All these years later, it remains central to the brand’s ethos, even beyond its namesake founder’s vision, and is as essential to the CHANEL look as the classic tweed suit.
A model poses in Chanel’s classic knit suit and accessories from the Chanel spring 1972 couture collection fashion show. This collection was designed with artistic director Gaston Berthelot.as she was known to call them, changed that image. She developed the shoe in partnership with ParisianRaymond Massaro of Massaro of Paris. With the shoemaker, a member of the Metier’s d’ Arts since 2002, Chanel created an alternative to the stiletto.
Chanel never disguised her dislike for prevailing fashion norms. She reworked her classic designs to give women’s fashion a more youthful feeling, and eradicate the structured, uncompromising silhouette that defined the time. The slingback pump, in its simplicity, finished the look that became the ultimate, modern wardrobe.
By the 1960’s the “Chanel look,” complete with its trademark slingback pump, became the standard barer for couture design replicas. Yet, that never bothered Chanel, as she told WWD in a feature in 1964.Surely, Chanel had a vision for the brand’s ultimate popularity.