“Simplicity is the keynote of all true elegance,” said Coco Chanel in 1923. She brought us the little black dress, Chanel No. 5 perfume and bell bottoms. The iconic Chanel Suit incorporates a number of design features (such as: three piece sleeves, long exterior seams and weighted hems) that make it supremely comfortable while exuding her signature sophistication.

Born Gabrielle Chanel in Auvergne, France in 1883, her mother died when she was six and her father soon deserted his family. She grew up in an orphanage and then moved to Paris, where she opened her first shop in 1912. The simplistic clothing of the nuns at the orphanage influenced Coco’s work – all the clothes she designed were simple, comfortable and elegant, in total contrast to the corsets, petticoats and long dresses designed by her peers.

Her style accompanied the new lifestyle of the flappers – young women who drove cars, danced the Charleston and wore make-up. Innovative and influential, she rose to become one of the premier fashion designers in the world.

She lived a life full of ups and downs and was active in her business until the day she died at 87 in 1971. Karl Lagerfeld has been at the helm of Chanel since then.

Coco Chanel’s rags-to-riches story has been told in several movies. Katherine Hepburn portrayed her in a Broadway play and numerous books have been written about her life. Brand new this month are two new offerings – a book called The Gospel According to Coco Chanel by Karen Karbo and a movie starring Audrey Tautou – Coco Before Chanel, which opens today — September 25.