2010.9) VERSACE: The Glamor Puss
Donatella's approach, while still based on statement dressing, is relatively restrained and more likely to be inspired by music and film. And after a few wobbly years, she is back on track (as are the figures at this family-run business), dressing the beautiful people.
08) JOHN GALLIANO: The Artist
A true artist and visionary, he
revived the house of Christian Dior. When the young British designer John
Galliano was appointed creative director at the house of Christian Dior in
1996, the publicity that sprang up around the move was unprecedented. The
visionary LVMH chief executive Bernard Arnault couldn't have wished for more.
Here was Galliano, the Gibraltan-born son of a south London plumber, heading up
a legendary name so steeped in the French bourgeois fashion tradition that the
move seemed nothing short of blasphemous. How wrong any of the designer's
detractors were. With Wagnerian audacity, Galliano breathed new life into not
only Dior, but the haute-couture schedule in general, and his singular and
uncompromising vision has been the high point of the most rarefied of fashion
calendars ever since. This designer, who shot to fashion fame in the mid-1980s
but struggled for more than a decade to make ends meet, is fashion's showman
par excellence, and this theatrical approach is applied to Dior as well as his
own women’s wear line and his relatively new and ground-breaking menswear line.
Dior continues to expand – the latest addition to the line-up is a mobile phone
– and, outside of Dior, Galliano's own main ready-to-wear line is also in the
ascendant, with a first fragrance scheduled for later this year.07) GIORGIO ARMANI: The king of lifestyle
He revolutionized corporate dress
for men and women. Giorgio Armani is the other great lifestyle designer and is
to Italy what Ralph Lauren is to the US. His name is also more wrapped up with
the emergence of designer fashion as a juggernaut of immense commercial value
and power than perhaps any other. Armani revolutionized tailoring, loosening up
the formal jacket to suit men and women of style who continue to wear his
fluid, minimally-minded designs to this day. His name is also the one behind today's symbiotic relationship between film and fashion. Armani famously dressed Richard Gere in American Gigolo, and has long seen the virtue of placing the world's superstars in his front row. In return, no red carpet is complete without his designs. The current Armani poster girl is none other than Cate Blanchett – quite a coup, as every designer wants her.
06)
KARL LAGERFELD: The Icon
05) ALBER ELBAZ: The Craftsman
Like Pilati, master
craftsman Alber Elbaz did a spell at Yves Saint Laurent, but then the
aforementioned Ford installed himself at the helm of the label in his place. At
the time, the Israeli-born designer was so overwhelmed that he disappeared for
a year, only to emerge at what might go down in history as his spiritual home,
the privately owned Lanvin. The Lanvin womenswear collection is now a favourite with any well-dressed fashion editor or model one might care to mention – think quite the finest little black cocktail dresses and a mean line in trench coats. His menswear is gathering momentum too, also boasting a slightly frayed around the edges but discreet luxury that is both commercially viable and fresh. Elbaz himself, a self-deprecating soul never knowingly spotted without a bow tie, is one of the most popular figures in contemporary fashion. The fact that, in a shark-infested world, he appears quite as loveable as his designs only adds to the charm of this increasingly influential label.
04) ALEXANDER
MACQUEEN: The Visionary
Known
as the creative a genius, he infused high scale tailoring with avant garde
design. McQueen's vision has always been darker than Galliano's, but this
designer, too, has been responsible for some of the greatest shows in fashion
history: McQueen has created Perspex catwalks showered with rain and others that
burst into flames; and he has required models to skate around a
larger-than-life-size snowstorm or stalk the world's most glamorous padded
cell. Since the early 1990s, when the Savile Row-trained designer graduated and the late Isabella Blow famously bought his entire degree collection, McQueen has been the subject of controversy, but that belies both the clarity of his vision and the beauty of his work.
On a street level, the scandalous "bumster" trouser that he pioneered 15 years ago led to the revival of the low-slung hipsters that have been worn ever since. Meanwhile, a spell as creative director at Givenchy gave him access to the French haute-couture ateliers, which gave his work a refinement that continues to develop and now, owned by the Gucci Group (it has a 51 per cent share of his company) McQueen heads up his own brand, which announced profitability for the first time earlier this year.
03) CHRISTIAN DIOR: The maverick
Dior reinstated the post war feminine silhouette,
and dominated the couture circuit. Fashion designer Christian Dior began his
fashion career by selling sketches of hats to Parisians in 1935. He drew
dresses too, but initially his hats were more in demand. Dior worked hard on
his dress designs, though, and three years later he was employed by Robert
Piguet. At the onset of war, Dior went to fight in the south of France.
Returning to Paris in 1941, he worked in Lucien Lelong’s fashion house. With
the war over and the world looking for something new, Dior established his own
house in 1946, backed by the textile manufacturer Marcel Boussac. For his first
collection, Dior created the New Look for which his fashion house became
renowned. Its feminine elegance, with delicate shoulders, tight waist and full
skirt, was inspired by the spirit of Parisian women. The opulence of his
designs contrasted with the grim post-war reality of Europe, and helped re-establish
Paris as the joyful fashion capital it had once been. In the 11 years before
his death, Dior dictated European style. Each of his collections had a theme –
the classic suit, the ballerina skirt and the H, A and Y lines that ruled the
early 1950’s. Dior was first to arrange licensed production of his designs.
Furs, stockings, ties and perfume were manufactured in regional centres across
the world, spreading his brand name quickly about the globe. When he died
suddenly in Italy, in 1957, Yves Saint Laurent, Dior’s assistant of four years,
took over as head designer.02) YVES SAINT LAURENT: The Renaissance Man
Saint Laurent was released from Dior and started his own label, YSL, financed by his companion, Pierre BergĂ©. The Rive Gauche boutiques for women were established in 1966, and men's wear followed in the 1970s. He was the first designer to use ethnic minorities as models on the runway. He was also known during this period as one of 'Paris' jet-set' due to always being seen in French and US night clubs. He was a heavy drinker and frequent user of cocaine during the 1960s and 1970s. 'YSL' is perhaps most famous for "Le Smoking" tuxedo jacket, see-through blouses, peasant blouses, bolero jackets, pantsuits and smocks. By feminising the basic shapes of the male wardrobe, YSL set new standards for world fashion. He not only adapted the male tuxedo for women, but also safari jackets, pea jackets and flying suits. His 1971 radical '40s' collection shocked critics, as did the advertising campaign for the first YSL men’s fragrance, 'Pour Homme' which featured Yves himself posing nude. In 1977, YSL launched the very popular 'Opium' perfume. In 1983, he became the first living fashion designer to be given a solo exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. In 1993, the Saint Laurent fashion house was sold to the pharmaceuticals company, Sanofi, for approximately $600,000,000. YSL held a 300-model fashion extravaganza at the final match of the 1998 World Cup football tournament in the Stade de France, and the following year he was awarded a 'Lifetime Achievement’ award from The Council of Fashion Designers of America. On his retirement, Saint Laurent became increasingly reclusive and spent much of his time at his house in Marrakech, Morocco. In 2007, he was made a Grand Officer de la Legion d'honneur by French President Nicholas Sarkozy. Aged 71, he died from brain cancer in June 2008 on a rare trip back to his native Paris. President Sarkozy said in tribute, "Yves Saint Laurent was convinced that beauty was a necessary luxury for all men and all women." A few days before his death he married his long-term partner Berge in a civil ceremony. His body was cremated and his ashes scattered in the Majorelle Garden in Morocco, which he regularly visited and found to be inspiring. A number of the designer's belongings were sold at auction the year after his death, including Egyptian sculptures and paintings by Picasso. He had collected these works with Berg who decided to sell them as 'it has lost the greatest part of its significance'. Some of the proceeds were donated towards creating a new foundation devoted to Aids research.
01)
COCO CHANEL: The Queen of Fashion
Chanel democratized fashion by bringing comfort and practicality to haute couture dress. Designer Coco Chanel was born Gabrielle Bonheur Chanel in 1883, although she would later claim that her real date of birth was 1893, making her ten years younger. Her place of birth was also something that she sought to disguise. Coco was born in the workhouse in the Loire Valley where her unmarried mother worked, although she asserted that she was born in Auvergne. Her mother died when she was six years old, leaving her father with five children, whom he quickly farmed out to various relatives. The young Chanel was sent to the orphanage of the Catholic monastery of Aubazine, where she learned the trade of a seamstress. School vacations were spent with relatives in the provincial capital of Moulins where Gabrielle learnt to sew with more flourish than the nuns at the monastery had been able to teach her. When she turned 18, she left the orphanage, and took up work for a local tailor. Later, when questioned, Chanel would claim that when her mother died, her father sailed for America and she was sent to live with two cold-hearted spinster aunts. She even claimed to have been born in 1893 as opposed to 1883, and that her mother had died when Coco was six instead of 12. All this was done to diminish the stigma that poverty, orphanhood, and illegitimacy bestowed upon unfortunates in 19th-century France. It was during a brief stint as a singer in cafes and concert halls that Gabrielle adopted the name Coco, a nickname given to her by local soldiers who went to watch her.
World War I led her to move to the resort town of Deauvile, where Chanel became the mistress of a rich ex-military officer and textile heir Etienne Balsan in 1908. At the age of 23, she became his mistress and moved into his chateau, where she lived for three years. It was here that she started designing and creating hats as a diversion, which then turned into a commercial venture. She then started a relationship with a wealthy English Industrialist called Arthur Edward 'Boy' Capel who was a friend of Balsan. He installed her into a Parisian apartment and financed her first shops. The relationship lasted nine years, even after Capel married in 1918. Through the patronage and connections that these men provided she was able to open her own millinery shop in Paris in 1910 and she soon had boutiques in both Deauville and Biarritz.
In 1919, the single most devastating event of her life occurred when Capel was killed in a car accident. She commissioned a roadside memorial at the site of the accident. Twenty-five years after the event, she told a friend: "His death was a terrible blow to me. In losing Capel, I lost everything. What followed was not a life of happiness I have to say." During the 1920s, Coco Chanel became the first designer to create loose women's jersey, traditionally used for men's underwear, creating a relaxed style for women ignoring the stiff corseted look of the time. They soon became very popular with clients, a post-war generation of women for whom the corseted restricted clothing seemed old-fashioned and impractical. By the 1920s, Maison Chanel was established at 31, rue Cambon in Paris (which remains its headquarters to this day) and become a fashion force to be reckoned with. Chanel became a style icon herself with her striking bob haircut and tan placing her at the cutting edge of modern style. In 1922, she launched the fragrance Chanel No. 5, which remains popular to this day. Two years later, Pierre Wertheimer became her business partner (taking on 70% of the fragrance business), and reputedly her lover. The Wertheimers continue to control the perfume company today. In 1925, Chanel launched her signature cardigan jacket, and the following year matched its success with her little black dress. Both items continue to be a staple part of every Chanel collection. During World War II, Chanel was a nurse, although her post-war popularity was greatly diminished by her affair with a Nazi officer during the conflict and she moved to Switzerland to escape the controversy. However, she ended this self-imposed exile in 1954, returning to Paris when she took on Christian Dior's overtly feminine New Look.
She expanded the signature style with the introduction of pea jackets and bell-bottoms for women. Her new collection, panned by the press in Europe, was a hit in the United States. Hollywood stars including Audrey Hepburn and Grace Kelly fell in love with her effortlessly stylish boxy cardigan suits. During her life, Coco Chanel also designed costumes for the stage, including Cocteau's 'Antigone' (1923) and 'Oedipus Rex' (1937) and cinematic works such as 'La Regle de Jeu'. A Broadway musical of her life opened in 1969, with Katharine Hepburn taking the role of Chanel. Coco Chanel worked until her death in 1971 at the age of 88, spending her last moments in the style she had become accustomed to at her opulent private apartment in The Ritz. Karl Lagerfeld has been chief designer of Chanel's fashion house since 1982. His ability to continuously mine the Chanel archive for inspiration testifies to the importance of Coco Chanel's contribution to the world of fashion. The first film about Chanel was 'Chanel Solitaire' in 1981, with Marie-France Pisier playing the designer. This was followed by the American TV movie 'Coco Chanel' in 2008, which rewrote her history by overlooking her connections to the Nazis.In 2009, French actress Audrey Tatou played the designer as a young woman in 'Coco Before Chanel'.
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