frfashion1-4, Exercise 2: Chanel, Vionnet and Schiaparelli

Model answer (check the details):

| | Chanel | Vionnet | Schiaparelli |
|---|---|---|---|
| Background | Born in Saumur in 1883, raised partly in an orphanage; began as a milliner | Trained in the Callot house; opened her own house in 1912 | Born in Rome in 1890; moved to Paris in 1922 |
| Contribution | Simple jersey clothes, the little black dress, costume jewellery, the No. 5 perfume and the brand | The bias cut, draping without a corset, the better treatment of workers (check) | Surrealist collaboration (Dalí, Cocteau), wit, shocking pink, trompe-l'œil knitwear |
| How remembered | As the symbol of 20th-century French fashion | Among designers as the master of technique; little known to the public | As a witty artist; for many years overshadowed |

Whose contribution is most easily overlooked: Vionnet's, because her work was technical (cut and construction), her house closed in 1939, and she did not build a perfume or licensing empire to keep her name in front of the public.

Care: "how remembered" is a judgement based on the amount of attention in books, exhibitions and brands. Check this against recent exhibitions and scholarship.