Chanel, who earned the name 'Coco' when she worked as a singer in a cafe, took simple fabrics like jersey and upgraded them into something wonderful. Her revolutionary designs replaced the finery and starch of the corset, with comfort and casual elegance.

Chanel is renowned for her creation of the Little Black Dress, which isn't strictly true. However, she did take the grief out of black as it was traditionally only worn to represent mourning.

As well as creating her empire of clothing, jewellery and perfume for the modern elegant women, Chanel was also recruited to provide the costumes for the film 'Last Year at Marienbad'.