25 Days of Style: a Fashion Blog series -- Day 24

     When I meet some young self proclaimed fashionista and they tell me that Chanel is their favorite designer, I can't help but laugh inside -- no offense. Honey, Coco Chanel has been dead and hasn't designed anything since the early/late sixties. If you say Karl Lagerfeld, who is currently designing for the fashion house, then we can start talking. But I know what they mean. Gabrielle "Coco" Chanel has pioneered so many classic and timeless pieces that all of us can't help but constantly refer to her work like the boxy tweed jacket, costume jewelry, the quilted chain bag, the scent of Chanel No. 5, and of course the Little Black Dress (LBD.) Audrey Hepburn cemented this look in her role as Holly Golightly in the movie Breakfast at Tiffany's but did you know that the designer responsible for all of her looks in the movie, along with the famous costume designer Edith Head, was actually Givenchy? So when looked at as a classic analogy Chanel : LBD :: Givenchy : Holly Golightly's LDB. Chanel may have made the LBD a classic, but season after season, every designer creates their own version of this iconic piece. 

     LBDs can definitely be too cocktail dressy, but I like wearing mine even outside of social events. To make it daytime and work appropriate, I simply layered it with a tailored blazer and accessorized with pearl costume jewelry -- another Chanel classic. If only the flowers on this necklace were Camellias then this is a Chanel inspired look through and through. And to finish off this polished look, I just simply wore my trusted black suede pumps with the hidden 2 inch platforms. Have I talked about the magic that is hidden platforms? It is Day 24 after all and I can hardly remember all of the distinct details of what I jabber about on here. But yes, hidden platforms is your new best friend! Are you too intimated or clumsy for 6 inch heels? Hidden platforms in pumps basically will save your life and make an otherwise super uncomfortable shoe into something super comfortable and wearable -- or at least much more tolerable. Without it, your feet would basically be inclined tenfold in 6" heels, so it acts as an added layer or two of extra platform. 

     Even as a young teenager, the interlocking C's of Chanel always intimidated me. There was this mysterious omnipresent feel to it that I couldn't explain. Every time I would walk near a Chanel boutique when I was younger, something about it felt too delicate to touch let alone enter. Maybe it was the presence of those (asset protection) guards or sales ladies in their classic black and white Chanel ensembles that would dishearten me, but it was definitely one of the logos that I grew up around especially with a very stylish mother and grandmother like mine. No one had to explain why it was so classic, so special, but just like with everything else when I was growing up, when I didn't understand something, I would read about it. And through books, movies, and documentaries did I learn the importance of Chanel to the fashion industry and to modern history. Besides, a lady is always learning. 

Love, KB

black tiered dress by Erin Fetherston for Target 

blush blazer by Heritage 1981 

pearl necklace by Charming Charlie 

black suede pumps by Steve Madden