Chanel, Nabokov, Hemingway: why did celebrities live in hotels for years? Coco Chanel: interesting facts and quotes Mario Quintana stayed for a long time at the Majestic Hotel, Porto Alegre.
Gabrielle (Coco) Chanel, 1936Cult scent number five, tweed suits, small black dress and an abundance of pearls - if legends lived forever, then on August 19, Gabrielle Chanel would celebrate her 136th birthday. In honor of this landmark date for the fashion world, we are talking about fifteen facts from the life of Mademoiselle Coco that will present you with the first female couturier in a completely different light.
Why Coco and why Chanel?
Everyone knows that the French woman’s real name is Gabrielle. And Coco herself never hid this (unlike, by the way, her age, which the woman always “reduced” by ten years). The future fashion designer from Saumur received her iconic nickname during her part-time jobs at a local cabaret, where every evening she sang the popular songs Ko Ko Ri Ko and Qui qu’a vu Coco.
As for the surname, if you scrupulously follow the facts, it should have sounded not “Chanel”, but “Chancel” - this is how the surname of the newborn Gabrielle was written down in the registration book.
Career aspirations
Although Chanel was associated with the world of fashion from an early age (the girl worked as a seamstress and saleswoman in a clothing store in her native Saumur), she did not always seriously want to engage in costume design. In her youth, Coco dreamed of becoming an entertainer and, in search of recognition, even went to work at the elite resorts of Vichy. However, Gabrielle soon cast aside her illusions and realized that her meager singing talents would not make her famous. But being “one of” didn’t suit her.
From milliner to couturier
Chanel began her journey into the world of French haute couture small - with the production of hats. She opened her first store immediately after she moved to Paris, in 1910. The store soon moved to Rue Cambon opposite the Ritz Hotel, where it remains to this day. The success of Chanel hats was so resounding that the woman soon opened another atelier in Biarritz and Deauville.
Tweed suit
Coco presented her first tweed suit with a fitted jacket and skirt back in 1925. It was a manifesto of comfort and simplicity, and one of the first examples of how things from a man's wardrobe could migrate into a woman's wardrobe. In those days, tweed was not a new product, but it was only allowed to be used for gentleman’s suits. But for Chanel, as they say, any prohibitions only opened up scope for experimentation. Subsequently, many things from her lovers' closets - vests, jackets, trousers and hats - became the main attributes of her signature style. And it was a real revolution in fashion.
Chanel No. 5 was created by a perfumer from Moscow
Gabrielle Chanel, like most of her colleagues in the industry, did not create perfume herself, entrusting this difficult mission to a professional perfumer. The author of the iconic fragrance was then a Russian in exile, Ernest Eduardovich Bo, a second-generation perfumer. His father was French and worked for the House of Romanov, so from an early age the young man learned from Grasse perfumers all the intricacies of creating fragrances. In 1921, he invited Coco to choose one of several sample perfumes he created. Chanel, as you know, chose bottle number 5, and gave the finished composition her own surname as the name. Thus Chanel No. 5 was born, and it was the first time in history that a perfume was named after a brand.
From the monastery to the catwalk: bag 2.55
At the end of the 1920s, women's fashion for bags was limited exclusively to small reticules, which were supposed to be carried strictly in the hands. Needless to say, for Chanel, who values comfort and simplicity in everything, such models became the No. 1 object of hatred. In 1929, she introduced a revolutionary design in every sense: a leather bag with a gold-plated chain, allowing it to be carried on the shoulder. When creating the model, Chanel was inspired by quilted soldier's bales from the First World War, as well as her past spent in convent in Obazin. The burgundy lining was a nod to the monastic robes of the time, and the gold chain was a nod to the ones the sisters wore around their waists to hold their keys.
Girls' best friends
It is generally accepted that by introducing fashion jewelry made of artificial pearls, enamel and semi-precious stones, Chanel opposed expensive jewelry, considering it too pretentious. Well, this approach is not entirely correct, because Mademoiselle Coco did have collections of high jewelry. She presented the first - diamond - in 1932, and it was inspired, oddly enough, by one of the “poorest” periods of the 20th century - the Great Depression. The collection featured jewelry in the form of constellations, which people tend to look at in hopes of a better future.
This collection was a sensation, and, most importantly, no one expected this from Coco, who previously hated jewelry. But Chanel hastened to explain. “The reason that first prompted me to invent artificial jewelry was that I found it to be devoid of snobbery, and this in an era when luxury was too easily obtained. This consideration disappeared during the financial crisis, when everything contributed to the resurrection of the instinctive desire for naturalness, which would return a funny trifle to its true price,” the couturier wrote in the catalog for diamond jewelry.
Little black dress
The versatility of the little black dress has been compared to a Ford car. Indeed, Chanel conceived it as a basic item, accessible to every woman and helping her out in any situation: during the day it worked perfectly with simple pumps, and in the evening with pearl accessories.
This dress became a legend in the fashion world, loudly declaring that black has nothing to do with mourning. Meanwhile, some still believe that its original purpose was just “traditional”: they say, Chanel came up with it in order to honor the memory of her beloved Arthur Capel, who died in a car accident.
The only designer on Time's 100 Best list
The 20th century was rich in designer debuts, but only Coco Chanel managed to change history with her style. At least, that’s what the influential American magazine Time thought when compiling its latest list of the best, summarizing the last century. Chanel is the only world couturier included in the list, joining the company of such pillars of 20th-century art as Louis Armstrong, Pablo Picasso, Igor Stravinsky and so on.
Hollywood dreams
In 1921, a cousin of Tsar Nicholas II Grand Duke Dmitry Pavlovich introduced Coco to Samuel Goldwyn, who was then launching the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer film studio. The patriarch of Hollywood was so impressed by Chanel's personality and work that he overnight offered her a million dollars (that would be $75 million today) to dress movie stars. The couturier happily agreed, but soon the studio refused to cooperate with the Frenchwoman, as it felt that her outfits, which were too simple, according to Hollywood standards, did not look very good on the screen. From then on, Chanel considered the American film district "the capital of bad taste."
Supported Russian art
In 1913, Coco quite by chance joined her friend at an event at the Champs d'Elisee theater in Paris, where the premiere of another Russian ballet was taking place. At that time, Diaghilev's “Russian seasons” were just coming into fashion, much of Russian art seemed wild and unusual to the refined European public, but that day Coco fell in love - with the jerky movements, the strange costumes and the mesmerizing music of Igor Stravinsky.
They would meet the composer in person only seven years later, and this friendship would be so strong that Chanel would shelter him and his impoverished family at home, and then make a small donation to his performances and even make several outfits for Russian ballerinas.
Could become Queen of Great Britain
The higher Chanel's fame as a couturier, the wider her circle of acquaintances became. At some point it expanded to include members of the British aristocracy. In 1923, Coco was introduced to such figures as Winston Churchill, Duke of Westminster, Hugh Grosvenor (with great-great-great-grandfather
Inspired men's fashion and dear simplicity, Gabriel- went down in history as great Coco- forever turned the world of high fashion upside down and entered the list of the hundred most influential people XX century according to Time magazine. It is difficult to overestimate the contribution that this Frenchwoman made to world fashion and the wardrobe of every single woman. AiF.ru remembered Chanel's iconic inventions.
1. Chanel No. 5 perfume
The first thing that comes to mind when you mention the name Coco Chanel, this is, of course, . A fragrance invented in 1921 by a native of Russian Empire Ernest Bo(this perfumer created the famous perfume of the Empress “Catherine’s Bouquet”), became a real revolution in the history of perfume art and the most popular perfume in the world. By the way, Chanel No. 5, as Ernest Beaux later said, was inspired by memories of Russia.
What was unique about the scent for that time? Before Chanel No. 5, perfumes were made primarily from... natural ingredients of plant or animal origin by empirical mixing. The emergence of synthetic components, which enhanced the persistence of the scent and made it “vibrate,” revolutionized the perfume market.
Coco suggested to Bo that she create an artificial fragrance, and the perfumer, who experimented with aldehydes, offered her a whole series of fragrances. Of these, the great Chanel chose fragrance No. 5.
The global triumph of Chanel No. 5 was ensured by the novelty of the scent, which did not evoke associations with any of the familiar colors, and a simple bottle in the shape of a parallelepiped, as opposed to the then fashionable fancy bubbles.
2. Little black dress
The history of the creation of the little black dress is covered in many legends. Biographers of Gabrielle write that the fashion trendsetter, who loved simplicity and asceticism, was irritated by the abundance of bright and lush creations Paul Poiret. She called overly dressed ladies “mummers” and decided to dress everyone in black.
According to another version, Chanel created a simple mourning dress in memory of her lover who died in a car accident Boe Capele. Introduced in 1926, the little black dress forever “settled” in women’s wardrobes.
American Vogue dubbed the narrow, straight piece made of crepe de Chine with carefully tailored sleeves “the Ford of dresses.”
Coco echoed this idea: “I build Fords, not Rolls-Royces.” Even a lady with a modest income could afford a little black dress.
3. Bag 2.55
The iconic 2.55 bag was released in February 1955 - the date of “birth” gave the name to this accessory. Its popularity, despite its inaccessibility and high price, is growing year after year, and even in French boutiques they do not sell more than one 2.55 handbag per person per month.
Before her appearance, ladies had to carry various reticules in their hands, which caused a lot of inconvenience. Coco Chanel saved women from these problems by giving them a small quilted handbag in the shape of a rectangle on a long chain.
The 2.55 could be worn comfortably on the shoulder. Initially, Chanel came up with a handbag in her favorite black color, but later other versions appeared - in a variety of shades and textures.
4. Tweed suit
Tweed and jersey were considered coarse fabrics, suitable only for tailoring men's suits. But Chanel destroyed this stereotype and created a women's tweed suit, which became the embodiment of luxury and elegance.
Film and stage “stars” and even the wives of presidents, for example, happily wore it. Jackie Kennedy- a well-known trendsetter. By the way, the idea of sewing women’s suits from coarse fabric came to Coco thanks to that very Boy Capel, who interested her in the “English style”.
Despite its unconditional popularity, the tweed suit of a fitted jacket and tight skirt, which Coco presented in 1923 at a salon on Rue Cambon, was received extremely coldly by journalists. He experienced his rebirth in 1954 - women liked the simplicity of the cut and the elegance of the lines.
5. Two-tone shoes
Gabrielle Chanel was involved not only in the creation of iconic clothes. Thanks to her impeccable taste, such a trend as two-tone shoes appeared, which became another sign of the corporate style of the French fashion house.
Mademoiselle preferred comfortable shoes with low heels, and considered the combination of beige and black to be one of the most successful. Shoes with a beige base and a black patent leather toe solved two problems: they attracted attention and visually reduced the length of the foot and lengthened the legs.
Today, designers around the world are actively using this idea, offering their own bold and original color combinations. But the beige sandals with a black toe and elastic heel strap remain a timeless Chanel classic.
6. Accessories and pearls
Chanel hated pretentious and bright outfits, preferring simplicity and asceticism. But accessories, which Coco insisted there should be as many as possible, were her real passion.
The great mademoiselle herself always wore them in large quantities, from strings of pearls to hats. Thus, a laconic string of pearls can complement both a little black dress and a tweed suit, as well as a sailor vest.
She made pearls democratic and fashionable, although previously they were considered the property of only the highest circle. Moreover, Coco showed how it is possible to combine jewelry and costume jewelry, which before her was considered a cheap fake, without damaging one’s reputation. The advantages of costume jewelry are accessibility and the ability to be worn with casual outfits- quickly made Coco's idea popular.
7. Short haircuts
Coco Chanel, as she writes in her biography Henri Guidel, “stubbornly enforces short hair.” Before Chanel, women did not wear haircuts, but with a magical wave of her hand, French women begin to mercilessly cut their lush hair. Having settled on the same famous Rue Cambon by Coiffeur Antoine, creator of the “a la garcon” hairstyle, there was a constant sell-out.
New trends in women's hairstyles have led to the emergence of a new style of bell-shaped hat. This headdress was pulled down to the eyebrows, the front edge covered the eyes. This is how Coco herself and numerous fans of this style wore the hat.
Coco Chanel (real name Gabrielle Chanel) is a style icon, one of the most famous fashion designers in the world, founder of the Chanel clothing and perfume brand. The style created by Chanel personifies an entire era, and in it - elegance, minimalism in the use of accessories and convenience. Chanel was an extraordinary and complex person in life - she mostly despised people and was ready to go over her head for the sake of her success and benefit.Childhood and family
The future celebrity Gabrielle Chanel was born in 1883 (although she herself claimed that she was born 10 years later) in a poor family of a market trader and the daughter of a rural carpenter. When Gabrielle was born, her parents were not married, it was their second daughter. The girl was registered at the shelter, and her name was given in honor of the nurse Gabriel, who helped the baby be born. 
Gabrielle's mother, Jeanne Devol, died when the girl was only eleven years old. Literally a week later, her father abandoned her with her sister and two brothers - until she came of age, Gabrielle had to live in an orphanage at a monastery.
It would seem that the backstory is not at all conducive to success - however, the experience acquired by Chanel in an orphanage determined her future life. The fact is that it was the nuns who taught the girl to sew, so that after leaving the establishment, Gabrielle was able to get a job as a saleswoman in the Au Sans Pareil lingerie store.
First steps to success
In addition to her passion for fashion design, Gabrielle loved to sing and even performed in cabaret. It was then that she received the nickname Coco because her favorite songs were "Ko Ko Ri Ko" and "Qui qua vu Coco". In one of these cabarets, the girl met a wealthy retired officer, Etienne Balzan, who soon invited her to move with him to a real castle in Paris. Chanel agreed, but depending on someone was not her style. 
Soon, remembering sewing lessons at the orphanage, she realized that she wanted to become a milliner (a craftswoman in making women's hats, dresses and underwear), and with the help of a young English entrepreneur, Arthur Capel, in 1910 she was able to open her own hat shop in Paris - it is still It is located opposite the Ritz Hotel at 31 rue Cambon.
Start of a design career
When Coco Chanel discovered own business and was able to give free rein to her taste and abilities, nothing could stop her - neither lack of experience, nor even the First World War. She worked both as an entrepreneur and as a designer, bringing to life all her ideas for creating elegance - she introduced fashion women's pants, that little black dress. The style she created was later called “simple luxury” - in order to dress in the Chanel style, you first need taste, and not a lot of money. 
But Gabrielle’s clients had money, and they happily bought hats and clothes from the original milliner. Very soon, Coco's business became a phenomenon that had never existed before in fashion history. Chanel herself became the first tailor who entered high society, and was not a servant for wealthy customers. Composers, choreographers, artists, directors, and entrepreneurs became her friends. The girl cheated public opinion about the work of a designer, becoming an attractive personality on an international scale.
“I entered the cream of society not because I created clothes. On the contrary. I created clothes because I was in a society where I became the first woman to live life to the fullest of my century,” Coco Chanel commented on her fame.
High-ranking aristocrats paid attention to Coco Chanel. For example, the woman was part of the social circle of the Great Russian Duke Dmitry and the English Duke of Westminster. Many successful men tried to woo her hand, but she was only really concerned about her own business. To the Duke of Westminster's proposal, Coco replied that there may be many Duchesses of Westminster, but there is only one Chanel.
At the age of fifty, Coco Chanel was at the height of her fame and beauty. She dressed with a sense of absolute freedom and basked in glory. It was at this time that she was admired most. The years of her fiftieth birthday became the most golden in the biography of the once poor girl Gabrielle.
And if in the First World War the designer managed to stay afloat, then after the declaration of World War II in 1939, Chanel had to close all her salons - at such a time there was no place for fashion. Despite the occupation of Paris, Coco remained in the French capital for this time and even managed to rescue her nephew from captivity.
In September 1944, on the initiative of the Committee on Public Morals, a woman was arrested due to rumors about her relationship with the German officer Hans Gunther von Dunkleg. She was soon released at Churchill's request on the condition that she leave France. Chanel went to Switzerland and lived there for almost ten years. According to researcher Hal Vaughan, Chanel was not only the mistress of a Nazi collaborator, but also supplied information to the German government.
Coco Chanel Interview with French Television (1969)
Personal life of Coco Chanel
The life of the famous clothing designer was full of romances, but none of them developed into marriage - it seems that Chanel did not need this. She was credited with affairs with the Russian emigre composer Igor Stravinsky, the Duke of Westminster and even the Nazi officer Hans von Dinklage. According to some sources, Chanel was bisexual. 
The famous Chanel No. 5 perfume appeared in 1921. Their author is the Russian emigrant perfumer Ernest Bo. The uniqueness of these perfumes is that before Chanel, women's perfumes did not have complex scents. Coco was an innovator and offered women the first synthesized perfume.
Coco Chanel made popular little black dresses that could be worn all day long, complemented with various accessories. Thus, she proved that black, once considered a mournful color, can be elegant and perfectly complement an evening look.
Coco Chanel's achievements also include the creation of unique handbags. “I’m tired of carrying reticules in my hands, and besides, I’m always losing them,” Gabrielle said in 1954. A year later she introduced a small rectangular handbag on a long chain. As a result, women were able to carry the bag comfortably on their shoulders.
Coco Chanel. Life of Remarkable People
Last years of life. Death
As the years passed, Chanel's notoriety gradually faded into history. If in pre-war fashion it was predominantly female designers who worked, for example, Chanel, Chiaparelli, Lanvin, Vionnet, then in post-war fashion power went to men, among whom were Dior and Balenciaga. It seemed that Dior's success left no future for the fashion created by Chanel. 
However, in 1953, Coco Chanel decided to reopen her salon in Paris. Then the famous Frenchwoman was already 70 years old. On February 5, 1954, the House of Chanel was inaugurated. The critics were merciless and trashed it new collection. However, Gabrielle remained deaf to criticism - it took her only three years to return to the Olympus of glory.
On January 10, 1971, Coco Chanel died at the Ritz Hotel at the age of 87 from a heart attack. She was buried in Lausanne, Switzerland, with five lions carved on the top of her tombstone.
The life story of Chanel, as they would say in modern slang, is the story of a self-made-man, that is, a person who “created himself independently.” And the pseudonym “Coco” (from the French for “chicken”) for a woman with such amazing strong spirit can hardly be called suitable. However, Gabrielle positioned it as a tribute to the memory of her youth, when she performed in a cabaret with the simple song “Ko Ko Ri Ko,” so she did not change anything, remaining unsurpassed by Coco Chanel until the end of her life.
How Coco Chanel started and photos of her first outfits
Why are bold and independent women associated with Chanel? Because the great Coco Chanel herself was like that: rebellious, not wanting to please either men or decency. Possessing an exceptional charm that combined contradictory qualities, Chanel was independent and daring, valued aesthetics and freedom - both of personality and body, which led to a worldwide revolution in fashion!
As you can see in the photo, Coco Chanel had delicate facial features and a tenacious gaze, as if she saw something that others did not see:
Coco Chanel's life began in the harsh environment of an orphanage. This left her with a contemptuous attitude towards kept women, be they cocottes or wives living at the expense of their husbands, as well as their ridiculously lavish toilets, so typical of the beginning of the century. Coco communicates with a group of gentlemen, in which her first lovers shine: Etienne Balsan, and then Boy Capel. Their free manners and modern chic English style match her inner taste. Since 1910, she has been visiting racetracks, where she is easily recognizable by her men's stand-up collars, ties and boaters. From the life history of Coco Chanel it is known that she ordered her clothes from an English tailor and wore riding trousers so as not to ride in a riding habit.
How did Coco Chanel begin her independent life? In order to ensure financial independence, Gabrielle began selling clothes to women self-made, cultivating an image of liberated modernity.
Thanks to outfits from Coco Chanel women's fashion boldly masters the elements of a men's wardrobe. Since 1913, this young milliner has been making a splash in Deauville with her boaters, ladies' gabardine coats, "vulgar" fisherman's sailor suits and bathing suits made from fabric that was usually used for men's underwear. The great woman Coco Chanel loved knitwear, which was worn as underwear at that time.
Look at the photo of the first clothes in the Chanel style - they were radically different from what society ladies of those times preferred to wear:
What is Coco Chanel famous for and what did she bring into fashion?
One of known facts about the life of Coco Chanel - the risky purchase of jersey and the transformation of this fabric almost into a reference one. In 1916, Gabrielle purchased from Rodier a new inexpensive machine-knitted fabric that was so rebellious to the tailor’s needle that the manufacturer himself predicted failure. This fabric is called jersey, and with it, a completely nondescript material in the eyes of that time, Gabrielle dared to begin her career as a couturier.
As you can see in the photo, the first jersey outfits from Coco Chanel were exclusively with short skirts:
In 1917 she released a large number of models made from this fabric, the success of which practically buried the fashion of the 19th century.
What else is Coco Chanel famous for, who has become an example of style? The not yet very famous designer caused a scandal in the world by turning men's pajamas into a women's beach suit. An unexpected meeting in 1920 gives Chanel the opportunity to commit another friendly "robbery". Grand Duke Dmitry Romanov, grandson of Emperor Alexander II and nephew of the Emperor Alexandra III, cousin of the last Tsar Nicholas II, falls in love with Gabrielle.
What else did Coco Chanel bring into fashion in the 20s of the last century? In 1922, a khaki jacket appeared, borrowed with her light hand from the tsarist infantrymen.
Here you can see photos of outfits from Chanel, inspired by a shirt-shirt, belted a la mouzhik:
Already in 1923, Gabrielle decided to present an entire Russian collection for a year.
During these crazy years, she completely liberated herself from prejudice, thanks to which she created her famous “little black dress,” which Vogue will compare to a Ford T.
This photo shows the main outfit from Coco Chanel - that little black dress that simply must be in every woman’s wardrobe:
Coco Chanel famously designed removable fur collars and quilted inner linings for groom-style jackets. Coco Chanel also created in the style of barbarian kings.
Clothing style created by Coco Chanel (with photo)
Other innovations are born as a result of her meeting with the luxurious dandy, the Duke of Westminster. This man loves to sail, he is a yachtsman. In 1928, Chanel borrowed a beret from his sailors, which he gave to Parisian women. Transforming the striped uniform of his sailors, she created a series of sweaters in 1938.
And most importantly: Chanel opens up a never-before-seen world, into which she had previously only timidly peered. This is the world of tweed. She began using this fabric in 1924, and by 1928 tweed became her favorite fabric. After the war, she feminized tweed, turning it into a standard material for her women's suits.
Today, when the revolutionary changes made by Who Chanel in the style of women are listed, modern young ladies do not understand the full depth of her feat. What's wrong with this? That's how everyone goes. But they didn’t go to her!
Strapped into obligatory corsets and long, intricately cut dresses, the ladies created voluminous hairstyles, moving with difficulty under the weight of all this beauty. Coco Chanel's style is clothes that are comfortable, in which you can feel natural and move freely. Perhaps, everything (except jeans) that women now wear to work and walk on the streets of bustling cities was invented by Coco. By the way, she didn’t like her own nickname, but it “stuck” firmly.
As you can see in the photo, clothes in the style of Coco Chanel are comfort and proportions that can make the body more sexy without deliberate nudity, without openly offering oneself, maintaining intrigue and balance between the intimate and the accessible:
Chanel did not know how to draw, which is now an indispensable condition for fashion designers, but all her models were distinguished by an ideal cut and excellent sewing quality - everything was thought out about them (it is a pity that many modern couturiers who draw do not know how to do this).
As a result of her ingenious experiments, a style was born that Chanel’s colleagues ironically called “luxurious poverty.” But it was precisely the mystical contradiction she created between the apparent simplicity of the costumes and big amount large jewelry, united in a single “crazy” ensemble, brought new sensations and new criteria of charm into the world. By the way, in addition to her outfits, Coco Chanel used both costume jewelry and genuine jewelry, her novelty was that there was a great deal of jewelry or, conversely, indecently little, and they should be worn “unconventionally” - then it was hooliganism.
Now this won’t surprise anyone, but who does it as elegantly as the incomparable Gabrielle? Now the words of Coco Chanel will seem banal to many: “Elegance is not a synonym for beautiful, it is good clothes that suit the face, in which you can go anywhere and you can move freely and naturally.” But her words are the source for creation own style, and only those women who build a life for themselves, and not in order to be chosen by any man, can feel its life-giving benefit.
The men in Coco Chanel's life
By the way, like many fatal enchantresses, Coco Chanel always chose men herself, and she knew how to preserve friendly relations with retired, but forever devoted to their Mademoiselle gentlemen. She was the first to have a short boyish haircut, introduced the fashion for tanning and took away almost the entire wardrobe from men, including underwear, which she offered to wear as a costume for women.
The love of freedom and the desire for material independence created by one’s own labor were significant for Gabrielle Chanel. Of course, first of all, she considered her work to be the meaning of life. In addition, it gave financial independence (although for some time, at the beginning of her journey, Chanel had to be, in fact, a kept woman) - that is why her decision to provide for herself independently, to have real wealth in our male world - was lived and comprehended by her.
The status of a “married madam” did not appeal to her. Coco Chanel's personal life never worked out - she was given official proposals, which she, as a rule, rejected; she only got ready to marry once, but her fiancé Paul Irib, an artist and designer, died suddenly on the eve of the wedding. And she didn’t try again - work occupied the main place in her life, men occupied only a second place. It is believed that when the Duke of Westminster, the closest relative of the English royal family, asked Chanel for her hand in marriage (she was forty-five), Gabrielle answered with her characteristic directness and irony: “The world is full of all sorts of duchesses, but only one Coco Chanel!” Actually, this is why daring and rebellious women are called fatal: they are difficult to conquer, subjugate, and even more difficult to keep. Men themselves are ready to submit to mysterious and incomprehensible Enchantresses, but that’s the point - our ladies don’t need submissive husbands. Both Chanel, the mythological Carmen, and the historical Cleopatra loved and singled out equal and worthy gentlemen, preferring parity relationships
I am an honest expression of feelings, not a game of “buy a Barbie doll.” The great Mademoiselle Chanel quietly passed away on January 10, 1970 at the age of 88 in her private room at the Ritz Hotel, across the street from the luxurious house named after her - an empire with great worldwide fame and income of 160 million dollars a year. Please note, young ladies who always have nothing to wear: at that time, Gabrielle had only three suits in her wardrobe, but they were quite enough, because the outfits, of course, were of the highest style and elegance. The most valuable thing that Chanel left to humanity is the combination of feminine and masculine not only in costume, but also in worldview, the charm of “severe charm,” a mix of luxury and simplicity.
As you can see in the photo, the style of Coco Chanel is the style of eternal youth, health, elegance, which remains the standard of impeccable taste, this is the Style of the Eternally Attractive Mademoiselle:
Karl Lagerfeld - successor of Coco Chanel's ideas
For some time after the founder left, the chair of the “chief stylist” of the Chanel house remained empty. The management made attempts to find worthy artists, but the authors turned out to be too original. And the Chanel empire needed a successor to the spirit and style of Mademoiselle.
The ideal successor and keeper of Coco Chanel's ideas was Karl Lagerfeld - young in age, but mature in his work. He got an early start in the world of couture when he was only 16 years old.
"I do not care what you think of me.
I don’t think about you at all.”
Coco Chanel
On August 19, the entire fashion world celebrates the 130th anniversary of Coco’s birth, and Passion.ru recalls the most significant facts from the life of this great woman, as well as her witty and very apt phrases, which have become aphorisms.
1. Gabrielle Chanel’s desire to engage in women’s clothing arose under the influence of many years of living in an orphanage - the children there wore dull, identical clothes, and when the girl had the opportunity to dress the way she wanted, she decided to make it her calling.
2. The craving for minimalism arose as a counterbalance to the splendor of the outfits of the ladies of the “demimonde”. For some time, Chanel lived with her patron on a street where there were many brothels, and in order to distinguish herself from their inhabitants, she began to wear strict, discreet suits and small hats.
3. Gabrielle Chanel did not gain her first popularity thanks to the creation of clothes. Her “debut” was ladies' hats. One of her close friends helped her open a hat shop where she sold her creations. Reaction to the product was mixed. Many accused Gabrielle of being too avant-garde. However, very soon ladies from all over France began to come to buy Chanel hats.
4. It is believed that Gabrielle Chanel received her nickname "Coco" during her stormy youth when I worked as a singer in a cabaret. She sang two songs in which chickens were mentioned ("Coco"), and supposedly this is why she was nicknamed "Chicken". However, there is another version: the father, with whom Coco Chanel practically did not communicate, called his daughter a chicken because of her small stature and thinness, and when Gabrielle decided to take a pseudonym for herself, she remembered her childhood nickname.5. The prototype of the world-famous clutch was invented by Coco Chanel. Some people lose gloves and umbrellas, but she always left her reticules everywhere. In addition, according to her, due to the need to carry the bag in her hands, her hands began to ache. This great woman and then she found a way out of the situation by inventing a small handbag on a long chain, which has already become a fashion classic - the Chanel 2.55 model.
6. Coco Chanel never parted with scissors; she always had them with her - in her purse or on a string around her neck. Once, at some reception, she literally shredded the outfit of one of her models, who came there wearing a dress from another famous couturier. At the same time, Coco said that now the outfit looks much more elegant. This episode was included in the film “Coco before Chanel” starring Audrey Tautou.
6. Coco Chanel did not accept patterns. She created her creations by wrapping fabrics around models and boldly cutting off the excess. However, she became the first couturier who, being directly related to high fashion, released his clothing collection on an industrial scale.
7. Everything about a woman’s appearance was important to Coco Chanel, which is why her interests extended not only to clothes, but also to shoes, accessories, and hairstyles. However, there was something that occupied a special place in her life and in her activities - perfume. She created her first fragrance by mixing 80 components in free proportions. And she received an absolute masterpiece, which we know as Chanel No. 5.
True, there is an opinion that the author of these perfumes was not her, but a certain Russian perfumer who immigrated to France. He was developing the next collection and invited Coco to choose one fragrance option - Chanel gave preference to test tube number 5.
8. Coco Chanel valued freedom in everything - in movement, in choice, in worldview. She always acted as she wanted, and not as the public expected of her. She was not afraid to rid women of corsets, dress them in trousers and blazers, and forced them to circumcise long hair. Her courage was also evident in her romance with a handsome German officer who helped free her nephew from fascist captivity. She had to pay for her love with imprisonment and deportation from France.
9. For 14 long years, Coco Chanel was cut off from the fashion industry - first by the war, then by emigration and life in Switzerland, but all these years this great woman dreamed of a triumphant return to France.
And she returned. At the age of seventy, with his collection of timeless Chanel classics. She was booed. But Coco knew what she was doing. A year later, Paris again bowed at her feet. And it’s not surprising - couturiers come and go, but Chanel remains.
10. Coco Chanel played such a significant role in the formation of world fashion that Time magazine included her in the list of the 100 most influential people in the world.
28 Coco Chanel quotes about life and success
- When taking care of beauty, you need to start from the heart and soul, otherwise no amount of cosmetics, alas, will help.
- Old age does not protect from love, but love protects from old age.
- If you want to have something you've never had, you'll have to do something you've never done.
- If you were struck by the beauty of a woman, but you don’t remember what she was wearing, then her outfit was perfect.
- A woman should be dressed in such a way that she would want to be undressed.
- Perfume should be applied where you want to receive a kiss.
- Be a chrysalis by day and a butterfly in the evening, for there is nothing more comfortable than a cocoon and more conducive to love than the wings of a butterfly.
- Remember: you don't get a second chance to make a first impression.
- You can get used to ugly appearance, but never to sloppiness.
- In order to be irreplaceable, you need to change all the time.
- Nothing ages a woman more than a too rich (luxurious) suit.
- Fashion passes, but style remains.
- It is much more difficult to disturb a woman who prefers light colors in clothes.
- We make ourselves: if a woman is ugly at 18, it’s from nature, if at 30, it’s from stupidity.
- Perfume says more about a woman than her handwriting.
- The main thing for a woman is to work constantly. Only work gives courage, and the spirit, in turn, takes care of the fate of the body.
- Everything is in our hands, so we don’t need to give them up.
- Freedom is always stylish!
- A woman should smell like a woman, not like a dried bouquet.
- If a woman listens to her friends and not her man when it comes to fashion, she often becomes a laughing stock.
- Men like women who are well dressed but not conspicuous.
- Ruthlessly remove anything that is excessive.
- To restrain yourself when it’s offensive, and not to make a scene when it hurts, that’s what a real (ideal) woman is.
- Fashion has two purposes - convenience and love. Beauty comes when fashion achieves its goals.
- The worse a woman does, the better she should look.
- Fashion, like architecture, is a matter of proportions.
- Women with good taste wear jewelry. Everyone else has to wear gold.
- If you were born without wings, don't stop them from growing.
10 commandments of style from Coco Chanel
jackets This also gives a feeling of external and internal freedom.Perhaps no other couturier in the world has done as much as Mademoiselle Coco Chanel did for women. They tried to copy her, they still admire her, almost every lady has a little black dress in her wardrobe and tries to follow the precepts of the trendsetter of modern fashion. And all this happens because Chanel is always relevant.
Nadezhda POPOVA
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