Coco Chanel ( coco chanel) is one of the most influential women of the 20th century, whose contribution to high fashion is simply invaluable. And even now, in the 21st century, girls do not hesitate to put on a little black dress on their first date if they want to strike a man on the spot. Films are made about her and books are written because her story of life and novels is as entertaining and inspiring as her professional activities. Elegant chic, a revolution on the catwalk - all this is about the unsurpassed Coco Chanel!
Why did things from Coco make such a splash at the beginning of the 20th century?
To understand this, you need to imagine a girl of that time: tight in a corset, in a long, voluminous skirt. In all this it was impossible to move. But the girls have already ceased to be muslin young ladies. Farewell to the 19th century, when a woman could only blink her eyes and play the piano! In the new century, she wanted to act! This is where Chanel helped them. Simplicity and convenience, style and elegance - this is what characterizes the things of the great fashion designer. In this you can conquer the world, and he submitted!
The beginning of the way
The great Frenchwoman was born on August 19, 1883 in a simple family. My father worked in the market. The mother died when the girl was 12 years old. The father could not stand the circumstances that fell on him, and a week after the funeral he left his three daughters in a shelter at catholic church. They didn't see him again.
Koko was never able to come to terms with this: she believed until the very end that someday he would return for them - he's just a very busy person.
At the age of 20, young Gabrielle (that is her real name) left the orphanage. The sewing skills she learned at the orphanage came in handy: she got a job in a tailoring shop in the city of Moulins. And since she sewed beautifully, she immediately won the love of customers.
But there was also a moment that Chanel later not only did not like to remember, but also tried to carefully hide.
Young Koko spent her evenings at the Rotunda cafe, where local officers often went. Men could not resist the charm and charm of a young girl, so she was always in the spotlight. And when she suddenly, either jokingly or seriously, decided to become a singer, they not only supported her desire, but also agreed with the owner of the institution. And now Chanel is on stage singing cute silly songs.
Some of the most popular were "Ko Ko Ri Ko" and "Qui qua vu Coco". So the nickname "Coco" was established behind her.
Maybe it was this desire to forget the past that made the future fashion designer constantly move forward? To escape from hunger, from poverty, from a humiliating situation, to prove to everyone that a girl from an orphanage, once abandoned by her father, has the right to the same as all other children.
Personal life
There were many novels in Coco's life: she lived with the aristocrat Etienne Balsani, was in love with Arthur Capel, who helped open her first hat shop, met the young prince Dmitry Romanov and the English duke.
Love inspired her. Each new relationship was reflected in her work in fashion. So, with her filing, a trend appeared in the Russian or English style.
Fashion designer's way
Chanel had to overcome many obstacles. Although the hat shop was profitable, Coco dreamed of creating her first collection. But at that time, without special education, she could not do it. And then she went to the trick: she decided to create clothes from inexpensive material, which was used only for sewing underwear for men - jersey.
It was a coup! From this moment on, women's fashion sheds everything superfluous. And it was Chanel who later came up with women's trousers, a shirt dress and a low waist.
Looking outside the box at ordinary things is her main talent. The little black dress was a revelation, because before that it was believed that black clothes could only be worn on special occasions, and such a cut of a dress could be worn only by service personnel.
The cult perfume Chanel No. 5 was also unusually created.
Madame Gabrielle began to collaborate with perfumer Ernest Beaux, setting him the task of making it not an ordinary, monotonous smell, but the scent of a real woman. For a whole year, Bo worked on a difficult task, and only one option completely satisfied the picky Koko.
These were the spirits under the lucky number. They made a splash as among the most famous women of that time, and among ordinary girls.
Coco Chanel was not afraid of being forgotten. In 1939 she closed her successful business. The war begins, and although it has become unsafe to stay in Paris, in spite of everything, she remains in the city. Coco was not afraid of being cursed by society: at this time she meets with an officer, a German, Walter Schellenberg.
For this reason, she was even subjected to detention and public censure by the Committee on Public Morals. However, she was soon released, but Koko decided to leave for Switzerland, where she lived for almost 10 years. All this time she did not stop creating and creating new images.
Gabrielle didn't care what anyone thought about her: at the age of 70, she successfully returns to Paris and to fashion. And even more so, she laughed in the face of those who criticized the style she proposed.
And maybe that's why we love the fearless inventor Coco Chanel so much: through times, through distances. She is the embodiment of everything that any woman wants to do, but, as a rule, is afraid of.
coco chanel
Real name Gabrielle Bonre Chanel, fr. Gabrielle Bonheur Chanel.
French fashion designer who founded the Chanel fashion house and had a significant impact on European fashion in the 20th century.
She brought the fitted jacket and little black dress into women's fashion; of accessories, the most famous were a bag on a chain and large bijouterie - primarily camellia brooches and artificial pearls. Her perfume "Chanel No. 5" became the perfume bestseller of the 20th century.
She was born in Saumur in 1883, although she claimed to have been born ten years later in Auvergne. The mother died in a difficult childbirth. When Gabrielle was barely twelve, her father left her with four siblings; the children were then in the care of relatives and spent some time in an orphanage.
At the age of 18, Gabrielle got a job as a seller in a clothing store, and in her free time she sang in a cabaret. She performed with the songs Ko Ko Ri Ko and Qui qu'a vu Coco, thanks to which she received her nickname - Coco. During one of these speeches, Gabriel was noticed by officer Etienne Balzan - she moved to live with him in Paris, but soon went to the English industrialist Arthur Capel, known among friends by the nickname "Boy".
In 1910, Chanel opened a hat shop in Paris - within a year it moved to 31 Rue Cambon, opposite the Ritz Hotel, where it is located to this day.
Chanel and her friend Misia Sert were the last to visit Diaghilev on the eve of his death on August 19, 1929. They also paid for the funeral on the island of San Michele, since neither the deceased nor Lifar, who was with him, had money with him.
In 1939, with the outbreak of war, Chanel closed the fashion house and all her stores. In June 1940, her nephew André Palace was taken into German captivity. Trying to rescue him, Chanel turned to her old friend, German embassy attache Baron Hans Gunther von Dinklage. As a result, Andre Palace was released, and the 56-year-old Chanel entered into a relationship with von Dinklage. According to a file kept at Vincennes, Chanel was "the mistress and agent of Baron Hans Günther von Dinklage" in 1942-1943.
In November 1943, Chanel was looking for a meeting with Winston Churchill - she wanted to convince him to agree to the principles of secret Anglo-German negotiations. Gabrielle discussed the matter with Theodore Momm, who was in charge of the textile industry in occupied France. Momm passed the proposal to Berlin, the head of the Sixth Directorate, which controlled the foreign intelligence service, Walter Schellenberg. He found the offer interesting: Operation Modelhut (with German? -? "Fashion Hat") made it possible to travel unhindered to Madrid (where Chanel intended to meet Churchill) with a pass valid for several days. The meeting, however, did not take place - Churchill was ill, and Chanel returned to Paris with nothing.
At the end of the war, Chanel remembered all her contacts with the Germans. She was labeled an accomplice of the Nazis, she was accused of collaborationism and arrested. In 1944, on the advice of Churchill, she was released, but on the condition that she leave France. Chanel had to leave for Switzerland, where she lived until 1953.
In 1954, 71-year-old Gabriel returned to the world of high fashion, presenting her new collection. She achieved her former glory and respect only after three seasons; rich and famous women became regular visitors to her shows. A tweed suit "from Chanel" - a narrow skirt and a lace-trimmed collarless jacket with golden buttons and patch pockets - gained popularity and became a symbol of its owner's success.
In the 1950s and 1960s, Chanel collaborated with various Hollywood studios, she dressed such stars as Audrey Hepburn and Liz Taylor. Among her clients was US First Lady Jackie Kennedy.
House of fashion "Coco Chanel"
The first workshop of a young Frenchwoman Coco appeared in Paris in 1910. Thanks to the patronage of the English industrialist Capel, Chanel received the necessary funds and patronage. Lover, friend and sponsor Arthur Boy Capel paid the costs of creating a Chanel Models workshop, and two letters C appeared in the House logo.
In 1913, a Chanel boutique was opened in the resort town of Deauville. Wealthy clients snapped up sailor suits, straight cropped skirts with pockets, straw hats with ribbons, bathing suits.
The center of the rich public in 1915 was the resort of Biarritz on the Atlantic coast of France, where the designer invented practical clothes that were relevant in wartime - jersey dresses were incredibly successful.
In 1919 the concept modern clothes, proposed by Coco Chanel, was recognized in Europe and overseas. Knitted sweaters, trousers and cardigans made the woman more self-confident and free to move.
Having opened a network of boutiques, Coco followed not only the timely updating of collections, but also the financial side of the business, she personally communicated with clients, moving in aristocratic circles: among her acquaintances and admirers were Prince Dmitry Romanov and the Duke of Westminster.
A haute couture accessories boutique in Paris opened in 1929. Coco launched the iconic 2.55 rectangular handbag on a long chain - for the first time women could carry the bag comfortably by hanging it over their shoulder.
Can be considered a long dash in the history of the House on the rue Cambon Second world war and Chanel's departure to Switzerland. In 1954, Chanel returned to Paris, opened a boutique and presented a new collection. It took her several years to regain her former positions.
The classic perfume Chanel No. 19 became a farewell gift to the couturier - at the age of 88, Gabrielle Chanel died of a heart attack, leaving no official successors.
In 1983, German designer Karl Lagerfeld took over the legendary brand. The creative 1986 Haute Couture collection brought him the Golden Thimble and established Lagerfeld on the throne of the Chanel empire.
The master retained the style of the founder of the brand, but shortened the skirts, revealing women's knees (Coco avoided this). Lagerfeld has always managed to follow the main laws of the Chanel empire: practicality and luxury.
And love stories: Coco Chanel
In her youth, Chanel began light and short romances, but she met her main love much later. This happened at the moment when Coco Chanel was tired of the status of an eternal lover and decided to start an independent life, not depending on men. Then her home was the garden outbuilding of a rich man, and Gaby made plans to become a famous milliner. The man did not want to support Coco in her endeavors, and the woman moved to Paris, where she met Arthur Capel, a friend of her old friend.
For both Arthur and Coco it was love at first sight. Capel was the heir to a wealthy industrialist, women went crazy for him: Arthur was tall and slender, handsome. Chanel at that time was about thirty, but it was difficult to call Coco a beauty: rather, a woman with an unusual appearance and refined manners. Gabrielle conquered Arthur with her elegance, originality and charm. Within a few weeks, they began to live together, renting an apartment. Arthur became the only man who fully supported all Chanel's undertakings, helped her with everything available means. Thanks to Arthur, Chanel was able to open fashion stores in several cities in France, was able to enter the highest circles of society and meet the right people, which made Coco a famous milliner. For Capel, the glory of a playboy stretched, but after meeting with Gabriel, he broke off relations with all his mistresses. Chanel became a famous and successful woman, Paris idolized her, and Arthur admired his beloved and never envied the fact that now they were presented not as "Arthur Capel and Coco Chanel", but as "Coco Chanel with his friend."
However, happiness could not last forever, and Chanel realized that Arthur could never propose to her. Despite the dizzying success, Chanel was not the kind of woman who could be a great match for Capel. The lover wanted to reach heights in society, was very educated and smart, and Koko was brought up in an orphanage. Another problem was that Arthur belonged to an old Jewish family, and in those days in France, even if a person was a millionaire, he was not recognized if noble French blood did not flow in his veins. Arthur needed to marry an aristocrat in order to be made "fit" into the cream of society. Even Coco, with her popularity, faded against the backdrop of sophisticated Parisians.
For a while they were still trying to save the relationship, but soon Gaby found out that Arthur had two mistresses. She did not say anything about this to Capel, and he did not leave Coco, realizing that she was not ready for this. One fine day, Arthur was found a "lucrative match", and he immediately introduced her to Gabrielle. She silently approved of Capel's choice and sewed it for the bride. wedding dress. The relationship ended there: Arthur got what he had been striving for all his life, Koko - fame and recognition, and in addition to this - a tormented heart. Chanel went headlong into work, and after a few months she was able to overcome depression, but after some time she learned the terrible news: Capel died in a car accident.
Facts from the life of Chanel
After the death of Coco, the Chanel fashion house was going through difficult times. Its revival began in 1983, when fashion designer Karl Lagerfeld took over the house. In 2008, in honor of the 125th anniversary of the birth of Chanel, he presented the design of a commemorative 5 euro coin with her image. gold coin(circulation of 99 pieces) is valued at 5,900 euros, and one of the 11,000 silver coins can be purchased for 45 euros.
Mademoiselle Chanel was a somnambulist. During one of her bouts of moonwalking at the Ritz, she not only cut a suit out of a bathrobe, but also attached a flower cut from a white towel to the lapel.
Mademoiselle had her own ideas about what a woman's scent should be. According to legend, perfumer Ernest Bo (an immigrant from Russia, by the way) made a mistake with the concentration of aldehydes - as a result, a complex fragrance consisting of more than 80 ingredients was obtained. Thus ended the era of mono perfumes. The iconic fragrance Chanel No.5 is still one of the top ten best-selling perfumes in the world today.
Chanel was the first and only couturier who managed to find the right answer to eternal question“What to wear?”: A little black dress is a versatile outfit for almost all occasions.
The number "5" was Coco Chanel's favorite number. Perhaps she was superstitious, but much in her life is connected with this particular figure. And the Chanel No. 5 fragrance got its name for a reason. It was the fifth scent that Chanel liked at the time of creation.
Chanel never drew sketches, she worked "live" - on fashion models, because she believed that the dress should move, and instead of a pencil she used only tailor's scissors and pins. For her, “a pair of scissors and a few precise hand movements were enough for luxury itself to emerge from a pile of shapeless matter.”
Coco Chanel loved pockets. She was sure that women's things lack pockets, this men's suit detail. And she brought them not only to clothes, but also to accessories. The main detail in handbags from Chanel to this day is pockets!
Coco has never been married (they say that she refused the Duke of Westminster under the pretext that there can be as many duchesses as you like, and there is only one Mademoiselle Chanel. - Approx. Woman.ru) and fundamentally did not finish the demonstration of the collection with a wedding dress.
Initially, it all started as a hobby. Coco began by creating hats that later won the hearts of the aristocrats of Paris. Many of her hats were too fancy and innovative for the time. And only later, the innocent hobby of designing unusual things turned into a life's work.
A bottle of Chanel No. 5 is sold every 30 seconds in the world!
Every morning, Coco Chanel, who basically spent the night at the Ritz, returned to her apartment after making a preliminary call: she asked her assistants to make the salon smell of Chanel No.5 perfume by the time she arrived. “Customers will come to the smell,” she was sure. Mademoiselle began her working day in the trail of her favorite fragrance. The iconic fragrance Chanel No.5 is still one of the top ten best-selling perfumes in the world today.
Chanel No. 5 was presented to the public on May 5 (May is the fifth month), 1921. Accident? Coincidence?
Coco Chanel (Coco Chanel), as surprising as it may seem, entered the list of 100 most influential people on the planet in the history of mankind. Indeed, this fragile woman brought so many things into our lives, without which we now cannot imagine existence. Her influence in the fashion world is simply colossal!
Coco started out as a knitwear seller. Did you know that before becoming a legend, Koko was an ordinary clerk in a small knitwear shop?
Before coming to her own salon, every morning Mademoiselle called and asked the apartment to spray her with Chanel No. 5 perfume. Her favorite smell improved her day and attracted new clients.
Many women dream of reducing their real age, but in those days, not everyone even thought of it. But Koko did not like generally accepted rules and norms. According to rumors, this amazing woman was able to knock off her real age by as much as 10 years!
Vogue recognized in 1926 that the LBD, or little black dress, was as popular as the Ford.
Quotes and aphorisms
When caring for beauty, one must start from the heart and from the soul, otherwise no cosmetics, alas, will help.
Men like women who are well dressed but not conspicuous.
You can get used to an ugly appearance, never to slovenliness.
Everything is in our hands, so there is no need to lower them.
Ruthlessly remove anything that is excessive.
A woman should be dressed in such a way that she wants to undress.
Be a chrysalis by day and a butterfly by night, for there is nothing more comfortable than a cocoon and more lovable than the wings of a butterfly.
Restrain yourself when it hurts, and not make a scene when it hurts, that's what a real (ideal) woman is.
Freedom is always stylish!
In order to be irreplaceable, you need to change all the time.
Nothing ages a woman like a too rich (luxurious) suit.
Old age does not protect against love, but love protects against old age.
Fashion has two goals - convenience and love. Beauty arises when fashion achieves its goals.
A woman who prefers light colors in clothes is much more difficult to get out of balance.
The main thing for a woman is to constantly work. Only work gives courage, and the spirit, in turn, takes care of the fate of the body.
If you want to have what you never had, you will have to do what you have never done.
If you were struck by the beauty of some woman, but you do not remember what she was wearing, then her outfit was perfect.
The worse things are for a woman, the better she should look.
If you were born without wings, don't stop them from growing.
Perfume says more about a woman than her handwriting.
Perfume must be applied where you want to get a kiss.
Fashion passes, style remains.
Fashion, like architecture, is a matter of proportion.
Remember, you won't get a second chance to make a first impression.
We make ourselves: if a woman is ugly at 18, it is by nature, if at 30 it is from stupidity.
Women with good taste wear jewelry. Everyone else has to wear gold.
Pants make a woman free.
A woman should smell like a woman, not like a dried bouquet.
If a woman listens to her friends in matters of fashion, and not to her man, she often becomes a laughing stock.
Jackets should be soft, like jackets. This also gives a sense of external and internal freedom.
Photos
Coco Chanel
Coco Chanel (Coco Chanel, real name Gabrielle Bonheur Chanel, Gabrielle Bonheur Chanel. August 19, 1883, Saumur - January 10, 1971, Paris. French fashion designer who founded the Chanel fashion house and had a tremendous impact on the fashion of the 20th century.
She was the first in the history of fashion and life that the French proudly call "Art de Vivre!!!" - "Art of Living".
The Chanel style, which contributed to the modernization of women's fashion, is characterized by borrowing many elements of the traditional men's wardrobe and following the principle of luxurious simplicity (le luxe de la simplicité).
She brought the fitted jacket and little black dress into women's fashion.
She is also known for her signature accessories and perfumes.
Coco Chanel
She was born in Saumur in 1883, although she claimed to have been born in 1893 in Auvergne.
Her mother died in a difficult childbirth when Gabrielle was barely twelve. Later, her father left her with four siblings.
Chanel's children were then in the care of relatives and spent some time in an orphanage.
At the age of 18, Gabrielle got a job as a seller in a clothing store, and in her free time she sang in a cabaret. The girl's favorite songs were "Ko Ko Ri Ko" and "Qui qu'a vu Coco", for which she was given the nickname - Coco.
Gabrielle did not excel as a singer, but during one of her performances, officer Etienne Balzan was fascinated by her. She moved to live with him in Paris, but soon went to the English industrialist Arthur Capel, known among friends by the nickname "Boy".
She opened her first shop in Paris in 1910, selling ladies' hats, and within a year the fashion house moved to 31 rue Cambon, where it remains to this day, just opposite the Ritz Hotel.
“I’m tired of carrying reticules in my hands, besides, I always lose them”, - said in 1954 Coco Chanel. And in February 1955, Mademoiselle Chanel presented a small bag in the shape of a rectangle on a long chain. For the first time, women were able to carry a bag comfortably: just hang it on their shoulder and completely forget about it.
In 1921, the famous perfume appeared "Chanel No. 5".
Their authorship, however, belongs to the emigrant perfumer Verigin, but he worked at the Chanel perfume hotel together with the native Muscovite Ernest Bo, who suggested that Coco choose the fragrance he liked from two series of numbered samples (from 1 to 5 and from 20 to 24). Chanel chose bottle number 5.
Coco Chanel also made popular the little black dress, which could be worn throughout the day and evening depending on how it was accessorized. There were rumors in the world that the black dress was intended to remind Chanel of her beloved Arthur Capel, who died in a car accident: society did not approve of wearing mourning for a man with whom marriage was not registered.
In 1926, the American Vogue magazine equated the versatility and popularity "small black dress" to the Ford T.
In 1939, with the outbreak of war, Chanel closed the fashion house and all her stores.
In June 1940, her nephew André Palace was captured by the Germans. Trying to rescue him, Chanel turned to her old friend, attache of the German embassy, Baron Hans Günther von Dinklage. As a result, Andre Palace was released, and the 56-year-old Chanel entered into a relationship with von Dinklage.
Hal Vaughan in his book "In Bed with the Enemy: Coco Chanel's Secret War"(Sleeping with the Enemy: Coco Chanel's Secret War) claims that Chanel collaborated with the German government during World War II. According to the historian, she not only supplied the Germans with insider information from France, but was also officially listed in German intelligence, having more than a dozen successfully completed spy missions to her credit.
In November 1943, Chanel was looking for a meeting with - she wanted to convince him to agree to the principles of secret Anglo-German negotiations. Gabrielle discussed the matter with Theodore Momm, who was in charge of the textile industry in occupied France.
Momm passed the proposal to Berlin, the head of the Sixth Directorate, which controlled the foreign intelligence service, Walter Schellenberg. He considered the offer interesting: operation "Modelhut"(German: Fashion Hat) allowed unhindered travel to Madrid (where Chanel intended to meet Churchill) with a pass valid for several days. The meeting, however, did not take place - Churchill was ill, and Chanel returned to Paris with nothing.
Coco Chanel - cooperation with the Germans
At the end of the war, Chanel remembered all her contacts with the Germans. She was labeled an accomplice of the Nazis, she was accused of collaborationism and arrested.
In 1944, on the advice of Churchill, she was released, but on the condition that she leave France. Chanel had to leave for Switzerland, where she lived until 1953.
In March 2016, archival documents of the French intelligence services were made public.
Declassified French intelligence documents indicate that Madame Chanel was registered as an agent of the Abwehr, but historians believe that she might not have known about it.
The dossier on Chanel, in particular, contains a letter from an anonymous source in Madrid to the French resistance. It says that Chanel, who was considered "suspicious", in 1942-43 was the mistress and agent of Baron Günther von Dinklage, who worked as an attaché at the German embassy and was suspected of agitation and intelligence activities.
Frederic Kuginer, who is responsible for keeping the archive of the French secret services, explained to reporters that German intelligence (Abwehr) registered Coco Chanel as their agent, she could be a source of information or do some work for the Germans. However, it remains unknown whether Madame Chanel herself was aware of her status.
In 1954, 71-year-old Gabrielle returned to the world of fashion and presented her new collection. However, she achieved her former glory and respect only after three seasons.
Coco improved her classic models, as a result, the richest and most famous women became regular visitors to her shows. The Chanel suit became a status symbol of a new generation: made of tweed, with a slim skirt, a collarless jacket trimmed with braid, gold buttons and patch pockets.
Coco also re-introduced handbags, jewelry and shoes, which subsequently had a resounding success.
In the 1950s and 1960s, Coco collaborated with various Hollywood studios, dressing such stars as Audrey Hepburn and Liz Taylor.
In 1969, actress Katharine Hepburn played the role of Chanel in the Broadway musical Coco.
On January 10, 1971, at the age of 87, Gabrielle died of a heart attack at the Ritz Hotel, where she had lived for a long time.
She was buried at the Bois de Vaux cemetery in Lausanne (Switzerland). The upper part of the gravestone is decorated with a bas-relief depicting five lion heads. After the death of the fashion house "Chanel" was going through difficult times. Its revival began in 1983, when a fashion designer took over the leadership of the house. In 2008, in honor of the 125th anniversary of Chanel's birth, he presented a design for a commemorative €5 coin featuring the fashion designer. The gold coin (circulation of 99 pieces) is valued at 5,900 euros, while one of the 11,000 silver coins can be purchased for 45 euros.
Coco Chanel's personal life:
The woman who gave the world Chanel No. 5 perfume, a small bag and a little black dress, never found personal happiness. She was not married. She didn’t give birth to children, although she really wanted to - but she was barren - a very stormy youth and numerous abortions affected. Coco died alone at the age of 88 in a suite at the Ritz, having outlived all her lovers.
Behind her for a long time (and in fact until the end of her life) the status of a kept woman was fixed. And not without reason. Coco realized her talents, which, of course, she had through bed - thanks to the money of her lovers, who sponsored her projects.
At 22, Koko met a wealthy officer. Etienne Balsan. It is now difficult to judge how strong and sincere her feelings were towards Balsan, but it was thanks to him that Chanel left the cheap cabaret in which she worked as a singer.
Coco moved to the country estate of Etienne Balsan. But the position of Chanel in the house was not much different from the position of the servant - for Etienne, the young singer was just entertainment. When Coco announced her desire to become a milliner, her lover made fun of her, but it was Balsan who introduced Chanel to Arthur Capel- a man who, with his money, opened her way to the world of big fashion.
After parting with Etienne Balzan, Coco Chanel begins to live with Arthur Capel, who managed to become not only her lover, but also a friend and sponsor. With his help, Chanel takes his first steps as a fashion designer and in 1910 opens a hat shop in Paris.
Coco Chanel and Arthur Capel
Arthur Capel, who had the nickname "Fight", was known as a womanizer, but after meeting with Chanel, he ended all his numerous novels in order to devote himself completely to life with his beloved.
For several years, the lovers were immensely happy, until Capel began to return to old habits. More and more often, Boy had affairs on the side, to which Koko had to turn a blind eye. Chanel was upset by the fact that Arthur Capel was obviously not going to marry her, and after some time he announced at all that he was going down the aisle with a completely different girl belonging to the highest circles.
Either Coco's love, or the fear of being left without a rich sponsor were so great that she agrees to endure this humiliation as well. According to legend, she even sews a dress for Arthur's chosen one.
In 1919, Arthur Capel died in a car accident. His death was a strong blow for Koko, leading to a prolonged depression. Coco Chanel later stated that she always considered Arthur Capel to be her only true love.
A year after the death of Arthur Capel, Coco Chanel is introduced to the prince Dmitry Pavlovich Romanov, who was a cousin of Emperor Nicholas II.
Despite the very tangible difference in age - Chanel at that time was 37 years old, and Prince Dmitry was not even 30 - the acquaintance quickly develops into a stormy romance.
Koko did not fail to use this connection to develop her business.
Dmitry Romanov helped his mistress in expanding the business: he introduced him to influential people, suggested using beautiful girls as fashion models. However, the main merit of Prince Dmitry is that it was he brought Chanel together with perfumer Ernest Beaux, together with which they will subsequently create the legendary fragrance Chanel #5.
Roman Dmitry and Koko was short-lived. About a year later, the prince moves to the United States, where he marries a very wealthy girl. With Koko, Dmitry manages to maintain warm friendly relations until his death in 1942.
Coco's next famous novel is with Duke of Westminster. At the time of the beginning of the relationship, both had a rich past behind them. Coco Chanel survived the betrayal and loss of loved ones, the duke was divorced twice.
Their relationship was truly royal: receptions, travel, luxurious gifts. Coco Chanel and the Duke of Westminster were welcome guests everywhere and led an active social life. No one had any doubts that the wedding was just around the corner. But this time, luck turned away from Mademoiselle Coco: The Duke of Westminster wanted an heir whom Chanel, due to infertility, could not give birth to him.
For some time, she still hoped that the duke simply could not part with her and would eventually forget about his desire to have children. However, this did not happen, and after 14 years the beautiful novel was over.
After breaking up with the Duke of Westminster, Chanel had several novels, one of which nearly cost her her life's work. During the Second World War, Mademoiselle Coco, who at that time was already over 50, met a German diplomat Hans Günther von Dinklage.
Chanel, as mentioned above, with the help of Dinklage, freed her nephew from captivity. And he made her his mistress and dragged her into spy games.
Coco Chanel and Hans Günther von Dinklage
Hans was a German spy and Wehrmacht colonel who convinced Coco Chanel to arrange for him to meet her friend Winston Churchill. At the end of the war, Coco Chanel was arrested. She was charged with aiding fascism. Chanel denied everything, claiming that she was only connected with Hans Gunther von Dinklage love relationship. The French authorities decided to allow Coco to voluntarily leave the country, in case of refusal, a prison was waiting for her.
Coco Chanel and her lover went to Switzerland, where she lived for almost 10 years. Family life again did not work out - they often quarreled and even fought.
Coco Chanel (feature film, 2009)
How many legendary and outstanding women have seen the world throughout human history! And although they were all beautiful and majestic in their own way, none of them can compare with the magnificent Coco Chanel.
This woman conquered the fashion world and became a real style icon by offering the world the legendary little black dress. Until now, her unique style remains a classic, which is preferred by most women, and branded perfume from year to year remains popular and in demand.
How did an ordinary French girl named Gabrielle, born in one of the orphanages in the provincial town of Saumur, turn into the one whose name became the Coco Chanel brand? We invite you to find out from our article what was the biography and personal life Coco Chanel.
The thorny path of a girl from a shelter
The famous woman who is known all over the world as Coco Chanel actually received a different name at birth. Few people know, but back in 1883, a girl was born in a poor people's shelter, whose mother died as a result of a difficult birth. The newborn was given the name Gabriel, exactly like the nurse who helped her see the world. The full real name of Coco Chanel, who was born on an August day, is Gabrielle Bonheur Chanel.
The parents of the little girl Gabriel were not officially married. The baby's dad, Albert Chanel, was at that time a merchant who wandered around the fairs. Mother, Eugenie Jeanne Chanel (Devol), suffered from asthma and died in 1894.
Until the moment of her death, the woman gave birth to Albert Chanel only six children: three boys and three girls, among whom was Gabrielle. It was very difficult for a wandering merchant to feed six children. The maintenance of a large family became an unbearable burden for him, which he threw off his shoulders, giving the children to an orphanage. At the same time, he swore to them that he would return, but he did not keep his promise.
Gabrielle (Coco) Chanel, whose biography and personal life are good example thorny path to glory, she did not like to remember the years of her life in the orphanage at the Mulinsky Monastery (from about 1894 to 1900).
Later, when the girl celebrated her coming of age, the monastery gave her good recommendations, which allowed Gabrielle Bonheur Chanel to get a job in a lingerie store. Working there during the day as an assistant to the seller, in the evenings she went to sing in a cabaret in order to somehow earn a living. It was then that the girl's biography continued under a different name - Coco Chanel. Her repertoire included the frequently performed and well-loved song "Ko Ko Ri Ko", the name of which became an association for the beautiful singer, and later her new name. Thus began the story of the French celebrity Coco Chanel.
Singer, dancer or still - a designer
Despite the fact that the girl has become more or less famous in narrow circles, the success story of Coco Chanel has not yet been as colorful as she wanted. Trying to become famous and influential, the girl knocked on the thresholds of various castings, trying to try herself in the role of not only a singer, but also a dancer, ballerina, actress. However, the girl's talent seemed not enough for the stage to accept her with open arms.
Although Gabrielle lived in luxury and could not deny herself anything, such a life was not for her. Actually, that's why the girl, at the age of 22, became interested in sewing ladies' hats.
In 1909, Coco Chanel, whose life story is full of ups and downs, finally opens her own hat workshop - right in the apartment where she lived with Etienne. Interesting facts about this kind of creativity of dear Coco, which became known, already captured a large queue of rich ladies who wanted to purchase an author's headdress.
But Coco Chanel considered her small workshop only as an intermediate point on the way to great fame, for which she needed a lot of money.
The influential and generous English industrialist Arthur greatly contributed to the fact that the whole Paris knew about the fashion designer of ladies' hats. So, in 1910, Coco Chanel opened her own shop on one of the streets of Paris. According to Wikipedia, it is still there, across the street from the Hotel Ritz, at 31 Rue Cambon.
The ups and downs of the fashion designer
The first store with a very loud name "Fashion Coco Chanel" became literally her "firstborn". After three years of successful and fruitful work, the femme fatale Coco (Gabrielle) Chanel becomes the owner of another store in the town of Deauville (1913).
Interesting facts hover around this "invention" of the French fashion designer and designer Coco. So, the famous American edition of Vogue devoted one of its publications to a product that was already popular at that time, equating a cute black dress from Coco to a Ford T car in terms of comfort, practicality and popularity.
Sewing such items of women's wardrobe as dresses, Coco Chanel made her main, but not her only occupation. For 5-6 years of her life she also sewed:
- Trousers for women, which in style resembled men's.
- Women's business suits from rough matter.
- Fitted vests that replaced corsets.
- Fashionable beach things.
By that time, Gabrielle Chanel was already a very famous person who moved in the high circles of aristocratic Parisian society. Most likely, it was communication with high-ranking officials that inspired her with the idea that any clothes can be simple, but at the same time should be elegant. Thus, today we can observe the corporate identity of Coco Chanel in clothes, hats, perfumes and accessories created by her own hand.
A few years later, Gabriel, taking into account the advice of the famous perfumer Ernest Bo, releases the author's perfume "Chanel No. 5", which became a legend. At that time, the unique fragrance satisfied not only Chanel herself with her high demands, but also most women around the world. Since then, the fifth issue of Chanel has remained the bestseller among other women's perfumes.
Another victory was the presentation to the world of amazing small handbags that replaced bulky reticules. Claiming that handbags were impractical and unfeminine, she introduced her line of tiny clutches that had an elegant chain instead of a handle. This accessory has gained immense popularity among French women and residents of other countries.
Other "inventions" of the Frenchwoman Coco Chanel include the "a la garcon" hairstyle. She became the first woman to allow herself a short haircut. Since then, such a hairstyle has been considered not only for men ...
How did Koko's life turn out in the future?
Not having a dressmaker diploma and not knowing how to draw properly, she surprised the world again and again. Neither personal problems, nor even the outbreak of World War II stopped the self-confident and determined woman.
This romance of the Frenchwoman Coco and the Englishman Hugh lasted almost 15 years. But Chanel was unable to give children to her partner. The lovers had to leave. Subsequently, the duke will meet another, whom he will make his lawful wife.
After breaking up with Hugh, Gabriel will find solace in the arms of Paul Iribarnegaré. The French artist, who decided to divorce for the sake of Coco, was not destined to marry her, because on one tragic day his heart stopped. She found the embodiment of her feelings in black, continuing to work in an enhanced rhythm.
Her world-famous creation was the cute little black dress. By creating a whole line of such wardrobe items, she made it possible for women to look elegant every day, having only one black dress and accessories in their wardrobe, allowing them to create a variety of looks.
On the pages of history, she remained a woman who is rightfully called a legend, an icon of style and an outstanding personality who showed "Art de Vivre !!!" ("art of Living"). Salvador Dali himself, who was a close friend of Coco, after her death, admired how amazing and determined the woman was, who herself invented her date of birth, name, and even her whole life. Author: Elena Suvorova
Coco Chanel managed to change the fashion world by offering ladies to change corsets and puffy skirts for jumpers and jackets with trousers. She dressed the nobility: duchesses and baronesses - the whole high society of France. She invented not only dresses for them, but also hats, jewelry, bags and perfumes - everything that would be called the Chanel style.
Raised by nuns in poverty, she dreamed of luxury and love. By the age of 30, she had it all. Thanks to talent, perseverance and of course, men. She had rich lovers and patrons who gave her not only happiness, but also invested a lot of money in her and her business. She was grateful to each of them and said that in her work there is a piece of her heartfelt feelings. She created a little black dress after the tragic death of her lover, and adorned it with a pearl necklace when another novel brought her disappointment. She will never marry, but will proudly bear the name of Mademoiselle Chanel until her death.
She lived a long life, died at 87 in Switzerland. Coco Chanel became the only fashion designer included in the list of influential people of the last century.
Her fortune was estimated at $160 million. And her name still brings money to the owners of the Chanel Fashion House and is not forgotten by her fans and adherents.
Seamstress
Gabrielle was born in a small town in France on August 19, 1883. Her parents were not married and did not live richly, raising four children. Mother Evgenia Devol was the daughter of a carpenter, took care of children and did not work anywhere. Albert Chanel's father is a small merchant. The girl was 12 years old when her mother fell ill and died. The father gave the children to an orphanage at the monastery. Until adulthood, Gabrielle will be raised by nuns, they will teach her embroidery, sewing and patience. She will dream of a comfortable life and a successful marriage. Maybe it was these dreams that inspired her to escape. Together with a friend, they got to Aunt Gabrielle, but she insisted on returning to the monastery. The girls refused, then they were offered other monastery walls - in the small town of Moulin.
The boarding house was good because it was possible to leave it without hindrance, and the young ladies used this. Gabrielle's freedom-loving nature needed space, she walked around the city, studying the surroundings and local residents. Two years later, the girls were hired to work in a small shop selling clothes and furs sewn on the spot. So Gabrielle began to earn money with the craft that she knew how to do. In the evenings, friends often went to a cafe, where they soon became regulars.
Once they were offered to try to sing from the stage and since then they have come out to perform more and more often, to sing simple songs. One of them with the joking name "Ko Ko Ri Ko" was popular. The town was garrisoned and the success of the military was overwhelming. Cheerful and sociable Gabrielle liked it.
One of the officers, a wealthy bachelor, Etienne de Balzan, noticed a fragile singer and began to show signs of attention to her. He was a great lover of horse racing, had his own house with a stable and golf courses, so in Gabriel, whom he called Coco, thanks to her songs, he saw not only a mistress, but also a rider. He invited her to move in with him and received consent.
Koko and Boy
Gabrielle learned to ride not in the Amazon, as was customary at that time, but in shirts and jockey trousers, altered for her from Etienne. He was pleased with her femininity and her dissimilarity to the ladies of his circle. She was indeed treated as a strange person, but this did not offend her. She liked to live in a castle, sleep as much as she liked, and occasionally sew for herself and create hats for Étienne's wealthy friends. Of course, she was waiting for changes in her destiny, but still remained only a mistress. The doors to high society were closed to her, and her man's most passionate passion was horses, not her.
Everything changed when Gabrielle fell in love with a friend of Etienne, whom relatives called Boy, and he reciprocated her. She was 26 years old, he was 28. The British industrialist, athletic physique Arthur Capel offered her not a hand and a heart, but shelter and her own hat shop, which she had already dreamed of for many years. She agrees and in 1910 receives a gift, the address of which will soon become known to all fashionistas in Paris and its environs.
Arthur will help her in everything: provide money and orders. Things will go like clockwork, for Gabrielle it will be happy years her life. Three years later, he will advise her to open another boutique in Deauville. Sea style, which a strange milliner will use in her clothes, and straw hats will soon become popular in this resort town.
The girl works tirelessly, the circle of her clients is expanding: the ladies are becoming bolder in choosing clothes, looking back at the noble people who dress in Chanel stores.
Success comes gradually: her collections adorn the catwalks, the press writes about them as a revolution in the fashion world, Baroness Rothschild herself wears Coco Chanel dresses, who preferred her to the famous couturier Paul Poiret.
Coco went to her victories on the catwalks and made a fortune through the war of 1914 and Russian "white" emigrants, coupled with bohemians from the world of music and ballet. She became friends with Sergei Diaghilev, who would introduce her to Jean Cocteau, Pablo Picasso, Igor Stravinsky, Lev Bakst and many others. She will make simple women's dresses and suits in cheap jersey fabric that falls gently and opens the ankles. Lace and ruffles have no place in wartime clothing: luxury will give way to convenience and practicality. For ballet dancers, she creates stage costumes, and subsequently will help Diaghilev finance productions, and carry out tailoring orders for the ballet troupe. Today, collections for performances of the Russian Seasons by Chanel are kept in many museums, including in St. Petersburg.
In 1915, Boy takes a vacation and takes him to the south of France, away from the war, to the prestigious seaside town of Biarritz. Rich people from all over the world come here, and it is here that Chanel will open her Fashion House.
Very soon, a wave of emigrants who fled from the revolution in Russia will pour into France. Many dressmakers who sewed for the nobility will work for Chanel, bringing famous Russian motifs to her collections.
The revolutionary year in distant Russia will also be a turning point in Paris, only of a completely different kind. Coco Chanel donates her long hair to please his new style of "bisexual fashion". She thinks short hair is open long neck and go very well with masculine borrowings in women's clothing.
Arthur Capel supports his passion in everything, he believes in Coco, in her talent and success like no other man in her life.
A little more and they will get married, Gabrielle thought in the arms of her Boy. And he wanted one thing: with the help of marriage, get a coveted title and heirs, and Gabriel cannot have children, not to mention a high position in society.
After nine years of close and cloudless relationship, he announces that he will marry an aristocrat and in 1918 announces this to his beloved. She understands him, but her heart beats into pieces. Boy explains that he does not want to change anything in their relationship, they are still dating, despite the ring on his ring finger.
But when he was driving to her place to celebrate Christmas, his car lost control due to a burst tire and rolled over at high speed. A year after the wedding, he died.
She will create the famous black dress in memory of him, but they will always wear it, because for her he will remain unsurpassed, the only loved one. In a little while, she will pull herself together and take another step towards her popularity - she will surprise the world with perfume, releasing Coco Noir perfume, which she will dedicate to the memory of Boy.
glory and death
Finally, Gabrielle did not give up her work, she plunged into it with her head. Her successes in all areas of the fashion world make her speak as a brilliant stylist. Her suits appear, strictly cut, exactly to the figure, and as a finishing touch to the image, a drop of Chanel No. 5 perfume.
They appeared thanks to Prince Dmitry, the grandson of Alexander II. Dmitry Pavlovich lived in poverty and Gabrielle undertook to help him, and then fell in love. The prince introduced her to the famous perfumer Ernest Bo. For more than a year he worked on her order on a perfume fragrance named after her. Chanel chose the fifth number presented by him. And I was not mistaken, because until now they work wonders for many women.
Dmitry Pavlovich will soon leave for America, but he will be grateful to his savior, they will maintain friendship until the death of the prince in 1942.
Chanel often repeated that she appreciates simplicity and elegance, the beautiful half of humanity sees an inimitable and sophisticated charm in her style.
And she has new novel This woman can't live without male attention. She sheltered in her villa the family of the Russian composer Igor Stravinsky, whom she had known for many years. Passion will be secret and short-lived, but will have a strong influence on the creativity of both.
When Coco Chanel turned 40, she met the Duke of Westminster. From this long relationship, she left diamonds, houses, happy moments and broken hopes for marriage.
In her life there will be collections of not only clothes, hats, perfumes, jewelry, accessories, bags, but also men. She skillfully mixed commercial and intimate relationships. So it was with the artist Paul Irib, who came up with a series for her jewelry. Their union was fruitful, but fleeting due to a sudden heart attack.
Nothing broke her: neither the crisis in the economy, nor the war with the Nazis, because of which she had to close the business, nor the accusations of collaborating with the Nazis, because of which she had to leave for Switzerland.
The accusation of betrayal was not confirmed, Gabrielle just fell in love again. She was already 56 years old when she met a German baron, her junior by many years. She allowed him to lure her into political affairs, because she had no idea that he was a colonel in the Wehrmacht. He simply asked her to facilitate a meeting with Churchill, with whom Gabrielle was friends. After the war, she was reminded of this and even arrested on charges of complicity with fascism. She denied it, but the French authorities gave her little choice: either go to jail or leave her homeland. The lovers lived together in Switzerland for almost 10 years. But she continued to work, not with European fashion houses, but with American ones. Her outfits for Hollywood stars were a huge success. Her fortune grew, in spite of everything, and in the post-war years it exceeded $ 150 million.
Her return to Paris took place in 1956, when she was seventy years old. Lonely and uncompromising, she again dictated fashion and instilled style. Dressed movie stars and political beau monde. Triumph followed her, and she bathed in the rays of adoration.
Films have been made and books written about her. Her contribution to the global context of fashion is great, she was able to do more - change the mentality of women, made them love themselves and always look beautiful.
Coco Chanel died of a heart attack on January 10, 1971 at the Ritz Hotel. 12 years later, Karl Lagerfeld continued her work, heading the Chanel Fashion House.
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