Coco Chanel wasn't just a fashion designer - she was the very first fashion icon. The French born designer's famous jersey-and-tweed suits closed the gap between male and female clothing and created a fashion that offered women both comfort and haute couture style. In a time when inequality ran rampant, Chanel took the reigns of feminism by the designer skirt hem by doing away with rigid corsets and cinched waists, in favor of pants and suit jackets for women - emerging as a pioneer for women's fashion and women's rights.