“Dress shabbily and they remember the dress,” said Chanel. “Dress impeccably and they remember the woman.” Chanel understood the importance of appearance to getting ahead in the business world. Looking her best wasn’t just a matter of wanting to feel feminine or being attractive for Chanel, it was also a way to gain respect.

When Chanel first started her own business, she did so at a time when it was almost unheard of for women to be calling the shots. She had to struggle to break into the male-dominated industry and knew that in order to do so, she would have to present herself as well put together as possible. Chanel believed that it was a simple fact of life – the more beautiful the woman, the more successful she would be. “I don’t understand how a woman can leave the house without fixing herself up a little – if only out of politeness,” said Chanel. “And then, you never know, maybe that’s the day she has a date with destiny. And it’s best to be as pretty as possible for destiny.”

Chanel didn’t create her products with just beauty in mind; she didn’t want women to be beautiful just so they could leave their houses. She wanted women to be beautiful so that they could leave their houses and become someone, to do something important. Chanel knew all too well that in order to succeed in any industry, it was important to present yourself
as the success that you dream of being. And, for her, it was important to feel like a real woman. “The more feminine a woman, the stronger she is,” said Chanel.

She once joked that, “A woman who doesn’t wear perfume has no future.” Chanel was a staunch believer in the importance of personal appearance as being a contributing factor in one’s professional success. In the 15 seconds it takes for someone to make a first impression, Chanel believed it was important to fill that time with nothing but elegance and class.

Beauty, according to Chanel, was something that was attainable by any woman who put any effort into it. “Nature gives you the face you have at twenty,” said Chanel. “It is up to you to merit the face you have at fifty…a woman has the age she deserves.” Investing in your appearance was an investment in your future, according to Chanel. By presenting yourself as an elegant, youthful and refined woman, she believed that you were communicating success itself. If you dressed the part, you could achieve the part.

Although she spoke mainly of femininity and would never have defined herself as a feminist, Chanel’s contribution to the emancipation of women is indisputable. It was this desire to help women feel beautiful and successful that kept Chanel working in the industry until the day she died. “I love luxury,” she said. “And luxury lies not in richness and ornateness but in the absence of vulgarity. Vulgarity is the ugliest word in our language. I stay in the game to fight it.”