While Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel is easily admirable for her avant-garde existence—she got her nickname during an early stint as a lounge singer, had numerous lovers but never married and lived for over 30 years in the Ritz—her fashion influence (the championing of practical, minimal, chic garments) often gets distorted into a mess of pastel tweeds and pearls. This image from an old Vanity Fair anthology titled “A Cavalcade of the 1920s and 1930s,” however, attests to both attributes. Part of an article nominating Ms. Chanel to the 1931 Hall of Fame, its few phrases succinctly explain the designer’s still impressive style and culture contributions.