How-To Dress Like a Chanel Girl | The Chic List

I’ve been dreaming of vintage Chanel lately.

Perhaps it’s my subconscious soaking in all those vintage Chanel ads that I scroll through on Pinterest, the same way some would mindlessly their “for you” page on TikTok. Maybe it’s my vintage Chanel gold chain necklace sitting at my throat, whispering to me the lures of couture like a horcrux in Harry Potter. Or even seeing how elegantly Kristen Stewart transformed into Princess Diana in Spencer, styled in the luxury house’s archived garments.

Whatever the draw may be, I bought this white sweater dress with gold-rimmed pearl buttons and black velvet bows, quicker than you can say, “interlocked c’s.” I kid you not, I bought three cardigans with the same color combination, but slightly different details because of the imperiousness of the Chanel uniform. Here are some takeaways from my look on how to dress like you’re in a vintage Chanel ad:

Oversized Sunglasses and Silky Gloves:

A Chanel girl is all about creating subtle drama. That means wearing jet-black gloves and shades to match. I’m sure Anna Wintour would approve of wearing these oversized Prada swirly shades indoors, even if the general public may think it’s a little overkill. But a Chanel girl also doesn’t pay attention to the status quo: she forges her own fashion-forward path.  

Dreaming in Black and White:

A Chanel girl moves in a world of grainy technicolor, but still chooses to wear black and white. This could be in the form of a delicious soft, chunky knit sweater in cream bordered with onyx details, or a black cardigan lined with beige edges and kissed with monarchical gold buttons. But on a day in San Francisco, my take was tuxedo color number reminiscent of the vintage Chanel campaign you see below, or even something Princess Diana wore back in the day. Walking around the Palace Hotel in black suede-over-the-knee boots to match the vevelt bowson the dress made me feel like I was about to attend a Chanel Metiers D’Art show. Perhaps it’s just a girl dreaming about fashion month, gearing up to watch the runways virtually while working her on-camera reporter job on the West Coast. Until I officially get to Paris, I’m just going to order some chocolate croissants and a Café au Lait and dress up again in this number.

Pearls are a Chanel Girl’s Best Friend:

Marilyn Monroe was a fashion icon that preached about diamonds. But a Chanel girl is all about being dripped in strings of pearls. For this particular outfit, I let the pearl buttons encased in gold stand out instead of covering them with Coco-esque pearl necklaces. I did adorn my ears with oversized studs identical to the buttons.

Being a Chanel girl isn’t just about impeccable dressing: it’s about being one inside: an elegant woman who is equal parts trailblazer. She doesn’t just sit there to look pretty. When she takes steps in those cream and black quilted heels or opens her mouth rimmed with a rouge Chanel red lipstick, she’s making an impact.

Keeping it Krischic,

Kristin Vartan