Coco Chanel has always been one of my greatest fashion influences
. Her philosophy speaks to me on so many levels, she believed that “in order to be irreplaceable one must always be different,” and that quote has stuck with me for years.
I admire the way she broke the rules of her time, redefining what it meant to be stylish, elegant, and free.
Every time I get dressed or think about personal style, I’m reminded of her belief that “fashion fades, only style remains the same.” Chanel didn’t just design clothes, she designed a mindset.
Her unapologetic confidence, her commitment to simplicity and individuality, and her timeless wit inspire how I approach beauty and self expression.
These quotes below capture so much of what I love about her a true revolutionary who proved that elegance and strength can go hand in hand.
Coco Chanel Quotes
- “Fashion fades, only style remains the same.” – Coco Chanel
- “I don’t do fashion. I am fashion.” – Coco Chanel
- “Simplicity is the keynote of all true elegance.” – Coco Chanel
- “Dress shabbily and they remember the dress; dress impeccably and they remember the woman.” – Coco Chanel
- “Fashion is not something that exists in dresses only. Fashion is in the sky, in the street, fashion has to do with ideas, the way we live, what is happening.” – Coco Chanel
- “A girl should be two things: classy and fabulous.” – Coco Chanel
- “In order to be irreplaceable one must always be different.” – Coco Chanel
- “Luxury must be comfortable, otherwise it is not luxury.” – Coco Chanel
- “A woman with good shoes is never ugly.” – Coco Chanel
- “You live but once; you might as well be amusing.” – Coco Chanel
- “The best color in the whole world is the one that looks good on you.” – Coco Chanel
- “Adornment, what a science! Beauty, what a weapon! Modesty, what elegance!” – Coco Chanel
- “Elegance is refusal.” – Coco Chanel
- “A woman can be overdressed but never over-elegant.” – Coco Chanel
- “Fashion is architecture: it is a matter of proportions.” – Coco Chanel
- “My life didn’t please me, so I created my life.” – Coco Chanel
- “Look for the woman in the dress. If there is no woman, there is no dress.” – Coco Chanel
- “Fashion is made to become unfashionable.” – Coco Chanel
- “Nothing goes out of fashion sooner than a long dress with a very low neck.” – Coco Chanel
- “Costume jewelry is not made to give women an aura of wealth, but to make them beautiful.” – Coco Chanel
- “Innovation! One cannot be forever innovating. I want to create classics.” – Coco Chanel
- “A woman should wear perfume wherever she wants to be kissed.” – Coco Chanel
- “There are people who have money and people who are rich.” – Coco Chanel
- “Elegance does not consist in putting on a new dress.” – Coco Chanel
- “A beautiful dress may look beautiful on a hanger, but that means nothing. It must be seen on the shoulders, with the movement of the arms, with the legs and feet.” – Coco Chanel
- “A dress made right should allow one to walk, to dance, even to ride horseback.” – Coco Chanel
- “Black has it all. White too. Their beauty is absolute. It is the perfect harmony.” – Coco Chanel
- “Before you leave the house, look in the mirror and take one thing off.” – Coco Chanel
- “I imposed black; it’s still going strong today, for black wipes out everything else around.” – Coco Chanel
- “Fashion is always of the time in which you live. It is not something standing alone.” – Coco Chanel
- “Since everything is in our heads, we had better not lose them.” – Coco Chanel
- “Youth is something very new: twenty years ago no one mentioned it.” – Coco Chanel
- “Fashion should be stylish and fun.” – Coco Chanel
- “Clothes have no meaning until someone lives in them.” – Coco Chanel
- “Women think of all colors except the absence of color. I have said that black has it all.” – Coco Chanel
- “You can be gorgeous at thirty, charming at forty, and irresistible for the rest of your life.” – Coco Chanel
- “Hard times arouse an instinctive desire for authenticity.” – Coco Chanel
- “Success is most often achieved by those who don’t know that failure is inevitable.” – Coco Chanel
- “Some people think luxury is the opposite of poverty. It is not. It is the opposite of vulgarity.” – Coco Chanel
- “As long as you know men are like children, you know everything!” – Coco Chanel
- “A woman who doesn’t wear perfume has no future.” – Coco Chanel
- “I invented my life by taking for granted that everything I did not like would have an opposite, which I would like.” – Coco Chanel
- “A woman who cuts her hair is about to change her life.” – Coco Chanel
- “Don’t spend time beating on a wall, hoping to transform it into a door.” – Coco Chanel
- “I don’t care what you think about me. I don’t think about you at all.” – Coco Chanel
- “I don’t understand how a woman can leave the house without fixing herself up a little, if only out of politeness. 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.” – Coco Chanel
- “All men are children, and if you understand that, a woman understands everything.” – Coco Chanel
- “The best things in life are free. The second-best are very expensive.” – Coco Chanel
- “Nature gives you the face you have at twenty. Life shapes the face you have at thirty. But at fifty you get the face you deserve.” – Coco Chanel
- “The most courageous act is still to think for yourself. Aloud.” – Coco Chanel
- “The best color in the whole world is the one that looks good on you.” – Coco Chanel
- “Luxury must be comfortable, otherwise it is not luxury.” – Coco Chanel
- “It is always better to be slightly underdressed.” – Coco Chanel
Final Thoughts
Coco Chanel’s words continue to echo through the world of fashion and beyond.
Her legacy isn’t just stitched into garments, it lives in the way we carry ourselves, the confidence we choose each morning, and the elegance we express with simplicity.
Every quote is a reminder that style is more than trends; it’s about self-respect, courage, and creativity.
Whenever I read her words, I feel inspired to stay bold, stay curious, and most importantly, stay true to myself.
If fashion is a form of self-expression, then Chanel gave us the vocabulary to speak it fluently.
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