History and High Heels: French Focus: Secrets to Style

105 years ago, Gabrielle (Coco) Chanel debuted her military dress line in a small Parisian flat. It was out of this shop that she sold creatively designed hats to mistresses of well-off men who were attending a hunting salon upstairs. Throughout the war, Chanel moved her shop to a larger locale and focused her fashion line on the use of jersey cloth with simple, clean dress lines. By the end of the war, Chanel's designs became popular across France and thus the inspired Coco decided to create the perfume Chanel No.5 in 1921. The fashion line stayed popular throughout the 1930s, but the brand began to decline throughout World War II. Many believed Coco to be a Nazi collaborator after the fall of France in 1940. Chanel was later exiled to Switzerland for several years and returned to France in the 1950s. She was able to kindle a resurgence of her fashion line, famous for its haute-couture style. Coco died in 1971, still designing her beautiful line.

Coco Chanel has been an inspiration for women everywhere. The iconic classic style is emblematic of the well-dressed, fashion-forward style of French women. The bold, yet laid-back French style is one that I aspire to and if you want to look just like you've walked off the streets of Paris, take a cue from these three secrets!