By ELLEN LEWIS
One hundred and fifty years is no small feat. It’s a legacy, yes, but more importantly, it’s a dialogue. And when I think about Chantelle, what resonates isn’t just longevity. It’s evolution. A quiet, consistent response to how women live, move, and feel in their own skin.
This milestone celebration, 150 years of what the brand calls Something More ™ isn’t framed as nostalgia. Instead, through the discerning lens of fashion historian Salomé Dudemain, Chantelle’s story unfolds as a study in listening. She delved into decades of archives, factory floors, vintage campaigns, timeworn catalogs, and what emerges is not just history, but intention. Craft honed by attention. Design informed by reality.
And they didn’t stop there. Elastic tulle, zip fastenings, seamless knitting, each advancement chipped away at restriction, replacing it with ease. By the 1950s, Chantelle had already articulated what feels like a modern mantra: “a good undergarment is also one that is forgotten.” Invisible, perhaps, but never insignificant.
Then came the cultural shift of the 1960s. Women stepped into the workforce in unprecedented numbers, redefining independence and their relationship with their bodies. The girdle, once essential, felt suddenly obsolete. Many brands might have faltered. Chantelle recalibrated.
They pivoted, decisively, toward the bra. Not as mere support, but as a hybrid of function and fashion. At their Épernay facility, they created hundreds of jobs, largely for women, reinforcing a philosophy that extended beyond product into purpose. Their early designs were aptly named Fête and Défi. Celebrate. Dare. Even then, the message was clear.
By the 1970s, Chantelle was leaning into lightness, lace that breathed, elastane that moved. Their campaigns shifted too, reflecting women in motion: working, dancing, laughing. Living. The tagline said it all: “Dance. They won’t. Move. They Won’t.” It wasn’t just about fit. It was about freedom.
Throughout the 80s and 90s, the narrative became more expressive. Microfiber innovations, intricate detailing, and a new visual language emerged, one where lingerie wasn’t hidden, but hinted. A strap, a motif, a glimmer of rhinestone. Subtle, but intentional. I’ve always believed that lingerie is as much about what you reveal to yourself as what you show the world. Chantelle seemed to understand that instinctively.
Their 1998 declaration “it may be a detail, but it’s a Chantelle” feels, even now, like a quiet assertion of confidence. Because details are never just details. They’re decisions. And over 150 years, those decisions have added up to something quite extraordinary.
What defines Chantelle isn’t just innovation. It’s consistency of purpose. A family-owned brand that has remained deeply attuned to women’s needs, anticipating them, responding to them, and often, shaping them.
That, to me, is Something More.™
See More Chantelle Collections in Their Spotlight on Lingerie Briefs
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