New Coco Chanel exhibition explores her label's pre-Karl Lagerfeld era

Creations of Gabrielle "Coco" Chanel are displayed during the exhibition at the Galliera Palais in Paris. Photo: Reuters

She was the greatest style icon of 20th century, whose designs still shape what we wear. Yet the Gabrielle "Coco" Chanel who emerges from the first exhibition ever dedicated to her work in Paris will come as a shock to fans of her brand's bling.

The creator of the little black dress, tweed suits, two-tone shoes and quilted handbags that are synonymous with French elegance was a very different animal to Karl "the Kaiser" Lagerfeld, who turned her label into a US$100 billion (RM416 billion) business.