As well as introducing groundbreaking garments for women, Gabrielle ‘Coco’ Chanel embodied her brand in a way no other designer had done before, a new exhibition highlights. Gabrielle Chanel. Fashion Manifesto – at London’s V&A Museum – traces the life and work of the famed French designer, who was born in the Loire Valley in 1883 and taught to sew by nuns in the orphanage to which she was sent aged 11, when her mother died. “Before her, designers weren’t really known,” says Oriole Cullen, curator of modern textiles and fashion and the V&A. “Their names were known, but they weren’t visible figures within society.” Starting out as a seamstress and cabaret singer, before establishing herself as milliner, Chanel later turned her focus to couture fashion and began designing casual clothing for women, inspired by the menswear of the era. “The Chanel brand as it stands [today] is really based on these ideas that she ushered in 100 years ago,” Cullen says, which is where the exhibition title comes from. “The meaning of that is really about a template that Gabrielle Chanel set out at the very beginning of her design career and came back to, reimagined and reinvented throughout her long career of sixty years.” Bringing together nearly 200 outfits, the show features items from the opening of her first millinery boutique in Paris in 1910, to the showing of her final collection, two weeks after she died in 1971. Signature designs on display include little black dresses, tweed suits and quilted leather handbags – the most iconic of which is the 2.55 bag. “The 2.55 has never really gone out of fashion since she designed it in 1955,” Cullen says. “That is fascinating in terms of high fashion, that an object can stay the course for such a long time and still be relevant.” Part of the upper echelons of French society, Chanel initially relied on wealthy lovers, such as French ex-cavalry officer Etienne Balsan and English polo player Arthur Edward ‘Boy’ Capel to fund her boutiques. Later becoming a celebrity in her own right, she amassed a personal fortune, thanks to the success of her fashion, accessories and cosmetics lines. “The perfume Chanel No5 was introduced in 1921, but then introducing make-up in 1924 and skincare in 1927, she was really ahead of her time,” Cullen says. “It’s something she was doing because she was designing for herself.” Chanel is credited with helping to liberate women from the constricting corsets and long skirts that were de rigeur at the turn of the century, and for popularising softer textiles, such as jersey. “She cuts her garments with high armholes, so you can lift your arms over your head,” Cullen continues. “She thinks about fabrics that are practical, and skirt lengths you can move in.” The exhibition – which was originally staged at Paris’s Palais Galliera in 2020 – highlights the brand’s UK and Ireland connections via British Chanel Limited. “This was an umbrella company set up in 1932 to work with an array of British textile manufacturers,” Cullen explains. “From lace in Nottingham, cotton velvets from Manchester, wools from Huddersfield, and also voiles and silks from Carlisle. “One of the other companies she worked with was the Old Bleach Linen Company, which is based in Randalstown in Northern Ireland.” Split into 10 sections, the exhibition concludes with a recreation of the mirrored staircase from Chanel’s Paris atelier. “Gabrielle Chanel used to sit at the top of the stairs when she was having presentations,” Cullen explains. “The models would descend and this faceted mirror would reflect back the audience’s faces to her, so she could read the mood in the room.” Gabrielle Chanel. Fashion Manifesto opens at London’s V&A Museum on September 16. Tickets available at vam.ac.uk/chanel. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live 6 times Kate has worn London Fashion Week designers Pro-gamer Jukeyz ‘died for two minutes’ after cardiac arrest which left him ‘scared to sleep’ Young people not snowflakes or wasters, says curator of rebellious fashion exhibition

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Doja Cat has been behaving a little oddly towards her fans recently, and one conspiracy theorist on TikTok believes she knows exactly why. The rapper recently faced a backlash after speaking out about the practice of pop stars’ obsessive fan bases using collective nicknames to describe themselves. Doja Cat’s fans called themselves the "Kittenz". However, in a now-deleted post on social media platform Threads, the pop star said: “My fans don’t name themselves s***. If you call yourself a ‘kitten’ or f***ing ‘kittenz’ that means you need to get off your phone and get a job and help your parents with the house.” Now, conspiracy theorist Aja, who goes by ‘jayllah_bae’ on TikTok, thinks she’s found an explanation for her unusual behaviour towards fans, which has seen Doja Cat lose close to 250,000 Instagram followers over recent weeks. Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter Aja alleges that the rapper, real name Amala Ratna Zandile Dlamini, was “marked” and then “possessed” by a demon on her 27th birthday. The TikToker claims that her birthday was actually a “ritual for her soul”. @ajayllah_bae #dojacat is definitely going through a tough spritual battle “I don’t know what happened inside of her 27th birthday party, but she was marked and she was possessed, and that is why we’re seeing the Doja Cat we see now,” Aja said in the clip. “They did something to her and something literally jumped into her body and possessed the f*** out of her,” she added, as well as describing her masquerade-themed party as an “Illuminati gala”. Describing her subsequent actions as “sinister”, the TikToker also spoke about the musician's more recent weight loss, saying: “After that, I just started noticing that she lost a lot of weight. Doja Cat was always this thicc, juicy baddie [sic] and I mean thicker than cold peanut butter. “And I’m not f****** stupid, I know that sometimes people just change, but this s*** was like overnight.” She went on to post a follow-up video speaking about the “27 club ritual”, which is a list of celebrities who died at the age of 27. “See the 27 club is not just about death,” Aja said. “I’m talking about the 27 club ritual that [celebrities] go through to see if they’re either [going to] be young and impressionable forever and basically be a product for the masses, or are they going to end up dead, or are they going to transition into another part of their life.” It’s not the first time that conspiracy theorists have spoken about Doja Cat, after the rapper confirmed that she is not, in fact, a member of the illuminati earlier this year. Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

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People were baffled when news broke that Tom Jones had died aged 95, leading many to believe the Welsh singer had passed away. However, it was legendary entertainer Thomas John Woodward, known by his stage name Tom Jones. Awkwardly, social media was flooded with tributes for the Welsh singer, with one Facebook user sharing an attempt to fuel the rumour, writing: "At about 11 a.m. ET on Saturday (August 12, 2023), our beloved singer Tom Jones passed away. Tom Jones was born on June 7, 1940 in Pontypridd. He will be missed but not forgotten. Please show your sympathy and condolences by commenting on and liking this page." Many more people shared photos of the 'Sex Bomb' singer online with RIP messages, but The Voice judge is alive and well. Sign up for our free Indy100 weekly newsletter Tom Jones, who wrote the longest-standing musical to date The Fantasticks, sadly lost his battle with cancer on Friday (11 August). Alongside the late composer Harvey Schmidt, Jones' Broadway musical lasted 42 years after opening in Greenwich Village in 1960. Heartwarming messages and memories soon flooded X (formerly known as Twitter). "One of my fondest college memories was when our choreographer would make us stretch to "Orphan in the Storm". In just under a decade Tom Jones, along with Harvey Schmidt, brought us The Fantasticks, 110 in the Shade, I Do! I Do! and Celebration. Incredible. RIP Tom Jones," one person penned. Another wrote: "RIP to writer/lyricist/director Tom Jones. He's most known for his Broadway musicals The Fantasticks, 110 in the Shade & Celebration. Great music and a wonderful legacy. Thank you, Mr. Jones." Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

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