On October 15, 2015 at the Hillwood Estate, Museum, & Gardens in Washington, DC, I will discuss women and 20th-century fashion, focusing on the great fashion designer Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel in the context of her profession, and compared to other female fashion designers of the 1920s and 1930s, such as Elsa Schiaparelli and Madeleine Vionnet. This was the golden age of the couturière, when female designers dominated Paris fashion. Yet when Chanel came back into business in the 1950s, the world of fashion had changed, and she faced mostly male rivals, such as Christian Dior, Cristobal Balenciaga, and Jacques Fath. What is the situation of female fashion designers today? Have they regained parity with men?

Learn more about this event here.