Aphorism: Mode passes; style remains. (Coco Chanel 1965) Question about French version

[Chris Waigl]

On 15 Aug 2011, at 06:47, Garson O'Toole wrote:

> [...]
> Here is a list in reverse chronological order of some variant
> phrasings. (Some dates have not yet been verified.)
>
> 2011 Fashions fade, style is eternal. (attrib Yves Saint Laurent)
> 2005 Fashion passes; style remains. (attrib Chanel)
> 1995 Fashion fades. Only style remains. (attrib Chanel)
> 1994 Fashion fades, only style remains the same. (attrib Chanel)
> 1985 Fashion fades but style remains the same. (attrib Chanel)
> 1983 Fashion passes; style remains. (Yves Saint Laurent during an interview)
> 1977 Fashion passes, style remains. (attrib Chanel)
> 1965 Mode passes; style remains. (Coco Chanel during an interview)
>
> Here is some additional context for the 1965 cite.
>
> Cite: 1965 November, McCall's, An Interview With Chanel, [Interview
> with Gabrielle Chanel conducted by Joseph Barry], Start Page 121,
> Quote page 170, Column 4, McCall Pub. Co., New York. (Verified on
> paper)

Are you completely certain this interview was conducted all in English and not, for example, partly in French with the help of an interpreter or by a bilingual interviewer?

The quote, as a quick google confirms, is noted in French as "la mode passe, le style reste". And in one article at least it is claimed that Coco Chanel was fond of (or rather, was in the habit of or was not tiring of) repeating this as a maxim(*). "Fashion passes, style remains" (or put in a semicolon if you want to avoid the comma splice in English) would be the most straightforward translation I can think of.

So if she were to have repeated it in English in this particular interview after having said it in French, then "mode" (in the EN version) might be a sub-optimall gloss of the FR "mode", with "fashion" a correction. The gloss might have been authored by herself, the interviewer or an intermediary.

Chris Waigl


(*)
====
« La mode passe, le style reste », ne se lassait de répéter Coco Chanel, dont l'impact sur la garde-robe contemporaine n'a toujours pas d'égal, près de quarante ans après sa disparition.
http://www.marieclaire.fr/,curriculum-style-coco-chanel-en-5-dates,20290,20721.asp
====
--
Chris Waigl -- http://chryss.eu -- http://eggcorns.lascribe.net
twitter: chrys -- friendfeed: chryss

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