Lifestyle Lifestyle Coco Chanel: The surprising story of the fashion designer, 50 years after her death
One of the names in the world of fashion that we all know is Coco Chanel, but few know her history, her origins and even her facet as a spy. We now review the life of Coco Chanel who passed away on January 10, 50 years ago.
Who was Coco Chanel?
The story of Gabrielle Bonheur who would later become known to the world as Coco Chanel begins in France in 1883. Although she tried to hide her origins, a hint of truth in history Most of the authors who have written about the famous fashion designer say that she wanted to rewrite her childhood so many times that she could never be sure of the sincerity of her words. It is said that his father was a traveling cloth vendor.
What is known for sure is that Gabrielle was always close to Albert Chanel and suffered terribly when he left her. Her mother, Jeanne Devolle, died when Chanel was only six years old, which would completely change her life. Chanel had five siblings and Albert found himself abandoning his children after his wife's death. The future fashion designer was placed in a church orphanage with her sisters.
There she was strongly influenced by the lifestyle to which she could not easily adapt. But her life would change completely after reaching the age of majority. The orphanage experience strongly marked the style of clothing that he would later create. The simplicity of the clothing of the nuns who took care of her became the main signature of the fashion designer.
How Coco Chanel began her career
Gabrielle Chanel took the name Coco after working in cabaret. After leaving the orphanage, she became a performer between 1905 and 1908. Parallel to the shows she put on, she worked in a cloth shop during the day. Most authors say that she got her name from the songs she used to sing, like Qui a vu Coco? And Ko-Ko-Ri-Ko.
Her life changes when she meets Etienne Balsan. At the age of 23, she became her lover, and Balsan supported her in pursuing her creative talent. In the first part of her new life, Chanel created many hats. Life with Balsan opened the door to a new world. High society met Chanel and Coco quickly learned to adapt to this new lifestyle.
A few years later, Chanel met Arthur Boy Capel, who became the great love of her life. Capel will be the one to help her open her own clothing store in Paris. Thus, in the late 1920s, Chanel, with the help of Capel, became the owner of her first boutique at 31 rue Cambon, which remains open to this day. From here, Chanel will rise among the most famous designers in the world.
@emmettlafave https://t.co/uXLy0nru8l Been there.
— SummerTaco Tue Jul 20 05:20:08 +0000 2021
Coco Chanel revolutionized the world of fashion
Chanel's ideas ended up completely revolutionizing the world of fashion, thanks to a style of clothing that quickly propelled her and placed her on the pedestal of the Fashion designers. Chanel was the one who helped women to give up corseted clothing and adopt a relaxed style, but at the same time elegant and feminine. Coco is considered the first fashion designer to introduce the sweater to the world of fashion. Without a doubt, his style was completely revolutionary for the 1920s.
It began with the launch of simple and easy-to-wear hats and ended up dressing the great ladies of high society. Her innovative spirit never stopped here. Coco Chanel began drawing sketches for bags, perfumes, shoes, and jewelry.
Chanel always sought to give women a new look. The fashion designer always imagined in her creations a free and independent woman, a modern and revolutionary woman. In fact, it is said that she was one of the first women to wear pants. The early years of the 1920s came with real success for Chanel, but also with a loss that would mark her life forever.
The launch of her centenary perfume
The death of Boy Capel in a car accident in 1919 will leave an eternal void in the soul of the fashion designer who, however, did not cease her dream of prosper and innovate in the world of fashion and was even one of the first designers to venture into the world of perfumery. In 1922 she launched the famous Chanel No 5, the perfume that became the favorite of ladies around the world and still is to this day, when she celebrates her centenary this year.
In the early 1930s he began an important collaboration with various theater and film studios and ended up dressing the stars on stage.
Back to the spotlight
The start of the Second World War came with a strong blow to the image of Chanel, which was forced to close its stores. The fashion designer does not consider that the war is a good time to make clothes and she decides to focus on other subjects.
Chanel decisively supported the Nazis, reaching relationships with some officials. Due to her high-ranking acquaintances, she was used as a spy to enter into negotiations for an armistice with the English. The project, conceived by Himmler himself, was botched by an assistant to Coco, who denounced her to the British as a German spy. In 1953, after having closed all its activities for a long time, Chanel left for New York.
Her return to fashion is once again a success thanks to her fame in the United States and her name is now linked to celebrities from the world of cinema such as Grace Kelly or Elizabeth Taylor. Basically, Coco Chanel managed to get her business back up at the age of 70, where she was able to continue to innovate the clothing style of women around the world.
In 1955 he launched the 2.55, a revolutionary quilted bag that could be carried over the shoulder, freeing the hands of the women who carried it. Now elderly and having achieved incomparable successes, such as the fashion Oscar awarded to her in 1957, Ella Mademoiselle Ella died in a hotel room in 1971.
