From Paris to the world
In 1909, trained seamstress Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel began selling simple hats to wealthy Parisian women. Her hats, which certainly represented a pleasant contrast to the opulent hat creations of the time for her friends and customers, quickly became very popular. She began to showcase her fresh designs in her boutique: Similar to her initial hats, Coco Chanel's womenswear was much less stiff and opulent. It was probably the simple and often androgynous cuts that appealed to young and emancipated women - they felt freed from the burden of excessive decorations. Today, large parts of the collections are still created in Coco Chanel's former studio on Rue Cambon in Paris.
Icons and legends
With the little black dress, Coco Chanel invented one of the most common pieces of clothing in all subsequent decades. No less crucial to the success was the collarless tweed costume, which has been reinterpreted again and again since 1925. Chanel has also created classics in the areas of cosmetics and accessories: the iconic red lipstick, the Chanel N°5 perfume or the widely celebrated 2.55 handbag with a gold chain. It is not surprising that influential and famous women have always turned to Chanel: Even in Coco Chanel's time, icons such as Jackie Kennedy, Grace Kelly, Brigitte Bardot and Elizabeth Taylor were avowed Chanel supporters. Under Lagerfeld's creative direction, Vanessa Paradis and Keira Knightley, for example, acted as testimonials for Chanel. The models Inès de la Fressange and Claudia Schiffer also achieved great fame as Lagerfeld's muses.
Long-time chief designer Karl Lagerfeld and his successor
After Coco Chanel's death, the brand took a few years to return to its former glory under designer Karl Lagerfeld. For almost 40 years, Lagerfeld continued to fascinate with his Chanel interpretations and led the brand into a new era. Although Karl Lagerfeld and Coco Chanel never met in person, with his modern and daring pieces he was considered the savior of the Chanel brand from his second collection onwards, which still had a rather old-fashioned image until the 1970s. His successor Virginie Viard had been working with Lagerfeld since the 1990s and appeared at his side at the presentation of the Chanel Cruise Collection 2019 in 2018. Three months after his death, Viard presented her first own collection for Chanel, the Resort Collection 2020 Viard's designs are softer than Lagerfeld's hard geometric shapes, but she skillfully continues the dual legacy of Chanel and Lagerfeld - a demanding task that hardly anyone could be up to.
Order designer second hand fashion online
Here in the Buddy&Selly online shop you will find selected designer second hand clothing, including lots of classics from Chanel. The subtle and elegant pieces for men and women never go out of fashion with their timeless elegance and represent a long-term investment. With a designer second hand costume or suit you are guaranteed to cut a great figure. No matter whether for the day or the evening, you can find accessories and key pieces like the little black dress in the designer second hand range at Buddy&Selly. The iconic collarless tweed jackets, which you can buy from us in top condition, are also a must. It's best to order your favorite piece immediately from Buddy&Selly!
