We all know that Chanel is a world-renowned luxury brand, its perfume, bags, clothes make countless women fascinated, but little is known about the Chanel lady behind the creation of this brand, today we enter the world behind the Chanel brand, to understand the story of this great, legendary feminist and revolutionary women.
This is the story of a little girl from an orphanage who is about to change the world of fashion. It is also the story of a powerful woman who had to rely on the help of the rich, but was able to do so without losing her self-esteem. It is also the story of a great feminist and revolutionary woman whose life is mysterious because she does everything possible to hide the details of her past and her personal life, even the true date of her birth.
Gabrielle Bonheur Chanel, who would be known by the nickname Coco, was born in France on August 19, 1883. She is the youngest of five children. Her mother died when she was six years old, and her father sent her to an orphanage in Aubazine, a Catholic monastery, where she never stopped waiting for her father to return and take her home. It was at the orphanage, where little Gabriel learned the trade of a seamstress. During her vacation, spent with the relatives of Governor Mullan, she learned to flourish more than the nuns in the orphanage could have taught her.
At the age of 18, Gabrielle Chanel left the orphanage and began working for a local tailor. Working as a seamstress, Wile also started working as a singer in cafes and concert halls to earn more money. One of her most famous songs is a song called "Qui qu'a vu Coco", which is very well known and received public recognition, and also gave Chanel the nickname Coco, which she was happy to listen to. Some also believe and say that her nickname comes from the French word "cocotte," which means a woman (at least, with a more polite sense of the word).
During her brief career as a cafe and concert singer, Coco Chanel was involved with wealthy people who would play an important role in Chanel's fashion enterprise. Around the age of 20, Chanel became involved with Etienne Balsan, who offered to help her start a millinery business in Paris. She became his mistress and moved to his castle, where she lived for three years. It was there that she began designing and creating hats, which then turned into a business venture.
Chanel soon left Balsan for one of his richer friends, Arthur "the Boy" Capel, a very wealthy industrialist who became the love of her life. He set her up in a Paris apartment to finance her first shop. In 1910, Chanel opened a millinery shop in Paris, then expanded to Deauville and Biarritz. The ladies of these towns immediately fell in love with Chanel's unique style. Soon after opening these stores, Chanel began to expand into haute couture, opening her first fashion boutique in 1913. Coco Chanel introduced revolutionary styles of clothing for women, borrowing items normally worn by men and transforming them into very fashionable women's fashion.
Back in the 1920s, wealthy women wore gorgeous and expensive gowns made of exotic fabrics. The counterargument is that Chanel makes its clothes out of kit material, a fabric primarily used in men's underwear. Chanel said she chose the material because of its low price and because it complements the female body. "I make it possible for stylish women to live, breathe, feel comfortable and look younger," she said. Chanel's relationship with the boy Capelle lasted nine years, even after he married in 1918. In 1919, one of the most devastating events in Coco Chanel's life occurred when Capel died in a car crash. She commissioned a roadside memorial at the site of the accident. Years after the tragic incident, Chanel told a friend: "His death was a terrible shock to me. When I lost Capel, I lost everything.
But life never stops for anyone, and by the 1920s Chanel's boutiques were greatly expanded, and her "lalagaronne" (boyish) sophisticated look was leading the way. The simplicity and democracy of Chanel's designs is always a good reason to support her creations, as well as others. Maison Chanel was founded at 31 Rue Cambon in Paris (still its headquarters today) and became a powerful fashion force. Coco Chanel herself became a style icon, with her hair styled in bold haircuts, simple striped tops and knitted pants. The postwar generation of women had grown tired of restrictive corsets that, among other things, were grossly impractical. So Chanel's advice is well-timed to help women find a new style of dressing.
In 1921, Coco Chanel launched her perfume, the iconic Chanel №5, which remains one of the most popular and well-known perfumes in the world. Hollywood's sexiest blonde Marilyn Monroe made this perfume even more popular after providing the most attractive answer for her first LIFE magazine cover. "What do you wear to bed?" The magazine asked her. "Just a few drops of Chanel No. 5," she replied. It is estimated that a bottle of Chanel №5 is sold every 55 seconds worldwide.
In addition to fashion, Coco Chanel also became a popular figure in the Paris art and literary circles. She designed costumes for Ballets Russes (Dhiagilev Seasons), as well as other theatrical performances such as Cocteau's 'Antigone' and film productions such as 'La Regle de Jeu'. Among her friends were Pablo Picasso and the composer Igor Stravinsky, who became her lover.
Chanel's other major romance began in 1923, when she met a wealthy Duke of Westminster with whom, according to rumours, a long-term relationship had ended in a proposed marriage, with Chanel reporting: "There are several Duchesses in Westminster - but only one Chanel".
Starting in 1924, Chanel, inspired after borrowing sportswear from her Duke, invited Scottish factories to produce her signature tweed fabric for everything from sportswear to suits and coats. Chanel moved the factory to northern France in the '30s and began combining her classic tweed with wool, silk, cotton and even cellophane, giving them a more high-fashion (and lighter weight) style. The tweed trend spread far and wide and quickly caught on in many Paris boutiques. Chanel's collarless jacket made of tweed is associated with her name and we now call it the Chanel jacket. Inside, the jacket is lined with contrasting silk, which is the same silk she normally uses for shirts. The interior is weighted with a gold chain, and the buttons are all printed with Chanel symbols on the back. The edges are trimmed with braids, velvet or ribbon.
In 1926, Coco Chanel introduced her most iconic design - a little black dress. Its design was versatile, made with a very simple cut, long sleeves and black crepe: at the time black was still considered the color of mourning. The dress is calf length and straight, with only a few diagonal trims. The easy elegance of this dress seemed like a paradox at the time, but while it could not be explained or fully understood, many women were more than happy to adopt it, and they were right. You can't go wrong with black. You can never go wrong with a little black dress. In 1926, Vogue called the LBD "Chanel's Ford," which, like the Model T, was easy to use for women of all classes, and correctly predicted that the little black dress, with a string of white pearls, would become the uniform of women of all tastes. The LBD became a staple in every woman's wardrobe and remains a symbol of elegance to this day.
During World War II, Chanel worked briefly as a nurse and then became involved with a German officer, Hans Gunther von Dincklage, who was 13 years her junior and helped her get special permission to stay with her. Apartments at the Hotel Ritz during the occupation. After the war, the affair turned into a scandal when Coco Chanel was accused of betraying the country and she was interrogated. There have been many rumours about the affair, with some even wondering if Winston Churchill was working behind the scenes on behalf of Chanel. Although Chanel was not accused of being a collaborator, her public opinion was negative, while many still viewed her as a woman who had become involved with Nazi officers and betrayed her country. Chanel once said, sarcastically commenting on rumors, that when a woman of her age was having an affair, especially for a young man, she did not check his passport. Mademoiselle Chanel eventually decided to shake off the negativity around her and leave Paris to spend a few years in Switzerland, in exile. She also lived for some time at her country house in Roquebrune.
This 2.55 quilted handbag was created by Chanel in February 1955, hence the name. Every aspect of the bag is designed by Coco, for memory, story or specific use. The Burgundian color of the lining represents the uniform of the convent where she grew up. Inside the front flap is a zippered compartment that Chanel used to hide her love letters. The outer bag is specially made for carrying money. The long straps on the bags were first inspired by the straps on the soldiers' bags. Chanel handbag added chain straps, interwoven leather, legend at the time Coco did not have much resources. The chain strap is strong and light, allowing women to keep their hands free. The original lock was called the 'Mademoiselle lock'. You can also buy this bag in our store!
In 957, Mademoiselle Chanel created two simple slingbacks. The shoe's beige and contrasting black toe design creates a very flattering effect, shortening the foot and lengthening the leg. Chanel's two-tone color scheme was present in many of her designs and is still featured by her famous Chanel ballet flats, tights and Chanel collections designed by Karl Lagerfeld.
In 1970, Chanel launched another perfume, Chanel №19, named after the date of her birth. Gabrielle Coco Chanel never married, but it was reported that until a very old age both men and women had many loves. She worked until the last day of her life.
Mademoiselle Chanel died quietly in her apartment at the Ritz Hotel on January 10, 1971, leaving behind a huge legacy of style. Hundreds of people crowded into the Madeleine Church to mourn her death together, many of them wearing Chanel suits as a tribute.
Chanel was, in general, one of the badass guys who worked her way up from the bottom. Rebellion, freedom, style and passion are undoubtedly the four most important qualities that define Chanel. Every luxury item of Chanel has a deeper meaning behind it.
