Simplicity is the keynote of all true elegance.

The line expresses a core principle often associated with Chanel’s modernist approach to fashion: elegance is not achieved through excess ornament, but through restraint, proportion, and clarity of design. “Simplicity” here implies disciplined editing—removing the superfluous so that cut, fabric, and movement can speak. The metaphor of a “keynote” suggests a foundational tone that governs everything else: if simplicity is present, other elements (accessories, color, detail) can harmonize without becoming clutter. More broadly, the quote functions as an aesthetic credo that extends beyond clothing to style in living, speech, and self-presentation—where refinement is measured by what is left out as much as what is added.