Coco Chanel stated that simplicity is the key to any kind of true elegance. But I dare to differ. Very often simplicity is not elegant at all. If we over-simplify our world, it becomes mono-dimensional, monochrome, lifeless and boring. Instead of trying to simplify everything to death, we should learn to combine the grace of simplicity with the richness of complexity to create true beauty. This is the secret of truly great design.

If we simplify our world-view to an extent where the good cowboys wear white hats, and the bad cowboys black hats, we miss the multi-color richness of experience the real world has to offer. Instead of trying to manage the complexities we face through black-and-white reductionism, we need to learn to embrace our complex reality by merging with it, gaining a deep, complete and essential understanding of it.

Once we have achieved a state of total immersion in a topic, we will find that elegant ideas, designs and solutions suddenly present themselves in the most unexpected moments, like a flash of lightning, when inspiration strikes. The results may seem simple at first sight – but don't be deceived! This type of simplicity is rich, complex and deeply satisfying.

In the fields of information technology, mathematics and engineering, elegant solutions provide a surprisingly simple method, which is normally not obvious at first sight, to produce a highly effective result, often solving multiple problems at once - even problems which may not be inter-related! Although these solutions may seem simple, their quality has nothing to do with reductionism, minimalism, austerity, and blinkered ways of thinking.

Maybe Coco Chanel's little black dress can teach us a lesson about true elegance.

This little black piece of magic is designed to reveal just enough, and hide just enough of the lady wearing it, in order to highlight her beauty, whilst at the same time concealing possible challenges in the most complimentary way. Ideally, the little black dress should not be noticed at all by the beholder. If it does its job well, it should simply act as a platform on which the lady can shine!

As Coco Chanel said, beauty begins the moment you decide to be yourself. This unique kind of beauty is authentic, attractive, and highly aesthetic. The elegance inherent in this type of beauty invites us to make better decisions within our increasingly complex context, replacing our accumulative drive for quantity with a selective quest for quality. Elegance encourages us not to be a copycat, following marketing fantasies, fads or fashions, but to develop a strong sense of our own personal style instead. Elegance invites us to apply this refined, individual sense of style as a filter when making decisions about what to buy, what to wear, how to live, which people to associate with, and which circumstances we should quietly walk away from. During this year's New York fashion week, we should remember Coco Chanel's most powerful fashion statement:

"I don't do fashion. I am fashion!"