History Of Coco Chanel

Despite no formal training in fashion design, Gabrielle Chanel was one of the most influential fashion designers in the 20th century. Her famous line was “luxury must be comfortable, otherwise it’s not luxury.” She introduced womens-wear inspired my mens-wear, comfortable skirt suits, and the “little black dress,” and her timeless perfume, Chanel No. 5. These designs are still famous today.

Gabrielle Bonheur Chanel, famously known as Coco Chanel was born on August 19th, 1883 in France. After Chanel’s mother died her father couldn’t handle children and work, so he left her in a convent orphanage at the age of six. This was where Chanel was taught how to sew buy the nuns. The nuns habits, and the children’s uniforms may have influences her later designs and her preference for black, white and beige. She left the orphanage at eighteen and started working as a singer, this is where she adopted the nickname “Coco.” She met many prominent men; several of them supported her financially and helped her establish her first business.

Chanel opened her first shop in 1910 where she sold hate in Paris. Later in 1913 and 1915 she opened more shops and began to make her own clothes. In 1920 she released her first perfume Chanel No. 5. 1925 was the year Chanel introduced the little black dress and the Chanel suit with a collarless jacket and well-fitted skirt. During World War II channel was a nurse. Her post war popularity majorly reduced because of her affair with a Nazi Officer. This conflict forced her to move to Switzerland to escape the controversy.

In 1954 when she returned to Paris, she took on Christian Dior’s overly feminine New Look. She expanded this style by introducing pea jackets and bell-bottoms for women. Hollywood stars such as Audrey Hepburn and Grace Kelly fell in love with her effortlessly stylish boxy cardigan suits. Chanel rejected the fashion revolution of the 1960’s, and was strongly against women over thirty who wore mini-skirts. Chanel never designed a skirt that was shorter than mid knee. She was making clothed for women, she said, not teenagers.

Coco Chanel worked until her death in 1971, at the age of 88. The first film about Chanel was ‘Chanel Solitaire’ in 1981. This was followed with an American TV movie ‘Coco Chanel’ in 2008, which retold her history of her connections to the Nazis.