"Every woman has the age she deserves."
Designer biography - difficult childhood
Fashion designer and fashion designer Coco (real name Gabrielle) Chanel was born on August 19, 1883 in the city of Saumur in France. Coco Chanel became famous for her timeless designs and the little black dress, which are still popular today. She herself became widely known and is still revered as a style icon for her simple, yet sophisticated outfits. As Chanel once said: “Luxury must be comfortable, otherwise it is not luxury.”
Her early years, however, were far from glamorous. After the death of her mother, Chanel was given by her father, who worked as a peddler, to an orphanage. She was raised by nuns, and it was they who taught the girl the craft of sewing, which later became her life’s work. Where did the nickname "Coco" come from? During her brief career as a singer, Gabrielle Chanel performed in clubs where she was nicknamed "Coco". Some say the nickname comes from one of her songs, but Chanel herself said it was a shortened version of "cocotte", the French word for "kept woman".
Designer Biography - Coco Chanel - Fashion Pioneer
Around the age of 20, Chanel began studying with Etienne Balzan, who offered to help her start a millinery business in Paris. Soon Chanel left him for one of her friends, the very wealthy English industrialist Arthur Capel. These two men played an important role in the development of Chanel's first fashion "venture".
Opening her first store on rue Cambon in Paris in 1910, Chanel began selling hats. Later she opened stores in Deauville and Biarritz and began creating clothes, and soon her first success came in this field.
A truly revolutionary invention of the 20s was Chanel's little black dress. She took a color that had previously only been associated with mourning and showed how chic it can look in evening wear.
In 1920, Chanel took her thriving business to new heights. She created her first fragrance - Chanel No. 5. “Perfume is an invisible, but unforgettable and incomprehensible decoration. Perfume heralds the arrival of a woman and sounds after her departure,” as the famous Coco Chanel said.
Gabrielle Coco Chanel - life story
In 1925, she introduced the legendary tweed suit - Chanel took tweed, which had previously been used only for men's clothing, and tried it on a woman. The suit, imbued with the English spirit, like many other Chanel creations, was the fruit of her love story, this time with the Duke of Westminster. The affair, which lasted about 14 years, never ended in marriage, perhaps one of the reasons was that Coco could not have children.
Coco Chanel became a popular figure not only in the fashion world, but in the literary and artistic circles of Paris. She designed costumes for the Russian Ballet, the famous writer and director Jean Cocteau and the artist Pablo Picasso were among her friends, and mademoiselle had a tender relationship with the composer Igor Stravinsky.
Coco Chanel - a scandalous love story
The international economic depression of the 1930s had a negative impact on her companies, and the outbreak of World War II forced Chanel to wind down her business. The war took away its workers and closed its stores. During the German occupation in France, Chanel had an affair with a German officer. After the end of the war, Chanel was even summoned for interrogation regarding her relationship with a representative of the enemy army.
And although Chanel was not officially accused of collaborating with the Nazis, Mademoiselle did not look the best in the light of public opinion. Some still view her relationship with the Nazi officer as a betrayal of her country. As a result, Chanel left Paris, spending several years in Switzerland in a kind of exile.
And at the age of 70, Chanel made a triumphant return to the world of fashion. She first received scathing reviews from critics, but her feminine and simple designs soon won over customers around the world.
Chanel legacy
In 1969, Chanel's fascinating life story became the basis for the Broadway musical Coco, starring Katharine Hepburn. The show received seven Tony Award nominations, an award given annually for achievement in American theater.
Coco Chanel died on January 10, 1971 in her apartment at the Ritz Hotel. Hundreds of people crowded into the Church of the Madeleine to bid farewell to the fashion icon. Paying tribute to the famous fashion designer, many of those present wore Coco Chanel suits.
The biography of the famous fashion designer ends here, but the history of fashion continues. A little more than ten years after her death, designer Karl Lagerfeld took the reins of her company to preserve Chanel's legacy. And today the company continues to flourish, and the life story of Coco Chanel continues to attract people's attention.
Coco Chanel (1883-1971) - French fashion designer, founder of the famous fashion house Chanel. This woman greatly influenced the fashion of the twentieth century in Europe; she simplified women's costumes, borrowing elements from men's wardrobes; introduced the fashion for a little black dress, fitted jackets, handbags on a chain, large jewelry made of artificial pearls and camellia brooches. Her perfume “Chanel No. 5” is a bestseller of the 20th century in the world of perfumery.
Childhood
The real name that was given to the girl at birth is Gabrielle Bonheur Chanel. She was born on August 19, 1883 in the small French town of Saumur in a shelter for the poor. Her parents Eugenia Jeanne Devol and Albert Chanel were not officially married. Albert traded in an ordinary market stall, Evgenia Zhanna was from a poor family, her father worked as a village carpenter. Gabrielle was Devol and Chanel's second daughter; she was registered by shelter workers in the local municipality. She was given this name in honor of the nurse who delivered the girl during childbirth.
Later, three more children were born in the family, the last birth was difficult, and during it Coco’s mother died. The girl was eleven years old at that time. Soon the father left the children; at first they were in the care of relatives, then they ended up in an orphanage.
Everything there was equally gray, faceless and dull. But most likely, this was precisely what served as the significant impetus that the growing girl Gabrielle wanted to become completely different - bright, free and individual.
The orphan from the orphanage was well aware of what her future could be, but nevertheless she always dreamed of a brilliant life. When Coco becomes an adult and famous, she will never remember her childhood years spent in an orphanage. Moreover, she will make every effort to erase these terrible memories of her poor childhood from her memory forever.
Early life and Etienne Balzan
When Gabrielle Chanel turned 18, following a shelter recommendation, she began working as a sales assistant in a small clothing store. In her free time from the store, in order to save up at least a little money, the girl worked part-time in a cabaret. She danced and sang her favorite songs “Ko Ko Ri Ko” and “Qui qu’a vu Coco”. For these songs the performer was nicknamed Coco.
One day, in a cabaret, a retired cavalry officer, Etienne Balzan, drew attention to the young lady. He was a fairly rich man, the heir to a huge fortune, he was fond of breeding thoroughbred horses and beautiful women, and he himself practiced horse riding. He really liked the girl, Etienne invited her to move to his Roillier estate, Coco agreed.
She began to live in the castle, at first she liked it, but she was not very happy with the role of a mistress. She was especially offended by the fact that when Etienne received high-ranking guests, she did not eat with them at the table, but with the servants.
One day she told him that she would like to become a milliner. Etienne considered the idea crazy, Paris was full of milliners, and Coco, on top of everything else, had absolutely no experience in such a matter. He simply regretted the money, because he needed considerable sums for his own horse breeding business.
Arthur Capel and starting a business
Then Coco took herself a new lover, he was an industrialist from England, Arthur Capel, among his close friends he had the nickname “Boy”. The young man was Etienne Balzan's closest friend, but despite this, Chanel moved to live with Capel in 1909.
They were very close in their interests: both Arthur and Coco had a sporting character and entrepreneurial abilities. He already had his own small business and he responded to Chanel’s idea with understanding. In 1910, Arthur helped her open a hat shop in Paris on Boulevard Malherbes and thereby dramatically changed the life of Coco Chanel. Less than a year later, this store moved to 31 rue Cambon, opposite the Ritz Hotel, where the Chanel Fashion House is currently located. Three years later, another of her boutiques appeared in the city of Deauville.
Arthur became for Coco the greatest and most romantic love in her life. He was both a father and a brother to her, instructing her and at the same time pampering her. Numerous mistresses told him many times to leave Chanel. And Capel replied that this was as impossible as if he had cut off his own leg.
Arthur was forced to marry another woman from a noble and wealthy family. But their relationship with Coco continued until Capel's death.
He died in December 1919. Arthur was driving from Paris to Cannes, his car tire burst, and he died in a car accident. Coco saw a pile of twisted metal, most recently it was the car of her loved one. She lightly ran her hand over the glass, which remained unbroken. There was his blood everywhere, she cried bitterly, sitting on the side of the road.
Coco came to their house and painted all the walls black. From now on, black was present in all her clothes, and she wore mourning for a long time. By that time, Chanel had already become a popular personality, and thousands of her fans instantly did the same. So Coco became a trendsetter in the fashion of black and the little black dress.
In the society of that time, mourning for a man with whom he was not officially married was not accepted. But she didn’t care about anyone - about those around her, about society, about their moral principles. And the black fashion she announced has already spread all over the world. And in 1926, one American magazine put the little black dress from Chanel on the same position in popularity and uniqueness as a Ford car.
Revolution in the fashion world
Her first hat workshop in Paris quickly turned into a fashion salon. The milliner was unusual, she created a sensation in the capital of France, the very first fashionistas lined up for new hats.
Coco discovered a unique ability in herself - to come up with models. The real artist in her awakened; Chanel created her own style, unlike anyone else. She had an incredible ability to work. Sometimes new ideas would come to her in her sleep, and then she would get up and start working.
The hats were just the beginning; Coco later completely revolutionized the fashion world:
- the first to say “no” to suffocating women’s corsets;
- introduced the universally recognized status symbol of the new generation - the Chanel tweed suit;
- freed women's hands from carrying bags; now handbags on long chains could be carried on the shoulder;
- long fluffy skirts, frills and ruffles were replaced with strict, clear, simple lines in clothes;
- introduced the fashion for women's short haircuts;
- gave women the opportunity to wear blazers, vests, short-sleeved blouses, trousers and low-heeled shoes.
She made the little black dress the most comfortable and versatile, sexy and at the same time elegant women's outfit; it could be worn both at lunchtime and in the evening, depending on its combination with various accessories.
Coco Chanel is a phenomenon that fashion history has never known before. She managed to make a dizzying leap to the top and establish her concepts of beauty in the fashion world. Whatever she did became fashionable. One day, during a sea cruise, Coco got tanned and appeared in Cannes in this form. Society immediately perceived this as a new fashion for tanning.
Prince Dmitry Romanov and Chanel No. 5
In the small town of Biarritz in the south of France, where Coco had a fashionable salon, in 1920, she met Russian emigrant Dmitry Romanov, a cousin of Tsar Nicholas II. An affair began between them; Coco, being quite famous and rich by that time, rented a villa on the shores of the Atlantic Ocean for their meetings. Dmitry tried on the sapphire and ruby jewelry of the Moscow tsars, which he managed to take out of Russia during emigration, and she basked in his attention.
Their romance was short-lived; in 1921, Dmitry married the daughter of an American billionaire. But thanks to this hobby, Russian motifs began to appear in Coco Chanel’s collections - for example, coats with sable lining or shirts with hand embroidery.
But the most important thing that this acquaintance brought was the famous perfume “Chanel No. 5”. Dmitry introduced Chanel to Ernest Beaux. This was the second son of a French perfumer who once worked for a large Russian cosmetics company that supplied perfumes to the Imperial Court. Young Bo also continued his father's work in the world of smells and aromas.
After meeting the perfumer Coco, the idea came to her mind to create a perfume under her own name. Ernest worked for several months and created many samples. When choosing, Coco randomly took bottle number 5 and really liked the scent. This is how the Chanel No. 5 perfume appeared.
The Second World War
Chanel clothing was a colossal success. But the war began, and Coco closed all her stores and her fashion house. Many famous designers left France, but Chanel remained in Paris.
This period marks the most scandalous love affair in her life with the German agent Spatz (Hans Gunther von Dinklage). He was Hitler's right hand, and Coco was an agent with the nickname "Fashionable Hat." She actively participated in negotiations between the Germans and the Allies.
Having learned about this, but taking into account Chanel's services to France in the field of fashion, the government acted gently with her. She was offered to voluntarily go to prison or leave the country. She went to Switzerland and nothing was heard from her until 1954.
Unrivaled Coco
She returned to the fashion world with a new collection in 1954, she was 71 years old. Three seasons later, her former glory returned.
She dressed Elizabeth Taylor, Jackie Kennedy, Audrey Hepburn.
To work and create new models, she did not need paper and pencil, only pins, a mannequin and her wild imagination.
Coco Chanel can be considered a long-livers. Bohemian night life was alien to her. At night she preferred to sleep, and for at least 7-8 hours. Coco argued that after sleepless nights, nothing worthwhile would be created during the day. She always slept with the windows open, got up no later than 7 a.m. and started working almost immediately. Coco said that in life there should be time only for work and love, it should not be spent on anything else.
She did not allow herself gluttony and alcohol, so as not to destroy her body. Her diet was always simple - vegetables, fish, fruits.
And with all this, Coco Chanel smoked about 50 cigarettes per day.
Death
Coco Chanel passed away quietly and calmly on January 10, 1971. This happened in a luxury room at the Ritz Hotel in Paris, where she lived in recent years. The great woman was absolutely alone - no husband, no friends, no children. Coco spent her last days in the company of her housekeeper. And opposite, the world-famous, luxuriously decorated Chanel Fashion House shone.
The girl from the Gabrielle orphanage and the great fashion queen Coco Chanel ended her journey on this earth and died of a heart attack. She was buried in Switzerland at the Lausanne Bois de Vaux cemetery; at the top of the tombstone there is a bas-relief depicting five lion heads.
And yet she created an image of a woman that no one knew before her.
After Coco's death, her fashion house had to go through difficult times. Its revival began in 1983 with the arrival of the new fashion designer Karl Lagerfeld.
The life story of Chanel, as they would say in modern slang, is the story of a self-made-man, that is, a person who “created himself independently.” And the pseudonym “Coco” (from the French “chick”) can hardly be called suitable for a woman with such an amazingly strong spirit. However, Gabrielle positioned it as a tribute to the memory of her youth, when she performed in a cabaret with the simple song “Ko Ko Ri Ko,” so she did not change anything, remaining unsurpassed by Coco Chanel until the end of her life.
How Coco Chanel started and photos of her first outfits
Why are bold and independent women associated with Chanel? Because the great Coco Chanel herself was like that: rebellious, not wanting to please either men or decency. Possessing an exceptional charm that combined contradictory qualities, Chanel was independent and daring, valued aesthetics and freedom - both of personality and body, which led to a worldwide revolution in fashion!
As you can see in the photo, Coco Chanel had delicate facial features and a tenacious gaze, as if she saw something that others did not see:
Coco Chanel's life began in the harsh environment of an orphanage. This left her with a contemptuous attitude towards kept women, be they cocottes or wives living at the expense of their husbands, as well as their ridiculously lavish toilets, so typical of the beginning of the century. Coco communicates with a group of gentlemen, in which her first lovers shine: Etienne Balsan, and then Boy Capel. Their free manners and modern chic English style match her inner taste. Since 1910, she has been visiting racetracks, where she is easily recognizable by her men's stand-up collars, ties and boaters. From the life history of Coco Chanel it is known that she ordered her clothes from an English tailor and wore riding trousers so as not to ride in a riding habit.
How did Coco Chanel begin her independent life? In order to ensure her financial independence, Gabrielle began selling women her own clothes, cultivating the image of liberated modernity.
Thanks to outfits from Coco Chanel, women's fashion is boldly adopting elements of the men's wardrobe. Since 1913, this young milliner has been making a splash in Deauville with her boaters, ladies' gabardine coats, "vulgar" fisherman's sailor suits and bathing suits made from fabric that was usually used for men's underwear. The great woman Coco Chanel loved knitwear, which was worn as underwear at that time.
Look at the photo of the first clothes in the Chanel style - they were radically different from what society ladies of those times preferred to wear:
What is Coco Chanel famous for and what did she bring into fashion?
One of the well-known facts about the life of Coco Chanel is the risky purchase of jersey and the transformation of this fabric almost into a reference one. In 1916, Gabrielle purchased from Rodier a new inexpensive machine-knitted fabric that was so rebellious to the tailor’s needle that the manufacturer himself predicted failure for it. This fabric is called jersey, and with it, a completely nondescript material in the eyes of that time, Gabrielle dared to begin her career as a couturier.
As you can see in the photo, the first jersey outfits from Coco Chanel were exclusively with short skirts:
In 1917, she produced a large number of models from this fabric, the success of which practically buried the fashion of the 19th century.
What else is Coco Chanel famous for, who has become an example of style? The not yet very famous designer caused a scandal in the world by turning men's pajamas into a women's beach suit. An unexpected meeting in 1920 gives Chanel the opportunity to commit another friendly "robbery". Grand Duke Dmitry Romanov, grandson of Emperor Alexander II and nephew of Emperor Alexander III, cousin of the last Tsar Nicholas II, falls in love with Gabrielle.
What else did Coco Chanel bring into fashion in the 20s of the last century? In 1922, a khaki jacket appeared, borrowed with her light hand from the tsarist infantrymen.
Here you can see photos of outfits from Chanel, inspired by a shirt-shirt, belted a la mouzhik:
Already in 1923, Gabrielle decided to present an entire Russian collection for a year.
During these crazy years, she completely liberated herself from prejudice, thanks to which she created her famous “little black dress,” which Vogue will compare to a Ford T.
This photo shows the main outfit from Coco Chanel - that little black dress that simply must be in every woman’s wardrobe:
Coco Chanel famously designed removable fur collars and quilted inner linings for groom-style jackets. Coco Chanel also created in the style of barbarian kings.
Clothing style created by Coco Chanel (with photo)
Other innovations are born as a result of her meeting with the luxurious dandy, the Duke of Westminster. This man loves to sail, he is a yachtsman. In 1928, Chanel borrowed a beret from his sailors, which he gave to Parisian women. Transforming the striped uniform of his sailors, she created a series of sweaters in 1938.
And most importantly: Chanel opens up a never-before-seen world, into which she had previously only timidly peered. This is the world of tweed. She began using this fabric in 1924, and by 1928 tweed became her favorite fabric. After the war, she feminized tweed, turning it into a standard material for her women's suits.
Today, when the revolutionary changes made by Who Chanel in the style of women are listed, modern young ladies do not understand the full depth of her feat. What's wrong with this? That's how everyone goes. But they didn’t go to her!
Strapped into obligatory corsets and long, intricately cut dresses, the ladies created voluminous hairstyles, moving with difficulty under the weight of all this beauty. Coco Chanel's style is clothes that are comfortable, in which you can feel natural and move freely. Perhaps, everything (except jeans) that women now wear to work and walk on the streets of bustling cities was invented by Coco. By the way, she didn’t like her own nickname, but it “stuck” firmly.
As you can see in the photo, clothes in the style of Coco Chanel are comfort and proportions that can make the body more sexy without deliberate nudity, without openly offering oneself, maintaining intrigue and balance between the intimate and the accessible:
Chanel did not know how to draw, which is now an indispensable condition for fashion designers, but all her models were distinguished by an ideal cut and excellent sewing quality - everything was thought out about them (it is a pity that many modern couturiers who draw do not know how to do this).
As a result of her ingenious experiments, a style was born that Chanel’s colleagues ironically called “luxurious poverty.” But it was precisely the mystical contradiction she created between the apparent simplicity of the costumes and a large number of large decorations, combined in a single “crazy” ensemble, that brought new sensations and new criteria of charm into the world. By the way, in addition to her outfits, Coco Chanel used both costume jewelry and genuine jewelry, her novelty was that there was a great deal of jewelry or, conversely, indecently little, and they should be worn “unconventionally” - then it was hooliganism.
Now this won’t surprise anyone, but who does it as elegantly as the incomparable Gabrielle? Now the words of Coco Chanel will seem banal to many: “Elegance is not a synonym for beautiful, it is good clothes that suit the face, in which you can go anywhere and you can move freely and naturally.” But her words are a source for creating your own style, and only those women who build a life for themselves, and not in order to be chosen by any man, can feel its life-giving benefit.
The men in Coco Chanel's life
By the way, like many fatal enchantresses, Coco Chanel always chose men herself, and she knew how to maintain friendly relations with retired gentlemen who were forever devoted to her Mademoiselle. She was the first to have a short boyish haircut, introduced the fashion for tanning and took away almost the entire wardrobe from men, including underwear, which she offered to wear as a costume for women.
The love of freedom and the desire for material independence created by one’s own labor were significant for Gabrielle Chanel. Of course, first of all, she considered her work to be the meaning of life. In addition, it gave financial independence (although for some time, at the beginning of her journey, Chanel had to be, in fact, a kept woman) - that is why her decision to provide for herself independently, to have real wealth in our male world - was lived and comprehended by her.
The status of a “married madam” did not appeal to her. Coco Chanel's personal life never worked out - she was given official proposals, which she, as a rule, rejected; she only got ready to marry once, but her fiancé Paul Irib, an artist and designer, died suddenly on the eve of the wedding. And she didn’t try again - work occupied the main place in her life, men occupied only a second place. It is believed that when the Duke of Westminster, the closest relative of the English royal family, asked for Chanel’s hand in marriage (she was forty-five), Gabrielle answered with her characteristic directness and irony: “The world is full of all sorts of duchesses, but only one Coco Chanel!” Actually, this is why daring and rebellious women are called fatal: they are difficult to conquer, subjugate, and even more difficult to keep. Men themselves are ready to submit to mysterious and incomprehensible Enchantresses, but that’s the point - our ladies don’t need submissive husbands. Both Chanel, the mythological Carmen, and the historical Cleopatra loved and singled out equal and worthy gentlemen, preferring parity relationships
I am an honest expression of feelings, not a game of “buy a Barbie doll.” The great Mademoiselle Chanel quietly passed away on January 10, 1970 at the age of 88 in her private room at the Ritz Hotel, across the street from the luxurious house named after her - an empire with great worldwide fame and income of 160 million dollars a year. Please note, young ladies who always have nothing to wear: at that time, Gabrielle had only three suits in her wardrobe, but they were quite enough, because the outfits, of course, were of the highest style and elegance. The most valuable thing that Chanel left to humanity is the combination of feminine and masculine not only in costume, but also in worldview, the charm of “severe charm,” a mix of luxury and simplicity.
As you can see in the photo, the style of Coco Chanel is the style of eternal youth, health, elegance, which remains the standard of impeccable taste, this is the Style of the Eternally Attractive Mademoiselle:
Karl Lagerfeld - successor of Coco Chanel's ideas
For some time after the founder left, the chair of the “chief stylist” of the Chanel house remained empty. The management made attempts to find worthy artists, but the authors turned out to be too original. And the Chanel empire needed a successor to the spirit and style of Mademoiselle.
The ideal successor and keeper of Coco Chanel's ideas was Karl Lagerfeld - young in age, but mature in his work. He got an early start in the world of couture when he was only 16 years old.
The biography of Coco Chanel (real name Gabrielle Bonheur “Coco” Chanel) began on August 19, 1883 in the French city of Saumur, located in the department of Maine and Loire, on the right bank of the Loire River. Gabrielle was the second daughter of traveling salesman Albert Chanel and Jeanne Devoleux. Because Coco's family was not rich, she was born in a nursing home. The employees of this establishment were not literate, and when one of the employees, Francois Poitou (Fran?
ois Poitu), did not know how Chanel is written, he made a mistake and writes the girl as Chasnel.
Coco had two sisters Juliana (1882-1913) and Antoinette (born 1887), and three brothers Alphonse (born 1885), Lucien (1889) and Peter (born and died 1891). Coco Chanel herself indicates that she herself was born in Auvergne in 1893, thereby taking away 10 years of her life, but nothing confirms this “theory”.
At the age of 12, mourning events occurred in the biography of Coco Chanel - her mother dies of tuberculosis, and her father leaves the family, because he now needed to earn a lot of money to support the family. Therefore, the kids from the Chanel family had to spend seven whole years in an orphanage at a Catholic monastery in Aubasin. Here Coco masters sewing skills, and during the holidays spent with
with her relatives, she deepens her knowledge of sewing, due to a “departure” from the monastic style of clothing. At the age of eighteen, Coco begins working in a local sewing workshop. Here comes a turning point in the biography of Coco Chanel, she meets the French millionaire Etienne Balsan, and soon after meeting, they open a common business.
Etienne showed Coco what it means to live a rich life, presenting her with various diamonds, dresses, and pearls. At this time, she became interested in hats; this hobby, by the way, would later help her achieve fame. After breaking up with Etienne, she moved to Paris, where in 1913 she opened her first store, where she could buy fashionable raincoats and jackets. But since this store was not located in the “heart” of Paris, she quickly went broke, but thanks to her strong character she did not give up. During these pre-war years, Coco Chanel meets another person who changes her life. It was Arthur Capel, with whom she very quickly falls in love. Thanks to Arthur, she opens a ladies' hat shop in Brittany. The French film celebrities of those years really liked these hats, and her business quickly went up. Following this, a number of stores opened throughout France, and the first aristocratic customers appeared.
It is known that Coco Chanel avoided her biography, and she had to change it in every possible way. So she said that after the death of her mother, her father moved to America, where he became quite rich, and she herself had to live with her cold aunts, who annoyed her throughout her young years. In 1920, another event occurred in the life of Coco Chanel. She met the outstanding Russian composer Igor Stravnitsky, who was forced to leave Bolshevik Russia, and Coco provided her apartment to Igor Fedorovich for the first time.
In 1923, the first fashion magazine, Harper's Bazaar, published an article about Coco Chanel. In this article, Coco says that she is used to making clothes that are comfortable for women, that most fashion designers are men, and they make very uncomfortable clothes. Criticizing them, she invited male fashion designers to wear clothes they had made themselves and see how hard it was. Thus, Coco Chanel opened a new trend in modeling, aimed at simplifying clothes.
It is impossible not to note the event that occurred in the biography of Coco Chanel in 1921. At this time, she, together with the Russian emigrant Ernst Bo, revolutionized perfumery. Their Chanel No. 5 perfume became the first polyaromatic perfume, since previously all perfumes were monoaromatic, and were made from only one scent - a flower.
In 1925, another significant event took place in the life of Coco Chanel: with the help of Vera Lombardi, she opened the House of Chanel.
After the outbreak of World War II, Coco closes all of her stores, calling this time “not the time of fashion.” And she settles in the Ritz Hotel, and lives there for about 30 years. The Ritz was her home even when Paris was occupied by the Nazis. During these troubled times, Coco herself was forced to spend time in prison, since she was in close contact with Vera Lombardi, who was convicted of collaborating with the British secret services.
Today you probably won’t find anyone who doesn’t know the famous Chanel No. 5 perfume. Many people have heard about Coco Chanel , but only a few know her biography and.
This talented woman went through a difficult journey, she fell, but got up and moved forward again.
The success story of Coco Chanel is very complicated and I suggest getting to know this amazing woman.
The difficult story of the charming Coco Chanel
The real name of the famous fashion trendsetter is Gabrielle, and Coco(fr. Coco Chanel, real name Gabrielle Bonheur Chanel, French. Gabrielle Bonheur Chanel, date of birth August 19, 1883, Saumur - January 10, 1971, Paris) is her pseudonym.
She was born into a family of simple and not very rich French merchants. The girl was an illegitimate child and had sisters and brothers.
Gabrielle's mother died when the baby was only 12 years old. It must be said that the girl’s father did not want to raise her and decided to send all his children to an orphanage.
After this, the baby never met her father.
The girl always hoped that one day her father would come and take her, but the miracle never happened.
Gabrielle continued to live in her own world in the orphanage; she dreamed that someday she could become successful.
When the future trendsetter was in an orphanage, she had to constantly wear a standard black uniform. It was this form that became the prototype of the famous little black dress.
At the age of 20, Gabrielle left the orphanage; she never again remembered the time she spent here. The girl got a job in the city Moulin, she became a lingerie sales assistant.
In parallel with this, Chanel was engaged in sewing children's and women's clothing. The entrepreneur who hired her was very pleased.
It is necessary to mention that Gabrielle’s resting place was one of the cabarets in which it was allowed to sing songs. The favorite song for the future great woman was "Soso", as a result of which Chanel received her famous nickname.
The first man with whom Coco decided to live together was a rich man Etienne Balsan. She thought that her life would change dramatically thanks to her rich roommate. But for Etienne Chanel became only a mistress (and then for a short time), and not a beloved woman.
Three years later Gabriel I met this man's friend. Englishman Arthur Caple(he had the nickname Boy) helped Coco Chanel learn for the first time in her life what real luck is.
The business was a success, and after some time Gabrielle opened her first atelier. It was then that Chanel discovered the entrepreneur woman in herself and began to realize her plans.
This lady was able to change attitudes towards designers not only in France, but throughout the world: she became part of high society.
Innovations in the fashion world of Coco Chanel
The entrepreneur from Coco turned out to be successful, but it didn’t last very long. During the war, the trendsetter closed her shops, but continued to love her business.
A little later, the famous woman will offer her clients various new things. It was she who brought into fashion women's trousers, simple blouses that looked like shirts, and straight knee-length skirts.
Fashionistas abandoned fluffy dresses and long skirts, and preferred simple things from Coco Chanel.
Perfume is an invisible, but unforgettable and unsurpassed accessory. It notifies you when a woman appears and continues to remind you of her when she has left.
IN 50s her style became popular not only in France, but throughout Europe. This lady suggested not styling your hair in intricate hairstyles, but making short and stylish haircuts.
To innovations from Chanel This includes a woman’s suit, a flirty hat, high heels, handbags on a chain, and now popular perfume "Chanel No. 5" .
She herself dressed the way she liked, and recommended that other women do the same.
Let me give you an example Coco followed by those ladies who were successful, independent and self-confident.
Social circle of the popular Chanel
It should be noted that Chanel had many fans and lovers. But she was never able to find her soul mate with whom she could live until old age.
Coco devoted herself more to creativity, and work became her main and main meaning of life. Many famous men wanted to meet Chanel because they were curious about how a simple woman could become so successful.
She knew the great Pablo Picasso, with a talented composer Igor Stravinsky, with famous playwright Jean Cocteau. Coco had an affair with a Russian prince Dmitry Diaghilev.
He helped the fashion trendsetter feel life in a new way, and to some extent contributed to the success of Chanel.
Among Mademoiselle's friends was Salvador Dali, and politician Winston Churchill, And Marlene Dietrich, and other famous people.
Coco Chanel managed to become a rich, successful, respected woman. She created simple, but so elegant and feminine things. She was able to become a good entrepreneur and one of the brightest French personalities.
Chanel died of a heart attack in 1971, at that time she was 87 years old. After her death, her fashion house experienced difficult times, but began its work again under the leadership of Karl Lagerfeld.
Today there are various legends and rumors about Coco Chanel, but still this woman is a style icon. She made such a big contribution to the fashion industry, giving all of herself to the work she loved.
The legendary woman said that...
Everything is in our hands, so they can not be omitted.
This quote should become a staple for both entrepreneurs and all successful people.
Here's the story. What do you think of this little success story? Share your thoughts in the comments.
Aphorisms and quotes from Coco Chanel in pictures
Until next stories and blog posts.
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With respect and faith in success - Nikolay Yakimenko
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