Coco Chanel

Gabrielle Bonheur Chanel founded her namesake brand and spent the post–World War I years rewriting feminine style as sporty and casual, a break sharp enough to land her on Time's list of the 100 most influential people of the 20th century. She extended past couture into jewelry, handbags, and fragrance—Chanel No. 5 became iconic, and the interlocked-CC monogram she designed has been in use since the 1920s. Her couture house closed in 1939 when war broke out; she stayed in France during the Nazi occupation and collaborated directly with the Sicherheitsdienst, even carrying an SS peace overture…