The International Expansion

By the 1930s, Chanel had become an international phenomenon. Her aesthetic conquered not just Paris but London, New York, and beyond. The rue Cambon boutique, expanded to include five buildings, became a pilgrimage site for fashionable women worldwide. But Chanel's influence spread far beyond those who could afford couture.

The fashion press played a crucial role in disseminating the Chanel aesthetic. Magazines like Vogue and Harper's Bazaar featured her designs prominently, often with editorial copy that explained not just what to wear but how to wear it. These magazines, reaching middle-class women worldwide, spread Chanel's philosophy of dressing along with images of her clothes.

Hollywood also amplified Chanel's influence. When stars like Greta Garbo and Marlene Dietrich wore Chanel both on and off screen, they introduced her aesthetic to mass audiences. Chanel herself went to Hollywood in 1931, hired by Samuel Goldwyn to design costumes. The experience was unsuccessful—her understated style didn't translate to film's demands for drama—but it cemented her status as an international celebrity.

The proliferation of copies, while threatening Chanel's business, actually spread her influence. When department stores offered "Chanel-inspired" suits at accessible prices, they introduced her aesthetic to women who would never enter a couture house. Chanel herself had mixed feelings about copying. She claimed to be flattered by imitation while simultaneously fighting to protect her business interests.