It’s Fashion Week in New York and Fashion Week here as well!
What does this quote mean?
I understand most every quote I come across. I know what they mean to say and I understand why they are saying it. Not so with this quote. I saw it last week when I was planning out my style series and decided I would NOT do a napkin on it since I had no clue what Coco Chanel meant by it. I still don’t completely. But, here is a funny thing. Today I decided to just put the quote on the page, nothing else, then ask you what you thought it meant. I would then finish the drawing based on the feedback. But after I did the words on the page this idea of just a hand came to me, the ‘take to the hand’ hand. So I thought I would just draw the hand in the middle of the page, but that led to the face and I drew the arm funny so that led it to being a landscape then that led to deciding what she was refusing and that lead to me thinking…ah, maybe I do understand it after all…
But I am still not sure so I want your feedback.
- What does this quote mean?
- Does it reflect itself in your life, or in those you know and admire perhaps?
- How does elegance (and its definition in the quote) fit in with fashion and style?
Drawing and commentary by Marty Coleman, who thinks fine dining is elegant.
Quote by Coco Chanel, 1883-1971, French fashion designer.
It means refusing to be dictated to by those who wish to make money by decreeing what you “MUST” wear this season. If it’s repulsive, refuse it! It means not following the herd, and not being anyone but yourself.
Very good analysis Barbara, thank you for commenting!
Elegance is refusal – I think means that you are not afraid to stand in your own shoes, choose your style wisely, and stay true to more classic, quality, and refined pieces….avoid falling victim to the world of ever changing trends – where some can be good for you and others not so good. When I hear the word ‘elegance’ – refined, classic, and timeless – are the words that come to mind. Elegance is refusing to fall victim ‘to the times’ and stay true to one self.
Heidi, that is more what I was thinking of when I drew the napkin. So now I think it is both, the micro refusal of editing each individual outfit to be elegant and the macro-refusal of withstanding fashion ideas that aren’t right for you. In both cases it comes down to ‘knowing thyself’ doesn’t it.
When I think of elegance, I think of simplicity and refinement in tastes. Applying Coco’s quote to your ingenious drawing, elegance in style could mean a refusal of what does not suit you, as well as acceptance of styles that do. I think of your drawing as portraying refusal of the darkness and negativity in life, in favor of embracing truth and a positive outlook. Openness in communication appears to be a part of this truth and positivity.
Pauline, it’s funny that you say that because I obviously had that in the forefront of my mind when I drew the napkin on elegance. When I thought of refusal I thought of refusing negativity and darkness, anger and resentment, not fashion.
I had the same question on my Facebook page and the first person who answered said it very succinctly in regards to fashion: Less is More. Which makes perfect sense when you apply the idea of refusal to style and fashion. You take off things, you edit things, you refine things until it is simple and elegant. You refuse the extra bling and shine in favor of focus and clarity of vision.
elegance, to me, is part simplicity (refuse a lot of things you might be tempted to keep in your design), part originality (refuse influences), but still in keeping with something familiar that other’s can relate to (refusal to leave the past behind; keep an element of what has lasted maybe? so that the design isn’t just an inchoate neo dada kinda outthere thang…?) Hell I don’t know what it means either really!
Elegance is not a matter of fanciness, but of dedication to uncluttered beauty. It doesn’t have to be expensive to be elegant. It just has to be focused.