Wardrobe Wednesday- Chanel

One of my big enjoyments in life is fashion.  I also personally think that fashion and travel go hand in hand, and that one doesn't have to get on a plane to go and visit a foreign land.  One of the best (and my favorite) examples of fashion travel would be Chanel.  My favorite Chanel collections tend to be the destination based ones like Paris-Shanghai, Paris-Edimbourg, etc.  I love pieces that take elements of different cities and incorporate them into a wearable bit of whimsy that can make you think for a second that you just might be in the location in question.  Today, I'm going to keep things a little more localized and focus on traveling to Paris via Chanel.  

There are many newer designers that I feel capture the essence of Paris through their clothing, but the most iconic encapsulation for me will always be Chanel.  It is because of the simple jersey dresses that Coco Chanel debuted in the 1920's that the Paris aesthetic of today is so sleek and modern.  Typical Parisian dress is always more relaxed and low-key with a palette that tends to lean towards versatile blacks and neutrals.  This is not the land of heavily layering bracelets or rings or any kind of accessory.  Items are carefully chosen to complement the outfit without complicating things and making them too busy and try hard.  It is because of this simplicity that I feel Chanel is so timeless and Parisian.

My other favorite thing about Chanel would be Coco Chanel herself, someone who understood that great voyages could be made without even leaving the comforts of home.  I am obsessed with Coco's apartment and its incredible mix of styles from Asia, Baroque Europe, and modern times.  Her apartment for me epitomizes just how closely related travel and fashion truly are, and how travel can inspire someone to create ethereal pieces of art that allow the owner to take a voyage for themselves, either back in time, or to another world.  I also just love Baroque or Asian-influenced style in general so for me her apartment is like a dream world!

 The Chanel designs for me always capture the opulence of Paris aside from the simplicity.  The designs themselves remain true to Coco's simpler aesthetic, but when Chanel goes ornate, it is with a capital O.  In these designs I can see the history of Marie Antoinette, the Eiffel Tower, the grand avenues, gold plated wrought iron, opulent hotels, the 20's, the 40's, all the elements that so many people seek out in Paris.  I find that fairytale Paris through fashion, since for me, that is the only place that it truly exists, in the artistic world of interpretation and imagination, and sometimes we must call on oracles like Coco Chanel and now Karl Lagerfeld to pull these places into the realm of reality.