'Coco' Chanel's influential fashion on show at London exhibit

With displays ranging from tweed suits to an array of little black dresses, a new London exhibition looks at the work of one of fashion's most famous names - French designer Gabrielle "Coco" Chanel. Opening at the V&A museum on Saturday, "Gabrielle Chanel. Fashion Manifesto" is the first British exhibition dedicated to the designer's creations and longstanding influence on fashion.

Her famed tweed suits, loose fitting and low-waisted dresses and dazzling evening gowns are among the outfits on display. Her designs, accessories and perfumes, particularly Chanel No.5, were hits and today the Chanel fashion house, founded in 1910, remains one of the world's most famous luxury brands.

"One of the key influences that Gabrielle Chanel has had on the way we dress today is a sense of adaptability and practicality," Connie Karol Burks, curator of the department for textiles and fashion since 1900 at the museum, told Reuters. "She was constantly thinking about movement and being comfortable and being able to enjoy wearing your clothes."

Chanel died in 1971, aged 87. Late designer Karl Lagerfeld took over the luxury brand's creative helm in 1984 and remained there until his death in 2019, when he was succeeded by current creative director Virginie Viard.

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