The history of coco chanel. The personal life of Coco Chanel and the formation of her fashion empire “Fashion goes out of fashion,” Coco said, “style never”
Last update:9/11/17
Do you have a little black dress in your wardrobe? What about trousers and thin blouses? Straight skirts and an elegant black handbag on a long chain?
If you do not know, or doubt, then the creator of all these cute and comfortable things for women is Coco Chanel!
The success story of the great woman, Coco Chanel, once again confirms that our success depends only on ourselves.
Coco Chanel (real name Gabrielle) was born in 1883 and grew up in a very poor family. Her mother died when Gabrielle was barely twelve. After the death of his wife, the father gave his sons to relatives, and his daughters to a monastery shelter. Neither Gabrielle nor the other children ever saw their father again.
Little Chanel could not believe for a long time that he had abandoned them.
At the age of 18, she left the monastery, deciding for herself that she would never live in poverty.
Gabrielle got a job as a salesperson in one of the clothing stores in Paris. In the evenings she sang in a cabaret. Gabrielle's favorite songs were "Ko Ko Ri Ko" and "Qui qu'a vu Coco", which earned her the nickname Coco. Gabrielle fully plunged into Parisian life.
The singer from Gabrielle failed. But during one of the speeches, officer Etienne Balsan drew attention to her. Soon Koko moved to live with him in Paris, but after a while she went to Arthur Capel. It was he who helped Gabrielle open a women's hat shop in Paris in 1909.
Coco started with hats. And then she took up the outerwear.
An affair with Arthur Capel, who was destined to become the greatest love in the life of the great mademoiselle, allowed Coco to completely change her life.
Arthur introduced Koko to bankers, politicians, financiers. Capel's advice, connections and money helped Chanel open the first boutique in Paris, on Rue Chambon, and a little later, the first branch of her store in Deauville, which in 1919 grew into a full-fledged fashion house, where the price tags on dresses reached 3 thousand francs.
Coco finally got what she dreamed of - fame and a luxurious life. However, she had to pay a big sacrifice for her success. Personal life did not work out. Both Etienne and Arthur loved Chanel, but married aristocratic women.
Arthur Capel periodically returned to Chanel, as his marriage was not successful. But on December 22, 1919, Arthur died in a car accident. Chanel was left alone and, in order to drown out the pain of loss, plunged headlong into work.
Soon came the first collection of women's clothing from Chanel. They were practical, comfortable and things. "Sailor suit" for a beach holiday - a vest and wide light trousers, taken from knitwear. Chanel also came up with a straight silhouette without a waist, but with a scarf or belt on the hips and a neckline similar to the collar of a men's shirt. So in the arsenal of fashionistas appeared a shemizier dress, or shirt dress.
By 1919, Chanel already had clients all over the world. Many wore her flannel blazers, loose-fitting skirts, long jersey sweaters and the famous suit (skirt + jacket).
Koko herself made herself a short haircut, wore small hats and sunglasses.
Many great people were looking for acquaintance with Gabrielle: artist Pablo Picasso, ballet impresario Sergei Diaghilev, composer Igor Stravinsky, playwright Jean Cocteau. Many were surprised how smart, original thinking woman she was. Picasso called her "the most reasonable woman in the world", men were attracted to her not only by her appearance, but also by her extraordinary personal qualities, strong character.
At that time, women wore tight corsets and heavy long dresses. It was Chanel who gave women comfort and freedom in clothes. In the 1920s, she abandoned corsets. Instead, she offered more practical, natural and non-restricting clothing models that create a new female image.
She offered simple suits and dresses to her clients, including the famous "Chanel little black dress" that could be worn throughout the day and evening, depending on how it was accessorized. She introduced into wide use straight skirts with pockets or non-wrinkling pleated skirts, sweaters and pullovers, as well as jersey products.
According to one version, the little black dress was created in memory of her lover Arthur Capel, because. she could not mourn without being his official wife.
In 1921, the famous perfume "Chanel No. 5" appeared. There were many well-known Russian emigrants in Chanel's entourage: Sergei Diaghilev, Igor Stravinsky, nephew of Nicholas II. Chanel won my heart.
Grand Duke Dmitry Pavlovich Romanov was fascinated by Chanel. A fleeting romance began between them. Dmitry Romanov later married a wealthy American woman. However, thanks to Dmitry, a meeting between Chanel and Ernest Bo, a perfumer, a Frenchman of Russian origin, took place.
Beau, at the request of Chanel, created a mixed floral fragrance, which neither he nor anyone else has done. Several variants of future perfumes were made. Chanel chose option number five.
Koko considered the number 5 lucky, and showed all her new collections to the public only on the fifth. Thus was born the legendary perfume Chanel No. 5.
In 1920-1930, the whole world was already talking about Chanel.
In 1926, the American magazine Vogue equated the versatility and popularity of the little black dress with the Ford car.
Coco Chanel argued that the beauty of a woman does not depend on the age and price of the dress, but on the lifestyle, manners, grooming and spiritual harmony: “At twenty years old, nature gives you your face, at thirty life sculpts it, but at fifty you must earn it. themselves."
The hardest time in the life of this successful woman began during the Second World War.
Coco closed all her ateliers, there were no buyers.
Her friendly ties with German politicians did not go unnoticed, and after the end of the war, the woman had to emigrate to Switzerland. The whole French society was opposed to her, and even close people turned their backs on her.
In 1954, 71-year-old Gabrielle returned to the world of fashion and presented her new collection.
The new Chanel suit, made of tweed, with a tight skirt, a collarless jacket trimmed with braid, golden buttons and patch pockets, was a huge success. Also, handbags, jewelry and shoes that Coco presented were a resounding success. In February 1955, Mademoiselle Chanel presented a small rectangular bag on a long chain. Women immediately appreciated the convenience of such a handbag.
Coco Chanel possessed not only an impeccable sense of style, but also the talent of an entrepreneur. And, besides, she was a very purposeful person.
Coco Chanel became a pioneer in fashion, she herself wore what ladies had never worn before her. Creating new fashion, Coco herself has always been at the center of it.
The best way to look good, according to Chanel, is a favorite thing: “Only work gives courage, and the spirit, in turn, takes care of the fate of the body.” Not surprisingly, Chanel has always been in excellent professional shape: she presented her last collection when she was over eighty.
Gabrielle Chanel valued freedom and independence most of all, and she tried to embody these qualities in her models. Chanel was followed by freedom-loving and independent women, building their own destiny, defending their opinion and defending their right to a new life.
Until her old age, she maintained a girlish harmony, preferring a diet of vegetables, fruits, and fish. Coco considered alcohol and excesses in food to be the enemies of beauty. Chanel's only unhealthy weakness was constant smoking.
Koko was a typical early riser, going to bed early and waking up early.
“After a sleepless night, you can’t create anything worthwhile during the day. Going to bed after midnight means not sparing yourself. Personally, after twelve hours nothing interests me at all. Spare yourself for your own sake. Spare your ears, spare your eyes, spare your thoughts. What did you hear after midnight that you would consider more valuable than your own sleep? This is just what you, one way or another, heard, and besides, a hundred times ... ".
Coco Chanel was guided by the motto all her life: "If you want to have what you never had, you will have to do what you have never done."
Coco Chanel died on January 10, 1971 from a heart attack. She was 87 years old. But until now, clothing models invented by Coco are in the wardrobe of every woman.
The success story of Coco Chanel says: “If you have passion, desire, strength, faith and patience, then success will certainly await you!”
You need to strive for the goal with all your heart, then the right people and events will definitely appear on the way. Never forget about it!
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Coco Chanel is an outstanding fashion designer, the founder of a Fashion House, who proved that elegance is impossible without convenience. Her design fantasy includes a little black dress, pantsuit, chain bag and other branded items that create a sophisticated style.
Perfume "Chanel No. 5" are leaders in sales, and the publishing house "Time" includes the name of the Great Mademoiselle in the hundred most influential people in the fashion industry. What is the life story behind the brand whose logo - two crossed "C" - is known around the world? This will tell the biography of Coco Chanel.
Childhood and youth in the monastery
Gabrielle Boner Chanel was born on August 19, 1883 in the French town of Saumur. The girl was born under the sign of the zodiac "lion", later she will decorate her interior with the figures of the king of beasts and use the "lion" motif in fittings.
“Lions” are characterized by the desire for success, but was it easy to achieve it?
Gabrielle's childhood was difficult, she can be attributed to the category of people who "made themselves" despite the circumstances.
Jeanne Gabriel remembered her mother poorly, or, as she admitted in her memoirs, she did not want to remember. Jeanne, 19, fell in love with Albert, Gabrielle's father, and became pregnant. The guy ran away, the fugitive was found months later: Albert worked as a fair trader and did not sit in one place for a long time. Jeanne came to her unfortunate lover and gave birth the next day.
When she became pregnant again three months later, her partner advised her to "go to work". A young woman "in position" and with a baby in her arms wandered from house to house, offering help with the housework.
The birth of a second child, Gabrielle, did not lead to the marriage of the parents; 5,000 francs, Jeanne's dowry, helped legitimize the relationship. Gabrielle has younger sisters and brothers, but her mother, due to her blind passion for her husband, pays little attention to children.
More pleasant memories are connected with Gabrielle's father, his appearance in the family was expected like a holiday. Gabrielle claimed that her father was handsome and inherited his appearance: a white-toothed smile, eyes with a cheerful gleam and thick hair.
After the death of his wife at the age of 33, Albert gives his sons Alphonse and Lucien to “labour” farmers, and entrusts his daughters to the care of the sisters of the Obazina monastery. Gabriele was in her 13th year, she never saw her father again.
My loneliness has made me a strong person coco chanel
RESORT OF GOOD
Gabriel's life in Obazin was dreary, numerous prohibitions weighed on the young rebel: to wake up, fall asleep and start the meal should be at the command of the sister on duty. The years in the orphanage left a deep imprint on her worldview.
Many years later, Chanel will order his architect to repeat in her house the stone stairs from the monastery, which she was forbidden to run in her childhood: at least in her villa she will walk as she wishes!
Gabrielle had the status of an "orphan" with a large number of relatives: her grandfather and grandmother on her father's side gave birth to 19 children! This is a documented fact: only grandfather and aunt Louise took the girl to stay with them on vacation.
Aunt Andrienne, her father's younger sister, is called "sister" by Gabriela because of the small difference in age. She, too, was in Aubazine, and shared romantic dreams of a rich groom and freedom unite the girls. When they decide to marry Andrienne to an old notary, Gabriela persuades her to run away from the monastery.
There is not enough money for a long time and the unlucky fugitives return. They are quickly assigned to another institution of "strict security" - the boarding school of the Institute of Our Lady of the city of Moulins. There Gabriel is two years, from 18 to 20 years. Remembering these years, Chanel will say in an interview that she “had done her time,” and to the question of a surprised journalist “for what”, he will clarify - “for dissent”.
The graduates of the boarding school had to be ready for an independent life, so they were taught to sew. These skills will be useful to the future fashion designer.
Youth and Etienne Balsan
After boarding, Gabriel and Andrienne work for the Grampers in a shop that sells dowries for brides. The girl is also engaged in minor repairs of the dresses of secular ladies: she sews frills, finishes lace.
Is it then that Gabrielle develops a dislike for floral perfumes, which she will remember when creating her own fragrance? After all, wealthy ladies did not like to bathe, and in order to get rid of the outgoing amber, they generously doused themselves with floral perfumes.
Gabriel decides to crack the code of fate and change the field of activity.
If you want to have what you never had, you have to do what you never did coco chanel
The girl thinks about what fame can bring her? Moulin was a garrison town in which the 10th Cavalry Regiment of Chasseurs was quartered. In the cafe "Rotonda", watching the singers, Gabriel decides that she sings no worse than them, and declares to the director of the institution that she is ready to sign a contract!
The effect of surprise and self-confidence provide the girl with what she wants. After church hymns, Gabriel easily copes with operetta verses, and his acquaintances, cavalrymen, do not skimp on applause.
Her "cock" verses, with the chorus "ko-ko-ri-ko", are very popular with the local military. Calling the girl for an encore, the audience chants “ko-ko”. This nickname is to become her pseudonym.
Gabriela's success elicits scathing remarks from her fellow rivals, and she is teased for being "starving from India" for her boyish figure.
Only nonentities do not have envious people. It is better to have the first than to be the second. coco chanel
BIG CITY LIGHTS
The popularity of the singer of the garrison Moulin is not enough for Gabriele. Her friend Etienne Balsan, the son of an industrialist and a passionate admirer of horse racing, lends the girl money.
So in 1905 she went to conquer the city of Vichy mineral waters. Spilling water for spa guests, Gabriel collects money for vocal lessons. But the classes do not help to get an engagement, and she returns to Moulins.
Do you really have to take up sewing needles and threads to earn money again? But life confronts her with another, more difficult choice.
From the resort town, in addition to disappointments, she brings an unplanned pregnancy. The girl is terrified of repeating the path of her mother. Convinced that having a child in her position is tantamount to death, Gabrielle chooses life: "If I hadn't done this, there wouldn't be Coco Chanel."
MIXED HORSES, PEOPLE, HATS
The 22-year-old Gabrielle begins a new story - living together with Etienne Balsan. The girl asks to go to his estate in Royeaux as a student, Balsan takes her with him and teaches horse riding on the estate. But not only: the girl becomes his convenient spare mistress. Chanel herself does not consider herself a Balsan cocotte, because she does not take any money or gifts.
One day, Emilienne d'Alencon, a kept woman of Balsana, who was staying in Royeaux, asks Coco to remake her hat - just as she remade it for herself. Soon, the hats modified by Coco are worn by all of Balsan's friends. 
Chanel strives for independence from men, and the success of avant-garde hats prompts the young milliner with the idea of her own shop. Coco receives permission from Balsan to occupy his Parisian apartment and continues her design experiments there.
Chanel opened her first store in the capital in 1910 at 21 Cambon Street, and within a year she moved to house number 31 on the same street. There and now, opposite the Ritz Hotel, there is a Chanel store.
Arthur Capel and the resort business
In 1909, in Spain, Chanel meets the English soldier Arthur Capel, whom everyone calls Boy. The green-eyed brunette conquers Gabriel at first sight.
He not only financially supports her business, but also helps Chanel to open up as a person. The fight invites the girl to expand her business in the seaside resort of Deauville, where Chanel opens a boutique in 1913.
Koko watches with regret the “poor rich women”: because of the ridiculous outfits, horseback riding in the men's saddle, driving a car, playing tennis and other outdoor activities are not available to the resort girls.
Corset "captives" slowly defile under sun umbrellas and sweat. Fashion catalogs of that period dictate the must-have elements of the wardrobe: huge hats with veils, puffy bustles, slimming corsets, long trains.
According to Chanel, elegance without convenience is impossible! She begins not to dress, but to undress women. Her clothes prioritize comfort. More and more ladies are walking around Deauville in simple headdresses that you can take off and put on on your own - "in complete disgrace", as the authoritative fashion designer Paul Poiret dubbed the new-fangled hats.
The First World War that came to France is reflected in the resort of Deauville; vacationers are leaving, boutique owners are nailing down shutters. But Gabriel does not close the studio. But what fashion can be in wartime? All the same - comfortable Chanel fashion.
The city is filled with visitors: aristocrats come from the front-line estates, a military hospital appears. The designer's judgments about the simplicity and functionality of clothing appeal to ladies helping in the infirmary: it is impossible to take care of the wounded in corsets and hats! Things are going uphill. Biarritz becomes the next city that fell to the stylish shoes of Mademoiselle Coco.
In Biarritz, a luxury spa resort, Boy helps rent a villa for a new atelier. There, a hundred dressmakers work for Chanel, and the total number of workers, taking into account boutiques in Deauville and Paris, reaches 300!
Mademoiselle Chanel makes high demands on employees, getting rid of lazy people and scumbags. Chanel's products are of excellent quality and are not cheap. When asked by Boy why SO expensive, Gabrielle, who had an entrepreneurial foresight, replies - to be taken seriously.
Chanel does not draw preliminary sketches of models, instead of patterns, she outlines the silhouette with pins and cuts off excess fabric right on the model.
The first publication of her model appears in Harper's Bazaar magazine - a dress without a waist, with a scarf tied at the hips and a vest in the manner of a man.
In Paris, Chanel becomes truly popular in just a week - so the legend goes. One day, a lady dressed by fashion designer Poiret quarrels with him and decides to go over to Coco Chanel.
The lady's name is Baroness Diana de Rothschild. Having bought a dozen dresses, the new client recommends the couturier to her relatives, and they make Chanel famous in the shortest possible time. Money flows like a river.
Koko settles accounts with Boy: he returns every franc invested in the business. Arthur Capel is surprised: he thought he was giving Gabrielle a toy, but it turned out to be freedom.
I MADE IT FROM WHAT IT WAS
Coco also shows business acumen when, due to hostilities, textile raw materials run out in warehouses. At the beginning of 1916, there is nothing to sew from!
Jersey presents Chanel with “surprises”: a dense knitted fabric does not lay down in folds, does not emphasize the curves of the figure, and hinders movement.
The fashion-breaker eliminates folds, stops accentuating the waist and shortens skirts so that you can see the calves!
Boy jokingly begs Koko not to bare the young ladies' knees, because men will begin to grab them "even in restaurants."
I WILL NOT GIVE UP WITHOUT FIGHT
In those days, class prejudice flourished. Chanel notices that Boy is ashamed of her. And this is when magazines dedicate laudatory articles to her, and eminent clients crowd in boutiques!
In protest (Boy likes her luxurious long hair), Chanel cuts her curls. Her appearance in the theater with a haircut "like a boy" makes a splash. Haircut a la garcon is gaining popularity, harmoniously complementing the practical image "from Chanel".
The worse things are for a girl, the better she should look. coco chanel
Chanel finds out that she is expecting a baby, but does not have time to tell Arthur about it. Ambitious Boy proposes to the lord's daughter and shocks Koko with information about the wedding.
Chanel asked later, what would have changed if she had been the first to tell her news? But the mother's example convinced her that a man should not be tied as a child. Coco is not destined to become a mother this time either. The 9-year-old romance ends tragically, in December 1919, Arthur Capel dies in a car accident.
Acquaintance with the creative elite and patronage
Coco is brought out of depression by an acquaintance with Sert, a Catalan decorator, and his wife Misey. Friendship with this woman will last more than 20 years, Gabriel confesses that without her she would have died "a complete idiot."
Serts introduce Chanel to the highest circles of the creative elite, she has a chance to watch the birth of brilliant paintings and poems. Chanel meets artists Pablo Picasso and Salvador Dali, playwright Jean Cocteau, poet Pierre Reverdy.
Misya introduces Coco to Serge Diaghilev, the organizer of the Russian Seasons ballet. Behind the scenes of the ballet, Chanel watches the dancers go all out in every practice. Coco learned to work from the Russians - this is her own recognition of the one who herself is worthy of the title of "workaholic"!
Chanel patronizes cultural projects, helps creative people. For the production of The Rite of Spring, she gives Diaghilev 300,000 francs, the composer Igor Stravinsky invites his family to live in his villa, equipping a "full board" for his wife and four children. Patronage inspires Chanel: in the recent past, a poor orphan, now she contributes to art!
The fashion designer extends the influence of Russian culture to professional activities: he opens a set in an atelier for Russian emigrants who are versed in needlework, opens a workshop for hand embroidery, and brings Slavic motifs to the models.
Not without an affair with a Russian: Prince Dmitry Pavlovich becomes her new dear friend. The cousin of Nicholas II is 8 years younger than her, handsome and poor. He supports Chanel morally, she supports him with the help of a wallet.
When Dmitry leaves for America a year later, the couple maintains friendly feelings. Chanel calls the prince a "genius of useful acquaintances", it is he who introduces her to the creator of her own fragrance, perfumer Beau.
Chanel No. 5 and the little black dress
The new woman in Chanel clothes could not smell like the old one, violet, rose or hydrangea: I really love the smell of rose oil, but a woman who smells only of it is completely mediocre.
Ernest Bo, who previously worked at the royal court in St. Petersburg, is experimenting with a palette of smells and achieving a new shade of notes using aldehydes. Chanel likes perfume samples.
For their release on an industrial scale, she begins to collaborate with the Wertheimer brothers. The company "Chanel Parfam" is created, in which the fashion designer brings a recipe and a name and receives a 10% stake. She will later regret this distribution, the Wertheimers will register new firms as front men and will hide sales volumes.
Where should perfume be applied?
Wherever you want to be kissed their creator says.
What influenced the fact that the release of new items becomes a sensation?
Marilyn Monroe also contributed to the success of the perfume, coquettishly admitting that she wears “only a couple of drops of Chanel No. 5” at night. After her statement, millions of bottles of perfume are bought up.
Perfume is still popular today, according to Forbes, perfume is in the TOP-8 of the most counterfeited things, along with Rolex watches and 50 euro bills.
In 1925, the Chanel brand name appears on a perfume bottle. According to one version, the emblem is the initials of Coco Chanel (Coco Chanel), according to another - a symbol of good luck "double horseshoe" depicted on Vrubel's sketch.
FORD DESIGNED BY CHANEL
The revolution in the perfume industry is followed by another challenge to society. Once, while in the theater box, Chanel was looking for someone she knew with her eyes. Contemplating the crowd, the thought comes to her of the excessive diversity of outfits: it is not the faces that catch the eye, but the colorful dresses.
So in 1926, the embodiment of the idea of asceticism appeared - a little black dress. Decorated with a simple semi-circular neckline, it emphasizes the figure, sets off the whiteness of the skin, and at the same time is almost imperceptible.
Well-wishers say the designer is forcing clients to share her grief over the Boy - previously black was only worn in mourning. But the women liked the dress.
Without decorations, it was suitable for a business setting, and with pearl beads, a gold bracelet or brooch, it looked like an evening dress.
You never get a second chance to make a first impression. coco chanel
Vogue magazine, in a note in 26th year, notes that the dress "caught up in popularity with a Ford car!"
Duke of Westminster
In Monte Carlo, Chanel meets the Duke of Westminster - Vendor, as he was called. He fills Coco with luxurious bouquets, personally shot game, and jewelry. Chanel is subdued, but only to the extent that she allows herself: she “gives” the Duke with cufflinks worth a car!
With Vendor, the designer spends a lot of time at Eton Hall. Considering the uniforms of servants, Chanel draws ideas for creating women's jackets. She discovers a new fabric - soft English tweed. English tendencies can be traced in her work.
The press “marries” a beautiful couple, but Chanel understands that having become a married “madame”, she will have to leave the Fashion House. The duchess-dressmaker - for that era it is unthinkable!
When I had to choose between a man and my dresses, I chose dresses. But I doubt that Chanel would have become known to everyone without the help of Coco Chanel men.
Chanel still considered the idea of marriage - if she gave the duke an heir who would take a high position in society. But 46-year-old Chanel is not destined to become a mother. She refuses Vendor, because the duke cannot be called a model of loyalty.
Once, in her presence, he invited another beauty to the yacht, and then tried to pay off Chanel with a huge emerald. Gabrielle tossed the gem overboard.
MILLION DOLLAR BUSINESS
In 1931, Prince Dimitri presents Chanel to Sam Goldwyn, the creator of American cinema. Goldwyn dreams of dressing movie stars in Chanel clothes both in films and in life and offers a contract for a million dollars.
The designer was required to visit Hollywood twice a year and design costumes. But Gabrielle hesitates, because earlier she created her own models, and did not indulge the tastes of capricious actors and actresses.
Thanks to the persuasion of a new lover, the artist Paul Iribe, Chanel signs a contract and crosses the ocean. A warm welcome awaits her there: a white-painted train is provided for her to travel around the country, the press enthusiastically calls the “Great Mademoiselle”, and celebrities led by Greta Garbo line up on the platform.
Although the partners do not renew the contract for the next year, Chanel gains invaluable experience in working for the mass consumer.
The same age as Paul Irib becomes Chanel's last hope for family happiness. But tragedy strikes again: he dies on the tennis court in front of Gabrielle.
Maybe I became the Great Mademoiselle, because I have no one to feed dinner? coco chanel
In the summer of 1936 Paris is on strike. Workers, spurred on by a coalition of left-wing political parties, are demanding higher wages and union contracts.
Chanel feels betrayed - dressmakers do not let her into her own fashion house! But she pays them well and provides a 2-week vacation in the summer!
Enraged, Chanel has to go with the team to the world, so as not to disrupt the exhibition of the new collection.
The Second World War
With the outbreak of the Second World War in 1939, Chanel closed the salons, leaving the store selling perfume. When the elder sister's son is captured, the fashion designer turns to the attache of the German embassy, a German by nationality, Baron von Dinklage, for help.
He rescues her nephew, and the 56-year-old Chanel begins a relationship with him. When they remember her relationship with a German, Chanel will comment on her personal life like this: I am so old that when a lover gets into my bed, I do not ask him for a passport!
Coco Chanel, her biography says that this great woman can be attributed to one of the most successful women of the twentieth century!The most significant fact from the biography of Coco Chanel:
"Coco Chanel is the only member of the fashion community to be named one of the 100 most influential people of the 20th century by Time magazine."
Mysteries of the biography of CoCo Chanel
Did Coco Chanel really invent and create these masterpieces?
Long before the advent of Chanel, ladies wore pearls of various sizes and shapes. She borrowed embroidery from Russian embroiderers, and the legendary perfume Chanel No. 5 was created by Russian perfumer Erns Bo.
These perfumes are popular to this day.
As for the little black dress, this masterpiece was successfully used in girls' shelters. Perhaps she made it fashionable to wear dresses without corsets?
And this is not her merit. The corset was brought out of fashion by her contemporary, the then-famous fashion designer Paul Poiret.
What is the secret of CoCo Chanel? Perhaps her biography has secrets ...
Perhaps she was a great designer or a top-notch tailor?
In fact, Coco Chanel was not a talented fashion designer. For example, sketches for her fashion house Kitmir were drawn by a Russian immigrant and artist Maria Pavlovna.
Yes, Chanel had some sewing skills, such as hemming curtains, aprons, cross-stitching, etc. But she had no special talent or great skill in this area!
Why is Coco Chanel credited with these masterpieces?
Great Patriotic War, the role of Coco Chanel - biography of a politician
The title of an influential person of the 20th century, Coco Chanel won not only thanks to achievements in the field of trendsetter. Her role in politics during the Great Patriotic War is also shrouded in a very mysterious halo.
During the war, all French couturiers closed their business in France and emigrated to other more peaceful countries, mainly the United States. Chanel remained in France and had a relationship with a German officer in the occupying forces.
Her lover Hans Günther von Diklage was in good standing with German intelligence, personally corresponded with Hitler and Goebbels. According to historians, Coco Chanel was even officially listed in German intelligence, and pulled off a number of espionage operations.
After the liberation of France from the occupation of German troops, Coco was condemned by the authorities and residents of France. She was considered a traitor, tried and even kept “behind bars” for some time.
Why was the convicted Coco Chanel released?
Political intrigues in the biography of CoCo Chanel
Winston Churchill himself, Prime Minister of Great Britain, who was part of the coalition against the Nazis, stood up for her. The condition of the indignant French for the release of the "couturier" was to leave France immediately. Then Chanel moved to Switzerland for several years.
But there are other confirmed facts of history. Koko, obsessed with the dream of ending the war in November 1943, decided to meet with Churchill in order to convince him to agree to secret negotiations between the politicians of England and Germany.
Thanks to her connections with influential German diplomats, her proposal was brought to Schellenberg. He approved the idea of Chanel, but unfortunately the meeting with Churchill did not take place, due to the illness of the British Prime Minister.
Chanel also had personal motives to cooperate with representatives of Germany. Thanks to Hans Günther, Coco Chanel's nephew was released from captivity. In addition, Gunther was a very handsome, educated and gallant man. When Coco Chanel was interrogated by the new French authorities, when asked about her relationship with a German diplomat, she replied: “When a woman of my age finds a man younger than her, she does not have time to look at his passport!”.
Whether Coco Chanel really was an accomplice of the Nazis, whether she tried to defend the interests of France or defended her personal interests, in any case, she certainly played a role in the politics of that time.
Perhaps her talent to influence people's minds was due to a very good education and appropriate upbringing?
Coco Chanel biography of her childhood
Coco Chanel herself talked a lot about her bourgeois family, wonderful childhood, wise parents, etc. But it was an absolute lie!
Gabrielle, as her real name was, was born into a family of ordinary market traders. She was born out of wedlock and had several sisters and brothers. The father was a drinker and a walker. Her family certainly could not be called connoisseurs of culture and art. When Gabrielle was 5 years old, her mother died. The father, who did not want to take on the burden of responsibility in raising children, took them to the nearest shelter and the children did not see him again.
The little black dresses given to the girls in this orphanage later became the prototype of the famous black dress from Coco Chanel. After leaving the orphanage, Gabrielle had no profession and no support from loved ones!
Despite the fact that she did not actually have a penny to her name, her plans were grandiose!
Great plans in the biography of Coco Chanel
She dreamed of becoming a singer. Gabrielle's repertoire was not a masterpiece, and her voice was raspy and nasty. In general, she sang very disgustingly, but nevertheless she performed! She spoke to a garrison of officers.
One of her songs was about the cockerel "Where did my Coco go." And the name Coco stuck to Gabrielle. Then one of the cavalrymen Etienne Balzen noticed her. He took care of Gabrielle. Gabrielle was a very amorous, but at the same time practical woman.
Coco Chanel biography of sexual addictions
She had connections with both men and women. Not all of her lovers were generous, but she benefited from each affair for her career. Starting with a small shop where she sold hats she created, Gabrielle managed to build an entire fashion empire under the name of Coco Chanel.
At that time, she was not considered a beauty. Her figure was not distinguished by the pomp of forms, it was rather angular, and her chest was small in size.
But even this disadvantage she used as a virtue!
Coco Chanel introduced the fashion for menswear for women.
Truly, she was a brilliant woman! It would seem that having no advantages at the start, no education, no fortune, no certain unique skills, no beautiful appearance, she managed to climb to the very top of the fashion Olympus!
What is really the secret of this great woman?
Coco Chanel biography clues:
- She reached such peaks thanks to her determination, constant self-education and, of course, the talent of a commercial agent. She knew how to find the right people and use them to achieve her goals.
- She was an excellent leader and constantly surrounded herself with an aura of mystery. Which, of course, had a beneficial effect on the prosperity of her business. She hid her age and origin, lack of education and hid many facts from her personal life.
- Chanel was an excellent marketer: "I invented the little black dress, introduced pearls, canceled the corset, invented pockets." All that previously someone did not have time, as they would now say "to patent", she declared her idea. And they believed her!
- Before Chanel decided to create her own line of perfumes, she had nothing to do with perfumery, and really did not even know what it was.
But could such a minor obstacle stop this great woman?
Coco Chanel knew how to turn all the minuses into pluses. Her style in simplicity of cut, purity of form, a small number of colors and the number of fabrics used in sewing clothes, was due to the fact that at the dawn of her modeling business, she did not have large funds. And then she introduced the fashion for minimalism and practicality in clothes. But at that time it was not at all easy to inculcate this idea. Then fashion designers flourished, promoting luxurious high-waisted dresses, light silk, lace, etc.
Coco Chanel was a true fighter and never gave up
IN biography of coco chanel There were not only victories, but also defeats. In 1947, Dior created new modern fragrances, the famous fragrance Chanel No. 5 passed into the category of classics, giving way to other more modern ones. Sales fell, and Chanel was faced with the question of returning to Paris to raise the image of her brand, but she was not expected there at all, after a damaged reputation received during the World War. Her new collection, presented in 1954, failed miserably! Critics called her dresses dull and outdated, and that the old woman Chanel could no longer keep up with the times. The destruction was simply deafening!
But Chanel did not give up and did not give up. The very next year, she released a new collection. And her signature silhouette is back in fashion!
This amazing woman knew how to manage fashion and win the hearts of influential and very beautiful men and women!
Coco Chanel's fashion can be classified as classical restraint.
Compared to her, the modern Japanese-style fashion in clothes looks very contrasting.
What do you think - what is the secret of Coco Chanel, in her happy biography?
Today, my dear readers, I wanted to tell you about an amazing woman with whom I think you should take an example for yourself in life.
This woman is the famous Coco Chanel. First of all, I admire her individual style and approach to her work, it was precisely due to this that she was able to take her revolutionary steps in the fashion world. She had her own worldview, which she did not hesitate to express, she did not want to be like everyone else and broke the prevailing stereotypes in life. Of course, she met discontent and condemnation on her way, but this did not prevent her from being herself.
She created her world herself, and became a trendsetter, she took elements of men's fashion and added them to women's. Nobody had done this before her.
She is also famous for her “little black dress”, which is now in almost every wardrobe of fashionistas. She was able to advantageously beat the black mourning color and made it exquisitely elegant.
I think every woman should take an example from her on how you can be yourself, do a lot for others and realize your talent contrary to people's opinion. Personally, I admire her as a woman.
Coco Chanel way
Childhood and youth Coco was far from high fashion and glamour. She was brought up in a shelter by nuns, then she worked in a store, danced in a cabaret. But having gone through such a path, she was able to learn from it and realize herself. The nuns taught me how to sew, the shop became an example of how to run a business, and the cabaret taught me how to make the right contacts. She knew how to see the right and good in her life.
How was she able to reach those heights, thanks to which she became famous all over the world? She had her own success secrets.
5 success secrets from the great Coco Chanel:
1) freedom
One of Koko's lovers opened for her the freedom that money gives people. She liked to be generous and paid not only for herself, but also for her friends. Thanks to money, she conquered her shyness, which she had during her poor childhood and youth. Her good profits gave her confidence and she was able to perform in public.
2) Feel for people
Chanel has always felt people, and well recognized those who do not like her and left them. She did not allow random people into her life. Among her friends were Dali, Pablo Picasso, Stravinsky and Diaghilev.
3) Love was her teacher.
Through her love affairs, Coco has learned a lot. She kept all the skills of her lovers, and applied them in life. Koko was a kind of blueprint for her men. She learned a lot from them: riding, English, newspaper publishing, fishing, hunting, even perfumery was helped by Prince Dmitry, who introduced her to Ernest Bo, who provided her with the opportunity to know the world of smells and create her famous Chanel No. 5 perfume. .
Love in her life moved her forward and brought new ideas to her style.
4)The obstacles in her life served as pointers to a new direction.
In her work, Coco Chanel did not exaggerate and did not complicate, but rather simplified everything. At the beginning of her career, she did not have the right to make her women's dresses, because. could be sued for illegal competition. Then she began to make dresses from men's jersey, on which she made a huge fortune.
When trouble happened in her life and the gas water heater burned her curls, she was able to prove herself here and present her forced haircut as the standard of beauty at that time. The fashion for short haircuts began with Coco Chanel, before her women had to wear long hair.
Of all the bad things, she could find a way out and make it profitable for herself.
5) Every morning her life began anew.
She constantly threw her past out of her life and proved to everyone that the future does not follow from the past. Coco Chanel proved to the world that you can change your life and start your career any day, as she did at the age of 71 and returned to the fashion world, although for many years she left her fashion house and no one took her seriously anymore. She again made an enchanting exit and achieved great success.
I think you can borrow such secrets of success from a famous and great woman. try to turn all your troubles into your success.
There are so many great things ahead of us.
Video about Coco Chanel
I wish you the manifestation of your talent, despite the opinions of others.
With love for you Marina Danilova.
This is the fourth series in the rubric, in which we observe the formation of the style of the great women of the past and the present!
I love Chanel! True, I still haven’t bought a single bag of this brand :-) Apparently, I’m saving this pleasant moment and choosing the right mood:) But in my wardrobe there are several tweed jackets from Chanel, which, I hope, will be worn by my granddaughters and great-granddaughters!
As usual, first we read about the heroine, and then we look at how I adapted her style to my wardrobe.
Write later to insta about my impressions, your opinion and support is very important to me :-)
History of Coco Chanel
House of Chanel is the most famous name in the fashion world of the 20th century. The epitome of luxury, style and elegance. Could young Gabrielle Chanel have thought that she would achieve such a stunning success? Indeed, at the dawn of her career, the founder of a cult brand could not boast of wealth, power, or belonging to high society.
Coco Chanel changed her attitude to women's clothing, rewrote the rules of high fashion in her own way. And most of her "tricks" formed the basis of the style and are relevant to this day.
Many facts from the biography of Coco Chanel are shrouded in mystery and are already part of fashionable mythology.
Gabrielle Boner Chanel was born in 1883 in the French town of Saumur. Her mother died when the girl was twelve, and her father, in order to somehow make ends meet, was forced to send the children to a Catholic orphanage and was like that. Until adulthood, Gabrielle was raised by nuns.
In fact, nothing is known for certain about the childhood and youth of the young Chanel. At the beginning of the 20th century, few people were interested in the life of the poor, so no documents about Gabriel were preserved. Some sources claim that she was taught the art of sewing by her aunt, with whom she stayed every summer, according to other sources, Gabrielle was engaged in needlework in a shelter with nuns.
When Gabrielle turned eighteen, she moved to the nearby town of Moulin, where she got a job in a lingerie store. In her free time, Chanel worked part-time in a cafe, where she sang the song “Who saw Coco at the Trocadero?” and "Ko Ko Ri Ko". From here, later, the legendary name Coco originates. Many regulars called her that - baby Coco.
During her failed musical career, young Coco meets wealthy textile heir Etienne Balsan. The bourgeois is fascinated by a charismatic girl. Their romance is developing rapidly, and Coco moves to Balsan's country house in the status of his kept mistress. It was then that Chanel begins to get involved in the creation of hats, and Etienne encourages this hobby, compensating for all expenses so that her lover does not get bored during his absence.
High society, not without a scratch, accepts young Gabrielle into its ranks. She is well aware of her position and origin, but does not yet have enough funds to feel independent.
Life takes a new turn when, at one of the parties, Chanel meets Etienne's friend, Arthur Capel (friends call him Boy).
Falling head over heels in love with Boy, Gabriel moves from his country mansion to Capel's bachelor pad in Paris, where he begins making hats and trying to sell them. The business is gaining momentum, and a year later, Chanel (not without the financial help of Boy) opens her first tailoring studio with the bold name "Chanel Fashion".
In those days, men ruled the fashion world, dressing women in tight corsets, tons of lace and feathers. Coco Chanel ridicules this approach, stating that "Designers forget that under their dresses is a living woman of flesh and blood." Uncompromising Koko thinks seriously about the fact that women's clothing can and should be not only beautiful, but also comfortable.
In 1913, Chanel moved to the resort town of Deauville, where he opened another clothing store. Gabriel starts working on his first collection. Koko understands that emancipation has gone quite far and is looking for a logical way out. Her task is to help women look elegant, regardless of their position.
By the way, Koko herself did not know how to cut, creating her outfits directly on the model, applying and pinning the fabric until it acquired the desired shape.
In 1914 the world was shaken by the First World War. Men go to the front, and wealthy families move away from the center of events to coastal cities. Women are forced to refuse servants and dress themselves. Ironically, it is these unfortunate events that give a powerful impetus to the Chanel case.
Inspired by military uniforms, Koko discovers a new material - jersey - thin knitwear, which is usually used for sewing linings for jackets. Such material drapes well, while being very cheap. What you need in wartime.
Women need simplicity and convenience, and Chanel's house gives them that simple elegance. Koko's outfits are diametrically different from those that women are used to, but they definitely like them. By the end of the war, Coco Chanel clothes turned into a very successful business, personifying the very “luxury of simplicity”.
The glory of Coco Chanel spreads at the speed of light throughout France. Laconic and practical things from Chanel are the dream of any woman.
In 1919, Boy Capel dies in a car accident. Another terrible event in the life of Chanel again gives vent to her work. Coco brings the little black dress to the fashion world. Perhaps if this tragedy had not happened, she would not have experimented with black fabric at all.
Chanel's first little black dress was made from flowy fabric. It was long-sleeved and revolutionary below the knee length. Mrs. Koko thought that it makes no sense to make it shorter, since not every lady can boast of the beauty of this part of the body :-)
Koko could not officially wear mourning, since she was not Capel's wife, but without expecting it herself, she dressed all of France in mourning for the Boy.
In the summer of 1920, Coco meets a Russian emigrant, Prince Dmitry Pavlovich. Their romance does not last long, but leaves an indelible imprint on the activities of the fashion house. At this time, Chanel meets Dmitry's friend, the outstanding perfumer Ernest Bo. The meeting becomes a cult for both. After a year of collaboration, Chanel releases her famous fragrance "No. 5".
Ernest created "perfume for a woman that smells like a woman herself." It was the first perfume in the world of 80 components that did not repeat the smell of any one flower, as was previously customary. The designers enclosed the golden liquid in a rectangular glass bottle with a laconic label, which was also a kind of innovation - before that, the bottles had always had a bizarre shape. Their success has outlived its creators - until now, Chanel No. 5 perfumes are the best-selling on the planet.
In the same year, Coco Chanel began to work on the creation of costume jewelry, boldly mixing precious stones with artificial ones.
In the mid-20s, Coco begins dating the English Duke of Westminster. Chanel moves in the circles of the English aristocracy, often visiting the UK and Scotland. And among the new acquaintances of Koko even such personalities as Winston Churchill himself appear.
From the Scots, Chanel adopts a love for tweed, which he later embodies in no less iconic clothes, like all his previous ideas. And among the British, Coco is imbued with a love for sweaters and shows women that jewelry can be worn even over a sweater, which no one has done before.
The Chanel collections of that time had a lot of tweeds, jockey outfits, sports coats and vests. As Coco herself said: "I took English masculinity and made it feminine."
The affair with the duke lasted 14 years and ended by the end of the 30s. By that time, Koko was at the peak of her career. But the world is again overshadowed by the news of the war. In 1939, Chanel was forced to close her factories.
At the same time, Koko is carried away by an employee of the German embassy, Hans Gunther von Dinklage, who, after the liberation of Paris, will play a cruel joke with her. Allegedly for complicity with the Nazis, she is arrested, but released the same evening. According to legend, all charges were dropped from Coco, thanks to her old friend Winston Churchill, who personally asked for her. The only condition that grants her freedom is the immediate departure from France.
Koko leaves her homeland and goes to Switzerland for 10 years. During this time, the fashion world is undergoing drastic changes. Men are back in power. Dior with his New Look and meters of fabric, Balmain with brocade and lace. Everything that Coco despised so much shines on the fashionable Olympus with renewed vigor.
Dior Balmain
1953 Chanel returns to Paris to take revenge. A new generation of fashionistas has matured, who only know about her as a perfume creator.
The first collection of Chanel failed miserably. Society has not yet forgiven her after the war. French journalists did not understand the designer's laconic outfits, and headlines flaunt in all newspapers that "Chanel did not offer anything new." But that was her secret - conciseness, elegance and functionality.
It took Mademoiselle Chanel only a year to rehabilitate herself. She has already taken her second post-war collection to be shown across the ocean - to America. Local fashionistas gave her a standing ovation.
It was a new era of tweed suits, little black dresses and massive jewelry. The concept of "Chanel style" has forever taken its place of honor in fashion terminology. This style implied that the suit should be not only elegant, but also comfortable. All the buttons on it were fastened, and did not serve as decoration, there were pockets on the skirt where a business woman could hide cigarettes, and the shoes were certainly low-heeled, since you couldn’t run far in high stilettos.
And one more year later, in 1955, Chanel gave the fashion world her iconic 2/55 handbag on a chain, thereby freeing the hands of millions of women.
Coco Chanel has died at the age of 88. Until her death, she continued to develop collections of her own brand and collaborate with other companies. She left quietly and alone after a long day at work in her suite at the Ritz.
Koko had no heirs, she never married and had no family. She sacrificed all this for the sake of her dream, going a long way from blatant poverty to abundance and prosperity. The name of Mademoiselle Chanel is forever inscribed in the world history of fashion. She created a true empire, becoming a trendsetter for several generations.
Coco Chanel style in a modern interpretation
Tweed, jersey with piping, quilted handbag, beret, shoes with a dark cape - the standard set for my trip to Paris. Where am I now, by the way, and I am :)
These things are always in my wardrobe, so the preparation for the photo shoot took a couple of minutes. Unlike the fifth heroine, whose style is, to put it mildly, atypical for me!
So, to be continued :-)
