Coco Chanel: Thrift Store Edition

Fashion icon Coco Chanel left her mark on the world by inspiring women to abandon the restrictive clothes popular in the 19th century. I challenged myself to restyle thrift store finds to put together two outfits capturing the style of Chanel. This post details my inspiration, process, and results of this project.

While we know Coco Chanel (or Gabrielle Bonheur Chanel as she was formerly known) as the famous French fashion designer, there was more to her than what meets the eye. She had a rough childhood between being born into poverty, the death of her mother, being abandoned by her father, and left at the orphanage. On her rise to fame and fortune, she worked various jobs and was even a café singer! Later, her designs took off due to her vision that luxury fashion should also be comfortable. This concept was very appealing to women, and she would end up revolutionizing the fashion industry. I was very inspired by her fashion and decided to try my hand at my own Chanel-inspired outfits! I was also surprised to learn that she had worked as a singer for a few years. Feeling this additional connection to her, I knew that I wanted to see what I could do. The first step was… inspiration! Some of the looks that inspired me are on this Pinterest board I made below.

For my first look, I was particularly influenced by the Chanel Spring 1995 Ready-to-Wear Collection. This collection consisted of cropped vests, mini skirts, and statement jewelry. One note-worthy element that was prominent in this collection was the chain belt layered over the mini skirt. Moreover, Chanel is not bound to, but is known for its black and white color palette. They even start many of their fashion videos in black and white before switching to color when the individual models start walking out. A good example of this is in Chanel’s Spring-Summer 2021 Haute Couture Show below.

For more on Chanel, visit the website (here).

Step 1: Find the Basics

I set off to the thrift store in search of pieces for two outfits. The four basics I found at Savers were a black lace button-down, a black skirt with zippers, a velvet vest, and a black and white skirt.

Step 2: Alter & Add Embellishments

Next, I altered the outfits with the help of my mom. We cropped both the lace shirt and the vest, and had to resew the black and white skirt; I loved the fabric, but it was the wrong size. There was some extra fabric left over from shortening the skirt, so we sewed it over a padded headband from Target. Additionally, we cut the sleeves of the button-down and sewed on the sleeves from my old sweater. Moreover, we added embellishments from the craft store including lining the collar in pearls and sewing on pearl heart buttons.

Step 3: Accessories

All that was left was to accessorize! I found vintage jewelry, boots, and a purse at River Market Antiques, a gold belt that is my mom’s, and even made a pair of earrings.

Thank you so much to Julie Beets for letting me take photos in her lovely home! Follow her on Instagram @classic.old.home to find well curated, classic finds for your home in the Kansas City area.