Coco Chanel

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The History of

COCO CHANEL

“My life didn’t please me, so I created my life.”

- Coco Chanel

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Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel 1883 - 1971

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The History Coco •

• • •

Albert Chanel, a salesman and Jeanne Devolle

Born in Saumur, France •

Her parents married in 1884, but her mother died soon after and left Albert with the 5 children. He could not

Mother died, left father with 5 children.

Sent to an orphanage at age 12. Lived with grandparents afterward.

• • Learned to sew in convent school.

• • First job with her aunt as an assistant to clothing store owner • • Nicknamed ‘Coco’ from her version of a popular song • • At 25, went to live at Etienne Balsan’s estate.

He was also an orphan.

• • Began trimming hats for herself, then for friends.

• • 1908-9, moved to Balsan’s Paris apartment to begin her enterprise

French town of Saumur in the Loire Valley, born to

care for them all so he sent the boys to work on a farm and sent the girls to an orphanage. Gabrielle moved in with her grandparents 2 years later.

•

Attended a convent school with her aunt Adrienne. The girls were taught to sew in the convent which gained them their first job as assistant to Monsieur Henri

“Fashion changes, but style endures.”

- Coco Chanel

Desboutin, shop owner that sold lingerie, linen and hoisery.

•

Gabrielle loved the stage and sang her own version of a popular song about a lady from Paris who lost her dog, and from then on she was known by her fans as ‘la petite Coco’

•

Coco went to live with Etienne Balsan who was the youngest son of a wealthy family. Balsan was also an orphan like Coco. He had a passion for horse races and training horses. Coco would also ride horses and had a tailor create suitable riding clothes for her.

•

Coco would often trim store bought hats for herself; but while living at the estate her hats received outstanding remarks from visitors. Soon she was trimming hats for several people.

•

In 1908-9, Coco asked Balsan to open her a Paris shop.

He refused and so she convinced him to let her move into his apartment in Paris where she employed her sister Antoinette, a milliner and 2 assistants.

•

Her relationship, with an English businessman named Arthur ‘Boy’ Capel, grew. Her business did not bring immediate profit but is considered to be the foundation of her empire.

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not work as a dressmaker since there was already

1910 opened Chanel Modes,

one in the building, so she only worked as a milli-

worked as milliner.

ner. The store received rave reviews in magazines.

• •

Gained notoriety from

The cover of one magazine showed a famous ac-

famous actresses wearing

tress wearing a Chanel hat. People seeing Chanel’s

Chanel hats.

hats and her opinions on contemporary style led

• •

her to eventually start dressmaking.

1913 opened shop near Normandy Hotel –

2.

introduced jersey sports

Hotel and opened her up a shop in between the

suit; practical and elegant

hotel, the beach and a casino. Chanel knew sports-

for outdoor living.

wear that was practical and elegant for outdoor

• •

Chanel flourished during

was the perfect location to promote it.

3.

justed a belt at the waist, and the Chanel sweater was created. Many women wore it during the First World War. The

practical fashions

sweater was illustrated in Vogue’s June 1917 issue, and soon after many other manufacturers were creating garments just like it.

First fashion house in Biarritz, 1915

4.

• •

was open; but soon many fled back and her shop was the only still in business and so it boomed. The clothing she

‘The Jersey House’ – comfort & drape

made also fit the lifestyle change of the times.

5.

In Biarritz, a cosmopolitan resort in SW France, is where Chanel opened her first fashion house in 1915. Her sister Antoinette worked there, along with other employees from her very first shop.

Chanel No. 5 -First couturier to put her name on the label

During the war women had to pare down their clothing, they needed something practical to suit a new active lifestyle as they became involved with the war effort. As the war went on, people first left the city where Chanel’s shop

• •

A loose fitting sweater, it’s said Coco was cold and picked up a polo player’s sweater, pushed up the sleeves and ad-

World War I because of the • •

Boy and Chanel got a suite at the Normany

living, would soon be on the rise and figured this

Chanel sweater

• •

1910 she opened Chanel Modes but could

6.

of a perfume

Chanel made knitted jersey a high fashion material. She earned the title of ‘The Jersey House’ from Vogue. Jersey overtook popularity of the twill-women serge for dresses and outfits during the war years, and remained that way several years after. Chanel loved using jersey for it’s comfort and drape.

7.

In 1921 she launched her first perfume, number 5 being her favorite number. She was the first couturier to put her name on the label