COCO 1/3
1
COCO CHANEL Designer Coco Chanel was born Gabrielle Bonheur Chanel in 1883, although she would later claim that her real date of birth was 1893, making her ten years younger. Her place of birth was also something that she sought to disguise. Coco was born in the workhouse in the Loire Valley where her unmarried mother worked, although she asserted that she was born in Auvergne. Her mother died when she was six years old, leaving her father with five children, whom he quickly farmed out to various relatives. The young Chanel was sent to the orphanage of the Catholic monastery of Aubazine, where she learned the trade of a seamstress. School vacations were spent with relatives in the provincial capital of Moulins where Gabrielle learnt to sew with more flourish than the nuns at the monastery had been able to teach her. When she turned 18, she left the orphanage, and took up work for a local tailor. Later, when questioned, Chanel would claim that when her mother died, her father sailed for America and she was sent to live with two cold-hearted spinster aunts. She even claimed to have been born in 1893 as opposed to 1883, and that her mother had died when Coco was six instead of 12. All this was done to diminish the stigma that poverty, orphanhood, and illegitimacy bestowed upon unfortunates in 19th-century France.
2
3
It was during a brief stint as a singer in cafés and concert halls that Gabrielle adopted the name Coco, a nickname given to her by local soldiers who went to watch her.
Through the patronage and connections that these men provided she was able to open her own millinery shop in Paris in 1910 and she soon had boutiques in both Deauville and Biarritz. In 1919, the single most devastating event of her life occurred when Capel was killed in a car accident. She commissioned a roadside memorial at the site of the accident.
World War I led her to move to the resort town of Deauvile, where Chanel became the mistress of a rich ex-military officer and textile heir called Etienne Balsan in 1908. At the age of 23, she became his mistress and moved into his chateau, where she lived for three years. It was here that she started designing and creating hats as a diversion, which then turned into a commercial venture.
Twenty-five years after the event, she told a friend: “His death was a terrible blow to me. In losing Capel, I lost everything. What followed was not a life of happiness I have to say.”
She then started a relationship with a wealthy English Industrialist called Arthur Edward ‘Boy’ Capel who was a friend of Balsan. He installed her into a Parisian apartment and financed her first shops. The relationship lasted nine years, even after Capel married in 1918.
During the 1920s, Coco Chanel became the first designer to create loose women’s jerseys, traditionally used for men’s underwear, creating a relaxed style for women ignoring the stiff corseted look of the time. style.
They soon became very popular with clients, a post-war generation of women for whom the corseted restricted clothing seemed old-fashioned and impractical. By the 1920s, Maison Chanel was established at 31, Rue Cambon in Paris (which remains its headquarters to this day) and become a fashion force to be reckoned with. Chanel became a style icon herself with her striking bob haircut and tan placing her at the cutting edge of modern
4
In 1922, she launched the fragrance Chanel No. 5, which remains popular to this day. Two years later, Pierre Wertheimer became her business partner (taking on 70% of the fragrance business), and reputedly her lover. The Wertheimers continue to control the perfume company today.
In 1925, Chanel launched her signature cardigan jacket, and the following year matched its success with her little black dress. Both items continue to be a staple part of every Chanel collection.
5
6
7
I dont do fashion, I am fashion.
8
PARIS RETURN During World War II, Chanel was a nurse, although her post-war popularity was greatly diminished by her affair with a Nazi officer during the conflict and she moved to Switzerland to escape the controversy. However, she ended this self-imposed exile in 1954, returning to Paris when she took on Christian Dior ’s overtly feminine New Look. She expanded the signature style with the introduction of pea jackets and bell-bottoms for women. Her new collection, panned by the press in Europe, was a hit in the United States. Hollywood stars including Audrey Hepburn and Grace Kelly fell in love with her effortlessly stylish boxy cardigan suits. During her life, Coco Chanel also designed costumes for the stage, including Cocteau’s ‘Antigone’ (1923) and ‘Oedipus Rex’ (1937) and cinematic works such as ‘La Regle de Jeu’.
9
10
Coco would invite women who would now be called ‘tastemakers’ to smart dinner parties, where she’d spritz them with this iconic perfume. In 1921, the cartoonist Sem drew this now-iconic tribute to No. 5: depicting Mademoiselle Coco herself gazing rapturously up at the classic bottle, dressed in the, figure-flattering style which Chanel popularized.
11
12
LEGACY The international economic depression of the 1930s had a negative impact on her company, but it was the outbreak of World War II that led Chanel to close her business. She fired her workers and shut down her shops. During the German occupation of France, Chanel got involved with a German military officer, Hans Gunther von Dincklage. She got special permission to stay in her apartment at the Hotel Ritz. After the war ended, Chanel was interrogated by her relationship with von Dincklage, but she was not charged as a collaborator. Some have wondered whether friend Winston Churchill worked behind the scenes on Chanel’s behalf. While not officially charged, Chanel suffered in the court of public opinion. Some still viewed her relationship with a Nazi officer as a betrayal of her country. Chanel left Paris, spending some years in Switzerland in a sort of exile. She also lived at her country house in Roquebrune for a time.
At the age of 70, Chanel made a triumphant return to the fashion world. She first received scathing reviews from critics, but her feminine and easy-fitting designs soon won over shoppers around the world. In 1969, Chanel’s fascinating life story became the basis for the Broadway musical Coco, starring Katharine Hepburn as the legendary designer. Alan Jay Lerner wrote the book and lyrics for the show’s song while Andre Prévin composed the music. Cecil Beaton handled the set and costume design for the production. The show received seven Tony Award nominations, and Beaton won for Best Costume Design and René Auberjonois for Best Featured Actor.
13
14
15
Coco Chanel died on January 10, 1971, at her apartment in the Hotel Ritz. She never married, having once said “I never wanted to weigh more heavily on a man than a bird.� Hundreds crowded together at the Church of the Madeleine to bid farewell to the fashion icon. In tribute, many of the mourners wore Chanel suits.
16
KARL 2/3
1
KARL LAGERFELD
One of the most acclaimed fashion designers in the world, Karl Lagerfeld was born in Hamburg, Germany. While he’s never revealed his true birthday, it’s been reported he was born September 10, 1933. Known for his bold designs and constant reinvention, he’s been hailed Vogue magazine as the “unparalleled interpreter of the mood of the moment.”
Fashion designer. Born Karl Otto Lagerfeldt in Hamburg, Germany. While the famous fashion designer has never revealed the exact date of his birth, it’s believed he was born on September 10, 1933. Often lauded for his constant reinvention, he removed the “t” at the end of his last name early in his career in order to make it sound “more commercial.”
Lagerfeld’s father, Christian, made his fortune by bringing condensed milk to Germany. Karl and his older sister, Martha, and a half sister, Thea, grew up ina wealthy home. Intellectual activity was encouraged at the Lagerfeld home. His mother, Elizabeth, was an accomplished violin player and talk at the dinner table often included subjects such as religious philosophy.
2
3
4
THE BEGINNING When Hitler rose to power in the 1930s, the Lagerfelds moved to a rural area of northern Germany, where, as Karl would later recount, he was cut off from any knowledge about the Nazis.
Sensing his future lay elsewhere, 14-year-old Lagerfeld made the bold decision, with the blessing of his parents, to move to Paris. He’d been there just two years when he submitted a series of sketches and fabric samples to a design competition. He ended up taking first place in the coat category and meeting another winner, Yves Saint Laurent, who would become a close friend.
From an early age, Lagerfeld expressed an interest in design and fashion. As a child he often cut out pictures from fashion magazines. He was also known to be critical of what others wore to school. But it wasn’t until his teen years, after his family had returned to Hamburg, that Legerfeld immersed himself in the world of high fashion.
Soon, Lagerfeld had full time work with French designer Pierre Balmain, first as a junior assistant, and later as an apprentice. It was a demanding position, and the young designer remained in it for three years. He took work as a creative director with another fashion house before finally, in 1961, striking out on his own. Good work soon followed, with Lagerfeld designing collections for Chloe, Fendi (where he was brought on to oversee the company’s fur line) and others. Lagerfeld became known in the fashion industry for his innovative, in-the-moment styles. But Lagerfeld also had an appreciation for the past, and he often shoped in flea markets, finding ld wedding dresses to deconstruct.
5
6
By the 1980s, Karl Lagerfeld was a major star in the fashion world. He was a favorite among the press, who loved to chronicle his changing tastes and social life. Lagerfeld kept company with other major stars, including his good friend Andy Warhol. While he’s developed a sort of hired gun reputation for jumping from one label to the next, he’s also put together a track record of success that few designers can match. At Chanel in the early 1980s he did what few thought possible: He returned what was perceived to be a near-dead brand back to life with a revamped popular ready-to-wear lineup 7
8
9
Around that time Lagerfeld launched his own label, in 1984, which he built around the idea of what he described as “intellectual sexiness.” Over the years, the brand developed a reputation for quality tailoring with bold ready-to-wear pieces like cardigan jackets in bright colors. In 2005 Lagerfeld sold the label to Tommy Hilfiger. In recent years, Lagerfeld, whose work has crossed over into film and photography, has continued to maintain a busy schedule. In 2011 he designed a line of glassware for the Swedish company Orrefors. That same year, he signed on to create a new clothing collection for Macy’s. Says Lagerfeld, “What I enjoy most is doing something I’ve never done before.”
10
11
Everything I say is a joke. I am a joke myself.
12
VERNISSAGE
13
Above the Chanel store in St Moritz, music is pounding and slender women are contemplating delicate rosettes of sashimi. Edward Ruscha, Jr, is on the decks, and the 12cm heels of the glossy, be-Chaneled guests belie the thick February snow of the high Swiss Alps. Two hours late for the vernissage of his own show, Karl Lagerfeld slides quietly into the gallery and is encountered by a bank of camera lenses. He shakes every proffered hand, smiles, poses, chats, poses some more and gives good quote during almost three hours of interviews in as many languages. He is surprisingly funny, engaged and patient.
14
Lagerfeld admits that he is attracted to the artistic ideal of working without commercial considerations, but at the end of the day he is, at base, a designer: “One should not become too pretentious in that direction. I feel very free and very lucky.� 15
16
1
JEWELS CHANEL Fine Jewellery creations are inspired by the bold character of Mademoiselle Chanel’s first jewellery collection in 1932, as well as the strong themes that symbolise the brand’s identity. Between 1988 and 2007, Lorenz Bäumer designed collections of High Jewellery and Fine Jewellery for CHANEL. Since then, the Maison has developed its own Studio of Creation. From the first sketches which draw on the world of Gabrielle Chanel to a very detailed artistic drawing of a piece of jewellery destined for the workshops, the Studio of Creation forever reinvents the world of CHANEL Fine Jewellery.
2
J12 Chanel launched the J12 watch range in 1999 to major success. The J12 watch collection contains Chanel’s first unisex watch and has a unique style that has become widely recognized. The J12 watches are Chanel’s most popular watch with such features as automatic movement, chronographs, and high tech ceramic fused with steel, gold, and other materials. Chanel Watches also produces many luxury watches that they have infused with diamonds in the bezel and on other watch parts. The Chanel watch range is known for its black and white high-tech J12 ceramic watches worn by celebrities such as Sharon Osbourne, Kelly Osbourne, Fearn Cotton, Dale Winton and others.
3
4
The best things in life are free
5
The second best are very expensive
6
CONTRAST In contrast to the simplicity of the clothing, Chanel’s jewelry is bold and theatrical. She embraced the primitive and barbaric in her accessories, which elevated her trim, tidy clothing, creating a look so womanly and sophisticated that it has never gone out of fashion since she first imagined it more than 90 years ago. Chanel draped herself and her models in ropes of faux pearls and goldtone chains. She commissioned masterpieces of poured glass from Maison Gripoix. Adopting red and green as her signature color combination, she drew inspiration from numerous sources: The Treasury of St. Mark’s in Venice with its Byzantine treasures, the Moghuls of India, Persia, Egypt, Renaissance pearl chains with delicately wrought metal, Baroque era pendant pearls, African carvings, the Etruscans and Visigoths and Celts. There was no limit to her historical interest or her ability to transform the riches of the past into contemporary treasure.
7
8
9
DIAMONDS Chanel was the first to use costume jewelry to create the finishing touch to her overall look. As always, her approach was innovative and unique. Most of the costume jewelry of the 1920’s adhered to the Art Deco aesthetic and attempted to follow the trends initiated by Cartier and Van Cleef & Arpels. Brightly colored fruit salad glass stones meant to imitate the carved precious and semi-precious gemstones used by the fine jewelers were mixed with brilliant white rhinestones in strongly geometric patterns . Chanel, however, developed her own style. In 1932 Chanel was approached by DeBeers, the diamond industry giants. The diamond business was suffering because of the worldwide economic depression which began in 1929 and because of the enormous success of costume jewelry, as popularized by Chanel. They asked her to develop and show a collection of diamond jewelry. Chanel enlisted the aid of Paul Iribe, already well known for his diverse talents in graphic, textile, jewelry, stage, and advertising design. Working together, they created a stunning collection which was shown for two weeks during November of 1932 in private rooms at Chanel’s home at 29 Rue du Fauborg-Saint Honore.
10
11
12
The lion is majestic. One can admire it, fear it, chase it, conquer it.
Chanel tamed it.
13
And so this will be my emblem to represent the Leo I am, in Secondlife.
The lion is “Koko”, born August 5th under the fifth sign of the zodiac. The two numbers would become her good luck charm, the lion would be her constellation. The lion is a personality audacious, instinctive, passionate, radiant. “I’m a Leo and, like him, I show my claws to protect myself.” Mademoiselle declared, “... but believe me I suffer more by clawing than being clawed,” she added. The lion is an emblem. The lion is an inspiration. A favourite subject of CHANEL jewelry,it roars from necklaces, pendants and brooches as if to protect the secrets of Mademoiselle and watch over her for all eternity.
14
15
I am Chanel, Hear me roar.
16