The success story of Coco Chanel. Coco Chanel: the life story of Mademoiselle The difficult story of the charming Coco Chanel

Coco Chanel is an outstanding female fashion designer, founder of a fashion house, who proved that elegance is impossible without convenience. Her designer imagination belongs to a small black dress, a women's trouser suit, a handbag on a chain and other signature items that create a sophisticated style.

Chanel No. 5 perfume is a top seller, and the Time publishing house includes the name of the Great Mademoiselle in the hundred most influential people in the fashion industry. What life story is hidden behind the brand, whose logo - two crossed letters "C" - is known throughout the world? The biography of Coco Chanel will tell you about this.

Childhood and youth in the monastery

Gabrielle Bonheur Chanel was born on August 19, 1883 in the French town of Saumur. The girl was born under the zodiac sign “Leo”; subsequently she will decorate her interior with figures of the king of beasts and use the “lion” motif in the fittings.

Leos are characterized by a desire for success, but was it easy to achieve?

Gabrielle's childhood was difficult; she can be classified as a self-made person despite the circumstances.

Gabrielle remembered her mother Jeanne poorly, or, as she admitted in her memoirs, she did not want to remember. 19-year-old Jeanne fell in love with Albert, Gabrielle's father, and became pregnant. The guy ran away, the fugitive was found months later: Albert worked as a fair trader and did not sit in one place for a long time. Zhanna came to her grief-lover and gave birth the next day.

When she became pregnant again three months later, her partner advised her to “go to work.” A young woman with a baby in her arms wandered from house to house, offering help with housework.

The birth of the second child, Gabriel, did not lead to the parents’ wedding; 5,000 francs, Jeanne’s dowry, helped to legitimize the relationship. Gabrielle appears younger sister and brothers, but the mother, due to blind passion for her husband, pays little attention to the children.

Gabrielle has more pleasant memories with her father; his appearance in the family was awaited like a holiday. Gabrielle claimed that her father was handsome and inherited his appearance: a white-toothed smile, eyes with a cheerful sparkle and Thick hair.

After the death of his wife at the age of 33, Albert gives his sons Alphonse and Lucien to work as farm laborers, and entrusts his daughters to the care of the sisters of the Aubazine monastery. Gabriela was 13 years old and never saw her father again.

My loneliness has made me a strong person Coco Chanel

HOUSE OF GOOD

In Aubazine, Gabrielle lived a sad life, numerous prohibitions weighed heavily on the young rebel: she had to wake up, fall asleep and start eating at the command of the nurse on duty. The years in the orphanage left a deep imprint on her worldview.

Many years later, Chanel will order her architect to repeat in her house the stone staircase from the monastery, along which she was forbidden to run as a child: at least in her villa she will walk as she wishes!

Gabrielle had the status of an “orphan” with a large number of relatives: her grandfather and grandmother on her father’s side gave birth to 19 children! This documentary fact: only grandfather and aunt Louise took the girl to stay with them during the holidays.

Gabriella calls Aunt Andrienne, her father's younger sister, "sister" because of the small age difference. She was also in Aubazine, and common romantic dreams of a rich groom and freedom unite the girls. When they decide to marry Andrienne to an old notary, Gabriela persuades her to flee the monastery.

The money doesn’t last long and the unlucky runaways return. They are quickly assigned to another “high security” institution - the boarding house of the Institute of Our Lady of the city of Moulins. Gabriel stays there for two years, from 18 to 20 years old. Recalling these years, Chanel will say in an interview that she “did her time,” and when asked by a surprised journalist “for what,” she will clarify – “for dissent.”

Graduates of the boarding school had to be ready for independent life, so they were taught sewing. These skills will be useful to the future clothing designer.

Youth and Etienne Balsan

After boarding, Gabriel and Andrienne work for the Grampers in a store that sells dowries for brides. The girl also does minor repairs to the dresses of society ladies: she sews on frills and sharpens lace.

Is it then that Gabrielle develops a distaste for floral perfumes, which she will remember when creating her own scent? After all, wealthy ladies did not like to wash, and in order to get rid of the emanating amber, they generously doused themselves with floral perfumes.

Gabriel decides to crack the code of fate and change his field of activity.

If you want to have something you've never had, you'll have to do something you've never done. Coco Chanel

The girl wonders what fame can bring her? Moulins was a garrison town in which the 10th Cavalry Chasseur Regiment was quartered. In the Rotunda cafe, watching the singers, Gabrielle decides that she sings no worse than them, and tells the director of the establishment that she is ready to sign a contract!

The effect of surprise and self-confidence provide the girl with what she wants. After the church hymns, Gabriel easily copes with the operetta verses, and his cavalry acquaintances do not skimp on applause.

Her “rooster” couplets, with the chorus “ko-ko-ri-ko,” are very popular among the local military. Calling the girl for an encore, the audience chants “ko-ko”. This nickname will become her pseudonym.

Gabriela's success evokes caustic remarks from her rival colleagues; she is teased as “the starving woman from India” for her boyish figure.

Only nonentities have no envious people. It's better to be first than to be second. Coco Chanel

CITY LIGHTS

The popularity of the singer of the garrison Moulin is not enough for Gabriela. Her friend Etienne Balsan, the son of an industrialist and a passionate fan of horse racing, lends the girl money.

So in 1905 she sets off to conquer the mineral water city of Vichy. By pouring water for holidaymakers, Gabriel raises money for vocal lessons. But the classes do not help her get an engagement, and she returns to Moulins.

Will you really have to pick up sewing needles and threads again to make money? But life confronts her with another, more difficult choice.

From the resort town, in addition to disappointments, she brings back an unplanned pregnancy. The girl is terrified of repeating her mother's path. Convinced that giving birth to a child in her situation is tantamount to death, Gabrielle chooses life: “If I had not done this, there would be no Coco Chanel.”

HORSES, PEOPLE, HATS MIXED

22-year-old Gabrielle begins a new story - living together with Etienne Balsan. The girl asks to go to his estate in Royeaux as a student, Balsan takes her with him and teaches her horse riding on the estate. But not only that: the girl becomes his convenient backup lover. Chanel herself does not consider herself a Balsan cocotte, because she does not take money or gifts.

One day, Balsana's kept woman Emilienne d'Alençon, who was visiting Royeaux, asks Coco to remake her hat - just as she remade it for herself. Soon, all of Balsan's friends are wearing hats modified by Coco.

Chanel strives for independence from men, and the success of avant-garde hats prompts the young milliner with the idea of her own store. Coco receives Balsan's permission to take over his Parisian apartment and continues his design experiments there.

Chanel opened her first store in the capital in 1910 at 21 rue Cambon; within a year she moved to house no. 31 on the same street. There is still a Chanel store there, opposite the Ritz Hotel.

Arthur Capel and the resort business

In 1909, in Spain, Chanel meets an English soldier, Arthur Capel, whom everyone calls Boy. The green-eyed brunette captivates Gabrielle at first sight.

He not only financially supports her cause, but also helps Chanel to reveal herself as a person. Boy invites the girl to expand her business in the seaside resort of Deauville, where Chanel opens a boutique in 1913.

Coco watches with regret the “poor rich women”: because of the ridiculous outfits, resort girls are unable to ride horses in a man’s saddle, drive a car, play tennis, etc. leisure.

Corseted “captives” slowly parade under sun umbrellas and are drenched in sweat. Fashion catalogs of that period dictate mandatory wardrobe elements: huge hats with veils, lush bustles, tight corsets, long trains.

According to Chanel, elegance without convenience is impossible! She begins not to dress, but to undress women. Her clothes prioritize comfort. More and more ladies are walking around Deauville in simple hats that can be taken off and put on independently - “in complete disgrace,” as authoritative fashion designer Paul Poiret calls the newfangled hats.

The First World War that came to France is reflected in the resort of Deauville; vacationers are leaving, boutique owners are boarding up their shutters. But Gabriel does not close the studio. But what kind of fashion can there be in wartime? Still the same – comfortable Chanel fashion.

The city is filled with visitors: aristocrats come from front-line estates, a military hospital appears. The designer's opinions about the simplicity and functionality of clothing appeal to the ladies who help in the infirmary: it is impossible to care for the wounded in corsets and hats! Things are looking up. The next city to fall into Mademoiselle Coco's stylish shoes is Biarritz.

In Biarritz, a luxury spa resort, Boy helps rent a villa for a new atelier. There are hundreds of dressmakers working for Chanel, and the total number of workers, including boutiques in Deauville and Paris, reaches 300!

Mademoiselle Chanel makes high demands on her employees, getting rid of lazy people and defectors. Chanel's products are of excellent quality and are not cheap. When Boy asks why it is SO expensive, Gabrielle, who had entrepreneurial foresight, answers - so that they take it seriously.

Chanel does not draw preliminary sketches of models; instead of patterns, she outlines the silhouette with pins and cuts off excess fabric directly on the model.

The first publication of her model appears in Harper's Bazaar magazine - a dress without a waist, with a scarf tied at the hips and a vest in the style of a man.

In Paris, Chanel becomes truly popular in just a week - so says the legend. One day, a lady who was dressed by fashion designer Poiret quarrels with him and decides to go over to Coco Chanel.

The lady's name is Baroness Diana de Rothschild. Having bought a dozen dresses, the new client recommends the couturier to her relatives, and they as soon as possible make Chanel famous. Money flows like a river.

Coco settles accounts with Boy: he returns every franc invested in the business. Arthur Capel is surprised: he thought he was giving Gabrielle a toy, but it turned out to be freedom.

I SEWED IT FROM WHAT WAS

Coco also shows her business acumen when textile raw materials run out in warehouses due to military operations. At the beginning of 1916 there was nothing to sew from!

Jersey presents Chanel with “surprises”: the dense knitted fabric does not wrinkle, does not emphasize the curves of the figure, and hinders movement.

The fashion rule breaker eliminates folds, stops emphasizing the waist and shortens her skirts so that you can see her calves!

Boy jokingly begs Coco not to expose the young ladies’ knees, because men will start grabbing them “even in restaurants.”

I WILL NOT GIVE UP WITHOUT FIGHT

Class prejudices flourished in those times. Chanel notices that Boy is ashamed of her. And this is when magazines devote laudatory articles to her, and famous clients crowd the boutiques!

As a sign of protest (Boy likes her luxurious long hair), Chanel cuts off her curls. Her appearance in the theater with a boyish hairstyle creates a sensation. The garçon haircut is gaining popularity, harmoniously complementing the practical “Chanel” look.

The worse a girl does, the better she should look Coco Chanel

Chanel finds out that she is expecting a child, but does not have time to tell Arthur about it. Ambitious Boy proposes to the lord's daughter and surprises Coco with information about the wedding.

Chanel later asked what would have changed if she had been the first to tell her news? But her mother’s example convinced her that a man should not be tied down as a child. Coco is not destined to become a mother this time either. The 9-year romance ends tragically; in December 1919, Arthur Capel dies in a car accident.

Meeting the creative elite and patronage of the arts

Coco is brought out of her depression by meeting Sert, a Catalan decorative artist, and his wife Misya. The friendship with this woman will last more than 20 years; Gabriel admits that without her she would have died “a complete idiot.”

The serts introduce Chanel to the highest circles of the creative elite, she has the chance to watch the birth of brilliant paintings and poems. Chanel meets artists Pablo Picasso and Salvador Dali, playwright Jean Cocteau, and poet Pierre Reverdy.

Misya introduces Coco to Serge Diaghilev, the organizer of the ballet “Russian Seasons”. Backstage at the ballet, Chanel watches the dancers give their best in every practice. Coco learned to work from the Russians - this is her own recognition of someone who herself deserves the title “workaholic”!

Chanel protects cultural projects, helps creative people. For the production of “The Rite of Spring”, she gives Diaghilev 300,000 francs, invites composer Igor Stravinsky and his family to live in her villa, arranging “full board” for his wife and four children. Patronage inspires Chanel: in the recent past, a poor orphan, now she makes a contribution to art!

The fashion designer extends the influence of Russian culture to professional activity: opens a recruitment in the atelier for Russian emigrants who knew handicrafts, opens a workshop for hand embroidery, introduces Slavic motifs into models.

She cannot do without an affair with a Russian: Prince Dmitry Pavlovich becomes her new dear friend. Nicholas II's cousin is 8 years younger than her, handsome and poor. He supports Chanel morally, she supports him with her wallet.

When Dmitry leaves for America a year later, the couple maintains friendly feelings. Chanel calls the prince “the genius of useful acquaintances,” and it is he who introduces her to the creator of her own fragrance, perfumer Bo.

Chanel No. 5 and a little black dress

The new woman in Chanel clothes could not smell like the old one, like violet, rose or hydrangea: I really love the smell of rose oil, but a woman who smells only of rose oil is completely mediocre.

Ernest Bo, who previously worked at the royal court in St. Petersburg, experiments with a palette of scents and achieves a new shade of notes using aldehydes. Chanel likes perfume samples.

To produce them on an industrial scale, she begins to collaborate with the Wertheimer brothers. The Chanel Parfam company is created, to which the fashion designer brings his recipe and name and receives 10% of the shares. She will later regret this distribution; the Wertheimers will register new companies as dummies and will hide sales volumes.

– Where should perfume be applied?

“Where you want to be kissed,” their creator will say.

What influenced the release of a new product to become a sensation?

Marilyn Monroe also contributed to the success of the perfume, coquettishly admitting that she wears “only a couple of drops of Chanel No. 5” at night. After her announcement, millions of bottles of perfume are sold out.

Perfume is still popular now; according to Forbes, perfume is in the TOP 8 most counterfeited items, along with Rolex watches and a 50-euro note.

In 1925, the Chanel brand name appeared on the perfume bottle. According to one version, the emblem is the initials of Coco Chanel; according to another, it is the “double horseshoe” symbol of good luck, depicted in Vrubel’s sketch.

FORD CREATED BY CHANEL

The revolution in the perfume industry is followed by another challenge to society. Once, while in a theater box, Chanel was looking with her eyes for someone she knew. Contemplating the crowd, the thought comes to her of the excessive diversity of outfits: it is not the faces that catch the eye, but the colorful dresses.

Thus, in 1926, the embodiment of the idea of asceticism appeared - the little black dress. Decorated with a simple semicircular neckline, it emphasizes the figure, sets off the whiteness of the skin, and at the same time is almost invisible.

“Well-wishers” claim that the designer is forcing her clients to share her grief for Boy – previously, black was worn only in mourning. But the women liked the dress.

Without decoration it was suitable for a business setting, but with pearl beads, a gold bracelet or brooch looked like evening wear.

You never get a second chance to make a first impression. Coco Chanel

Vogue magazine in its 26th article notes that the dress “has become as popular as a Ford car!”

Duke of Westminster

In Monte Carlo, Chanel meets the Duke of Westminster - Vendor, as he was called. He showers Coco with luxurious bouquets, personally shot game, and jewelry. Chanel is conquered, but only to the extent that she allows herself to be: she “gifts” the Duke with cufflinks worth a car’s worth!

The designer spends a lot of time with Vendor at Eaton Hall Castle. Looking at servants' uniforms, Chanel gets ideas for creating women's jackets. She discovers a new fabric - soft English tweed. English tendencies can be traced in her work.

The press is “marrying” beautiful couple, but Chanel understands that having become a married “madame”, she will have to leave the Fashion House. A duchess as a dressmaker - unthinkable for that era!

When I had to choose between a man and my dresses, I chose the dresses. But I doubt that Chanel would have become known to everyone without the help of Coco Chanel men

Chanel still considered the idea of marriage - if she gave the Duke an heir who would occupy a high position in society. But 46-year-old Chanel is not destined to become a mother. She refuses Vendor, because the Duke cannot be called a model of fidelity.

Once, in her presence, he invited another beauty to the yacht, and then tried to pay off Chanel with a huge emerald. Gabrielle threw the gem overboard.

MILLION DOLLAR BUSINESS

In 1931, Prince Dmitry introduced Chanel to Sam Goldwyn, the creator of American cinema. Goldwyn dreams of dressing movie stars in Chanel clothes both in films and in life and offers a million-dollar contract.

The designer was required to visit Hollywood twice a year and design costumes. But Gabrielle hesitates, because previously she created her own models, and did not indulge the tastes of capricious actors and actresses.

Thanks to the persuasion of her new lover, the artist Paul Iriba, Chanel signs a contract and crosses the ocean. A warm welcome awaits her there: for a trip around the country she is provided with a White color train, the press enthusiastically calls the “Great Mademoiselle”, and celebrities line up on the platform, led by Greta Garbo.

Although the partners do not renew the contract next year, Chanel gains invaluable experience in working for the mass consumer.

Contemporary Paul Irib becomes last hope Chanel for family happiness. But tragedy strikes again: he dies on the tennis court in front of Gabrielle.

Maybe I became the Great Mademoiselle because I have no one to feed dinner? Coco Chanel

In the summer of 1936, Paris was engulfed in a strike. Workers, incited by a coalition of left-wing political parties, are demanding higher wages and union contracts.

Chanel feels betrayed - the dressmakers won't let her into her own fashion house! But she pays them well and provides them with a 2-week vacation in the summer!

An enraged Chanel has to go with her team to the world war so as not to disrupt the exhibition of the new collection.

The Second World War

With the outbreak of World War II in 1939, Chanel closed its salons, leaving a store that sold perfumes. When the son of his older sister is captured, the fashion designer turns for help to the attache of the German embassy, a German by nationality, Baron von Dinklage.

He rescues her nephew, and 56-year-old Chanel begins a relationship with him. When they remember her relationship with the German, Chanel will comment on her personal life: I am so old that when a lover gets into my bed, I don’t ask him for his passport!

Chanel Gabrielle Bonheur, nicknamed Coco Chanel, was a leading French couturier whose modernism, inspiration for men's fashion, and embrace of expensive simplicity in her clothing made her perhaps the most important figure in 20th-century fashion history. Chanel brought a fitted jacket and a little black dress to women's fashion. Coco's influence on high fashion was so strong that Time magazine included her - the only one from the fashion world - in the list of the hundred most influential people of the 20th century.

The founder of the most famous and chic fashion house many decades ago laid down a tradition of timeless elegance that defies the influence of time. Instead of endless innovations, Gabrielle Coco Chanel offered updated classics with pleated skirts, women's trousers and blazers. A coat, and, of course, the famous Chanel-style suit. The ideas that she embodied at the beginning of the 20th century turned out to be truly revolutionary: she freed women from suffocating corsets, long fluffy skirts, extravagant hats and intricate jewelry. Simple, strict, clear lines, emphasizing the advantages and hiding the flaws of the figure, have replaced ruffles and frills. Women enthusiastically accepted Chanel's brilliant philosophical concept: you don't have to be young and beautiful to look great. Chanel fashion never goes out of style. All her things are simple and comfortable, but at the same time stylish and elegant, they remain relevant year after year, regardless of the changes taking place in the fashion world.

Success story, Biography of Coco Chanel

Coco Chanel born August 19, 1883 in Saumur (France). Her parents, Albert Chanel (a market trader) and Eugenia Zhanna Devol (the daughter of a village carpenter), were not married. Gabrielle's mother died of asthma when the girl was twelve years old. A week after her death, her father left Gabrielle and her two sisters in a Catholic orphanage in Aubazine. After this, Gabriel will never see his father again.

At the orphanage, Gabrielle continued to create her world. She kept hoping that her father would take her, and talked about this with other girls. And when they tried to be ironic, hinting that he never even visits her, Gabrielle explained that he simply did not have time. And she told the story that her father owns huge vineyards and lives in New York, where he exports wine. It is clear that he is too busy to come to this miserable village...

An orphan growing up in an orphanage at that time had no future. However, dreams of a wonderful deliverance and a brilliant future awaiting her arose in Chanel already during these years. Having been forced to wear a uniform for many years, she dreamed of dressing all women in her own way. In the future she would never mention her years in the orphanage. Moreover, she will do everything possible to erase from her memory all the misfortunes and poverty that seem to have been prepared for her by fate.

Having left the orphanage at the age of 20, she did not have to look for work; on a recommendation from the monastery, young Gabrielle got a job as an assistant selling linen in a knitwear store in the city of Moulins. Gabrielle quickly earned the respect of her new owners and customers - Chanel masterfully sewed women's and children's clothing.

Chanel spent her free time from work in an establishment called “Rotunda”. Moulins was a garrison town. The officers lived there. Many of them were noble and rich. Cafechantan (that is, a cafe with a stage) "Rotunda" was favorite place their gathering. Gabrielle became the favorite of the officers - they were attracted by her charisma and unusual appearance: a tight braid around her head. black braid and strangely glowing eyes. She was unlike others, she created her own own world, and this was her strength.

Once in the Rotunda, Gabrielle drank champagne and suddenly decided that her future was to become famous singer. She loved to sing even before - in the institute choir, but she never performed on the stage. The officers liked the idea, and they agreed with the director of the Rotunda about concerts. Fantasy burst into life, and Gabrielle, blushing and stuttering, really began to perform. Many people liked it. The songs “Ko Ko Ri Ko and Qui qua vu Coco” enjoyed particular success among the officers. She was often called for an encore, chanting: “Ko-ko! Ko-ko!” So this name stuck with her. True, Mademoiselle Chanel did not like to remember her singing career and explained the origin of this nickname differently: “ My father adored me and called me chicken"(in French - coco)…

In general, the motive of contempt for her own origins, for the poverty that surrounded her in childhood and youth, haunted Chanel throughout her life. This complex became one of the fundamental ones in her vigorous activity, in her desire to achieve success and recognition by any means. She wanted to escape humiliation and forget her impoverished childhood without affection and love, emptiness and loneliness. And therefore, when in 1905 the young bourgeois Etienne Balsan appeared in her life, personifying idleness and luxury, she decided that this man was created for her.

Coco Chanel agreed to his proposal to be together and settled with him in the aristocratic suburb of Paris - Vichy. Coco took full advantage of her new position: she lay in bed until noon and read cheap novels. Although at first new life She liked her at the castle, she was never able to get used to the role of a mistress (Balsan did not consider her the woman with whom she should connect her life).

Coco Chanel - fashion designer and entrepreneur

Three years later, Coco met Balsan’s friend, a young Englishman named Arthur Capel, nicknamed Boy. It was to him that Chanel owed the start of her career: he advised the girl he liked to open a hat shop and promised to provide financial support. Coco traded the castle for Arthur's bachelor pad in Paris. Here she began making and selling her hats to all of Boy’s former mistresses and their many girlfriends. Chanel’s business quickly took off, and at the end of 1910, taking money from a friend, she moved to Rue Cambon and opened her atelier there with the bold sign “Chanel Fashion.” Very soon this street will become known to the whole world and for half a century will be associated with its name.

After she opened her own business and had the opportunity to use her taste and her abilities, Coco Chanel became a woman entrepreneur for the rest of her life. Nothing could stop her: neither lack of experience, nor the First World War, which broke out soon. Until the end of her life, she continued to work as a designer and as an entrepreneur, bringing to life her ideas about the art of being elegant.Her business has become a phenomenon previously unknown in fashion history. Before Chanel, tailors were never part of high society. Coco Chanel changed public opinion about the designer's work. She has become a magnetic person of international stature. She was accepted and invited everywhere, even into the most aristocratic circles. However, this did not surprise her at all. She commented on her fame like this: “ I didn't enter society because I had to create clothes. Vice versa. I created clothes because I lived in a society where I became the first woman to live life to the fullest in this century..»

In 1913, Coco opened a thriving hat boutique in Deauville. But she dreamed of developing her own line of women's clothing. Chanel did not have the right to make “real” women’s dresses: since she was not a professional dressmaker, she could be prosecuted for illegal competition. Coco found a way out: she began sewing dresses from jersey, a fabric that had previously been used only for sewing men's underwear, and made a fortune from it. All her opening outfits were born in a similar way. When creating, Coco did not refine, but simplified. She did not draw her models or sew them, but simply took scissors, threw the fabric over the model and cut and pinned the shapeless mass of material until the desired silhouette appeared. Coco quickly entered the world of fashion, attracting everyone's attention: she created a style previously unthinkable for women - tracksuits; she dared to appear on the beaches of seaside resorts in a “sailor suit” and a tight skirt. And in a couple of years, Coco will show a jacket without a belt and decorations, removing the bust and curves with almost masculine severity. She will create low waist, shirt dresses, women's trousers and beach pajamas. This is how the Chanel style was born - simple, practical and elegant.

In 1919, Kopel died in a car accident. "... Gabrielle saw a pile of twisted metal, which had recently been a car, and lightly ran her hand over the glass. There was blood everywhere - the blood of Arthur Capel, her beloved man. She sat down on the side of the road and burst into tears. And when she returned home, she repainted the walls black and went into mourning. Gabrielle Chanel was already very famous - and thousands of imitators instantly followed her example. This is how black color came into fashion.»

« This death was a grave blow for me. With Kapel's death I lost everything“, she admitted. And in another interview at that time she said: “ A woman cannot be happy if she is unloved. After all, that's all she needs. A woman who is not loved is zero and nothing more. Believe me: young or old, mother, lover... A woman who is not loved is a lost woman. She can die in peace, it doesn't matter anymore».

In the summer of 1920, when Coco opened in Biarritz big house models she already had clients all over the world. People loved her blazers, skirts, long jersey sweaters, sailor suits and her famous suit (skirt + jacket).

The Russians helped her get out of the depression she was in after the death of “Boy”. She met Diaghilev and Stravinsky, began to provide them with financial support (for example, she gave Diaghilev 300 thousand francs for the production of The Rite of Spring, and 10 years later she spent sleepless nights at his bedside when he was dying in Venice, and then gave money for his funeral).

Soon, communication with the Russian diaspora brought Coco to Grand Duke Dmitry, grandson of Alexander II and cousin of Nicholas II. A man who miraculously escaped death twice (the first time when he fled Russia in 1917, fearing retribution from the empress for his participation in the murder of Rasputin; the second time - because I was not in Russia during the Great October revolution). Dmitry Pavlovich found himself in France penniless, and, to put it mildly, did not live on a grand scale. However, he became Gabrielle's lover. Coco Chanel fell in love and took the young prince into custody... From this moment on, the so-called Russian period began in the work of the Chanel house. There are many models that are based on Russian motifs.

It was Dmitry Romanov who introduced Coco Chanel to the famous perfumer Ernest Beaux. Father Bo long years worked at the court of His Imperial Majesty. And he was an excellent specialist who inherited the full talent of his ancestor. It is worth noting here that until this moment women's perfumes were quite monotonous. Nobody used at least a few scents in their production. There were so-called lavender perfumes, perfumes with the scent of roses and jasmine. But no one used mixes of several flavors. After a year of hard work, Ernest Beaux presented Coco with several perfumes designed “for a woman that smells like a woman.” Chanel chose the fifth option.

This is how the now famous Chanel No. 5 perfume appeared, which had 80 aromas and did not repeat any of the famous flowers. A special rectangular crystal bottle was made for the perfume, which is truly iconic today. The bottle had a small label “Chanel No. 5”. Since then, spirits began to conquer the world. And today they are the best-selling products on our planet. And this means a lot!

A little later, the Chanel fashion house introduced another type of product - jewelry. And here Coco has outdone herself. She decided to mix natural stones and rhinestones. The result exceeded all expectations. By that time, Coco Chanel was already used to it. She herself began to dictate fashion. Everything that her House produced was fashionable.

Already being uncrowned queen Parisian fashion, Chanel offered its clients several more revolutionary changes: checkered trousers, short haircut...In 1926 Coco Chanel created her “little black dress” (formerly the uniform of Parisian saleswomen), which became a multifunctional item outside of fashion, thereby establishing the concept of minimalism in modeling.

To expand the circle of her clients, and at the same time gain new creative ideas and creativity, Coco Chanel did not stop moving in the circles of Parisian bohemia. It was here that she met the great Pablo Picasso, playwright Jean Cocteau... Many sought communication with the famous fashion designer simply out of curiosity, but were surprised to find Coco to be an intelligent, witty, and original-minded woman. Picasso himself called her the most sensible woman in the world. Men were attracted to her not only by her appearance, but also by her extraordinary personal qualities, strong character, and unpredictable behavior. Coco was either irresistibly flirtatious or extremely harsh, straightforward, even cynical. People around her liked her determination And self confidence, she gave the impression of a woman pleased with herself and her successes.

There have always been many love affairs in this woman’s life, but none of them ended in anything serious. Through invisible channels of love, she continuously “pumped” into herself the knowledge and skills of her men. Each of them was a personality. And Coco for the time being became a tracing paper, a carbon copy, Chekhov’s Darling. Horseback riding, savoring oysters, English language, playing tennis, hunting foxes and wild boars, fishing, publishing newspapers, I learned from them perfectly. Each of her men brought something of their own to women's fashion and to her other endeavors.

The next change in Chanel collections was again associated with the love affairs of the mistress of the house. Coco fell in love with the Duke of Westminster. From this moment on, the English period began in the history of the house of Chanel. The romance between Coco and the Duke lasted for 14 years. This is exactly how long the corresponding period in the work of the great Mademoiselle Chanel lasted. Perhaps its most notable stage was that Coco introduced the fashion of wearing jewelry over ordinary sweaters. Nobody practiced this in England. Before Chanel. The rift between the Duke and Coco occurred when it became clear that Chanel could no longer give him heirs. She was 46 years old, and doctors noted this unfortunate fact.

10 years out of fashion

Despite the enormous success of her clothes, in 1939 Coco closed all stores and the fashion house, and World War II began. Many designers have left the country, but Coco remains in Paris. In September 1944, at the initiative of the Committee on Public Morals, Chanel was arrested. The reason was Coco's love affair with a high-ranking German officer Walter Schellenberg, assistant to SS commander Heinrich Himmler. A few hours after her arrest, she was released. Soon after this, Chanel left for Switzerland, where she lived for almost ten years.

The return of Coco Chanel to the world of fashion

In 1954, at the age of 70, she made a triumphant return to the fashion world. " I could no longer see what designers like Dior or Balmain had done with Parisian couture.“- this is how she explained her return.

The first reaction of connoisseurs and the press to the presentation of Chanel's new collection was shock and indignation - she could not offer anything new! Alas, critics failed to understand that this is precisely its secret - nothing new, only eternal, ageless elegance. Coco responded to criticism with dignity, but very causticly - “ Nothing makes a woman look older than a too rich suit." or " Beware of originality, in women's fashion originality can lead to masquerade" In any case, less than a year has passed since a new generation of fashionistas began to consider it an honor to dress from Chanel, and Coco herself turned into a tycoon, managing the largest house in the world fashion industry.

During the difficult war years, many Parisian fashionistas lost their brocade dresses and ostrich feather boas. Instead, Chanel offered them simple shirt-cut blouses and straight knee-length skirts - copies of the models of their own simple, but always relevant wardrobe. Parisian women enthusiastically accepted the “elegant simplicity of Chanel,” and at the end of the 50s, fashionistas who recognized Chanel’s style could be seen throughout Europe. A tailored suit, a flirty hat that covers half of the face, high heels - the image of an elegant, confident and sexy lady without age. All that was missing was the last, subtle but necessary accent - a drop of perfume that would emphasize this image. Then Chanel created a perfume that became the most famous in the world and is recognized by descendants as a work of art. Coco called her perfume “Chanel No. 5.” If someone today wants to buy real French perfume, the first thing that comes to mind is Chanel No. 5. All her life she considered an A to be her lucky number, which invariably brings her good luck. It is no coincidence that she always showed her new collections on the fifth.

Between the 1950s and 1960s, Coco worked with many Hollywood studios and stars like Audrey Hepburn and Liz Taylor. In 1969, actress Katharine Hepburn played the role of Chanel in the Broadway musical Coco.

In the post-war years, Coco had a dangerous competitor - Christian Dior, who made women look like flowers by dressing them in crinoline, cinching their waists and placing numerous folds on their hips. Chanel laughed at this “hyperfemininity”: “ A man who has never had a woman in his entire life strives to dress them as if he were a woman himself.».

Mademoiselle Coco was generally jealous and tight-fisted. She always wore scissors around her neck, tied with a ribbon. There was a case when Chanel, seeing a Givenchy suit on one of her models, came up and instantly tore it open, saying that now the suit looked better.

Coco Chanel was famous arrogance towards others to her people - she humiliated those to whom she did good. They said about her that her gifts were like slaps in the face. Coco's statements about people were damning, and her rudeness smacked of arrogance. She was amazingly efficient, energetic and despised people. " I don't care what you think about me. I do not think about you at all“- she often said.

Until old age, Chanel retained her flexible figure and was very hardworking. Ideas for new costumes came to her even in her sleep, and then she woke up and started working.

The efficiency of the fashion queen was unique. My latest collection she created at the age of 88. Chanel herself had no doubt that the basis of her strength was a philosophy that revealed a woman’s attitude to the world in which she lives. Chanel, who dressed the beautiful half of the world, said: “ The main thing in a woman is not clothes, but sweet manners, prudence and a strict daily routine. A woman should be feminine and athletic and never fool herself with empty talk. She must know why and where she needs to go, what the purpose of every gesture and glance is. We must preserve our own uniqueness: in movements, thoughts, actions. Be able to withstand even the demands of fashion».

Coco Chanel explained her active longevity by the fact that she never led a bohemian night life - “ After a sleepless night you won't create anything worthwhile during the day" She said - " You cannot indulge in gluttony and alcohol, which destroy the body, and still hope to have a body that functions with minimal destruction. A candle that burns at both ends may, of course, spread the brightest light, but the darkness that follows will be long».

Gabrielle Chanel died a quiet death on January 10, 1971, at the age of 88, in a suite at the Ritz Hotel in Paris, across the street from the luxuriously decorated, world-famous House of Chanel. She was buried in Lausanne - in a grave surrounded by five lions made of stone. The income of her empire was $160 million a year, and in her wardrobe only three outfits were found, but “very stylish outfits,” as the Great Queen of Fashion would say.

Six secrets of Coco Chanel's success

Over the 88 years of her life, the Great Mademoiselle gave her name to a style of clothing, costume, fashion house, and perfume. A tireless inventor, Chanel created a lot of new things, but above all... a woman whom no one had known before. The orphan from the orphanage went down in history forever - she chanelized the whole world. How? She had her ways.

Every morning Coco Chanel started living again. She methodically got rid of the burden of her unfavorable past. Every new day she crossed out from her memory everything painful from yesterday. Her childhood and part of her youth are shrouded in fog. She created her legend on her own, inventing facts and confusing her biographers. Gabrielle had thrown at least 10 of her years overboard like trash and, realizing this, oddly enough, felt that she had more time. She began to need less sleep and think more fruitfully. She proved with her fate: the future does not follow from the past; you can start a career at any moment. It was easy for her to close her main brainchild, the Fashion House, for many years, so that later, at 71, when she was no longer taken into account, she could return to business and reach her previous heights.
Chanel viewed any obstacle on the way as a sign of a new direction. At the beginning of her career, she was not allowed to make “real” women's dresses, as she could be prosecuted for illegal competition, because she was not a professional dressmaker. Then Chanel began making dresses from men's jersey and created a fortune from it. How did she achieve success so quickly? And she simply had no other choice. What made her resolutely rebel against everything that was in fashion of that era was nothing other than her own body. Thin and did not fit into the generally accepted canons of the time. Anything expensive and lush simply did not physically suit this body, and therefore she despised luxurious fabrics and gravitated towards cheap knitwear. One day Coco caught fire geyser and singed her locks. Then the innovator cut off her braids and proudly went out into the public. Thus, in 1917, the fashion for short women's haircuts arose. Before Chanel, ladies were required to have long hair.
Chanel did not allow into her life random people, so almost nothing happened to her random events. The criterion was elementary: she sensitively recognized those she didn’t like and left them.
Coco Chanel made paradox a way of her life and the driving force of her talent. Before her, black was considered the color of poverty and mourning. Women did not dare to wear black clothes without reason. Chanel proclaimed black popular and luxurious. For five years she produced only black, and her "dark" dresses sold like buns, with a filling - with a small white collar and cuffs. White women's pajamas began with Chanel. In general, she “robbed” men, introduced their jackets, blouses and ties, their cufflinks and hats into women’s fashion.
Independence was her god, her axiom of life. Even with her first lover, Coco discovered the freedom that money gives if you don’t serve it, but they serve you. Friends lived luxuriously at her expense, she covered their huge debts. This was her principle - to pay in order to forget that they once paid for it. With the help of money she got rid of my shyness, because before in salons she did not open her mouth. Enormous profits gave her confidence and the ability to speak publicly.
External beauty in a woman was proclaimed by her as part of success, otherwise it would be impossible to convince anyone of anything. The older the lady, the more important it is for her to be beautiful. Chanel said: " At 20, your face is given to you by nature, at 30, life sculpts it, but at 50, you must earn it yourself... Nothing ages you more than the desire to look younger. After 50, no one is young anymore. But I know 50-year-olds who are more attractive than three-quarters of poorly groomed young women" Chanel herself looked like an eternally radiant teenager. All her life she weighed the same as when she was 20 years old. And one more thing: she gave the ladies not only a new style, but also a new face that embodied the era - “the face of a rebellious orphan with the grace of a fawn.” Two or three times a century, non-standard types of faces appear, which suddenly outshine recognized beauties and introduce a different canon of beauty. Chanel was one of those!

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Coco Chanel success story is the history of the formation of a new fashion style in the 20s of the twentieth century. A characteristic feature of this style was the “blacked-out” look, which became so widespread among fashionistas of the time that it was compared in its level of success to Henry Ford's new model cars. All cars then came off the assembly line only in black.

It is believed that Gabriel (real name Coco Chanel) was influenced by business style men. This is where the love for black came from.

Gabrielle Chanel

Gabrielle Chanel born in an orphanage in western France in the city of Saumur on August 19, 1883. Her mother was the daughter of a village carpenter, and her father was a market trader.

The shelter workers named the girl Gabrielle in honor of the nurse who helped her mother during childbirth. Gabrielle's mother died when the girl was 11 years old, and her father left her and two sisters in an orphanage at the monastery. It was there that the future fashion designer learned to sew.

When the girl turned 18, she left the monastery and got a job as a saleswoman in a clothing store. In her free time, she sewed hats and sang in a local cabaret. One of the songs in her repertoire was called "Ko Ko Ri Ko"(in Russian - "crow"). This is where the nickname Coco came from, which became her middle name.

The beginning of a success story

Coco Chanel's life changed when she met wealthy man, who owned a stud farm. With him she went to the capital of France, where opened its first store in 1910.

The main assortment of the store were hats, which she sewed herself. Due to the low price and excellent quality, her hats quickly gained popularity. Coco now has her own regular clients. Distinctive feature her products were strict adherence to fashion and the absence of any frills in the form of bows and feathers.

In 1914 Coco Chanel opens a second store due to the great popularity of her products. The second store was opened in the very center of Paris - opposite the Ritz Hotel.

Merits of the fashion designer

Chanel stripped 19th-century fashion of movement-restricting clothing and corsets. Fashionistas of that time liked it.

She simply rejuvenated all the women who used her products - they became more attractive and younger. She made women's skirts, sweaters, trousers, jackets, and blouses. All this was in great demand, it was a revolution in fashion!

Coco Chanel's models became popular outside of Paris, and she had clients from high society. It was then that her famous women's suit of strict cut appeared - a black fitted dress, or a black jujube and jacket.

Chanel No.5

In addition to clothes, the Coco collection included aromaChanel No.5, which is still popular all over the world. At that time, the aroma of women's perfume consisted of the smell of one flower. Chanel also changed fashion in perfumery by creating a polyaroma consisting of 80 components.

Famous Chanel No. 5 fragrance was created in 1921 perfumer Ernest Beaux, a former perfumer of the royal court who fled Russia after the 1917 revolution. According to legend, Coco Chanel asked Mr. Beau to create “an artificial fragrance that smells like a Woman.” After experimenting, the perfumer presented her with ten scents to choose from, of which she chose the fifth - hence the name.

When World War II began, Coco remained in Paris, closed her shops and lived at the Ritz Hotel. They said that she had connections with the Germans. After 1945 she was arrested, but was soon released, and she left for Switzerland.

Return to the world of fashion

Coco Chanel returned to the world of fashion in 1954, when she was already 71 years old. She demonstrated in Paris a new style of women's clothing - practical, businesslike. However, she achieved her former glory and respect only after three seasons. Chanel suit became a status symbol for the new generation: made of tweed, with a narrow skirt, collarless jacket, trimmed with braid, gold buttons and patch pockets.

In 1957, Coco Chanel became the winner of the Fashion Oscar, as the most influential designer of the 20th century.

Gabrielle died alone and childless on January 10, 1971. In 1983, German fashion designer Karl Lagerfeld became the director of her company, he added a little eroticism to Chanel’s style...

Inspired by men's fashion and expensive simplicity, Gabriel- went down in history as great Coco- changed the world forever high fashion and was included in the list of the hundred most influential people of the 20th 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 through 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 sewing 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 dressed in 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 corporate identity 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 toe made of black patent leather solved two problems: they attracted attention and visually reduced the length of the foot and lengthened the legs.

Today, designers all over 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 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 - accessibility and the ability to wear with everyday 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 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 removed the corset from women, gave them black color and revolutionary perfume. We will tell you about the biography of this legendary woman and give some of her quotes

"Everything is in our hands, so they can not be omitted!"

The charm of Coco Chanel lay in her special beauty, original, subtle mind and outstanding character, where the love of freedom was combined with an incessant craving for loneliness...

Coco Chanel became famous not only for her activities in the fashion world, but also for her stormy romances with representatives high society, of which there are many in her biography, as well as arrogance towards the people around her - she humiliated those to whom she did good. They said about her that her gifts were like slaps in the face. Coco's statements about people were damning, and her rudeness smacked of arrogance. She was amazingly efficient, energetic and despised people.

“I don't care what you think about me. I do not think about you at all."

“I love it when fashion comes out into the streets, but I don’t allow it to come from there.”

Coco Chanel was born on August 19, 1883 in Saumur, although she said that she was born 10 years later in Auvergne. Gabrielle's mother died when Gabrielle was only six years old, and her father later died, leaving five children orphans. At that time they were in the care of relatives and spent some time in an orphanage. At the age of 18, Gabrielle began working as a saleswoman in a clothing store, and in her free time she performed in a cabaret. The girl’s favorite songs were “Ko Ko Ri Ko” and “Qui qua vu Coco”, for which she received the nickname Coco. Gabrielle did not shine as a singer, but during one of her performances she attracted the attention of officer Etienne Balzan and soon moved to live with him in Paris. After some time, she went to the English businessman Arthur Capel. After relationships with generous and wealthy lovers, she was able to open her own store in Paris.

“To be irreplaceable, you need to change all the time.”

Once she spent a whole year in a country mansion. During the day she rode horses and attended social events in the evenings. Coco decided that a dress was a very uncomfortable thing for riding a horse, so she showed up at the tailor with trousers that she took from the jockey.

Sew the same ones for me!

But, madam, it is not customary for a woman to wear men’s trousers!

Coco resolutely repeated her request and left the workshop.

The ladies who came to visit her were at first extremely surprised to see Gabrielle on a horse in men's pants. But later, at dinner, they admitted that trousers and a woman were a very good combination. One day, Chanel turned into a trendsetter for the residents of nearby estates.

I wonder what she always had a large number of novels and intrigues, but they all never ended in anything serious. They proposed to her quite often. One day the Duke of Westminster asked for her hand in marriage, to which she responded with characteristic irony: “There are thousands of duchesses in the world, but only one Coco Chanel.” This answer is not surprising, because her work was her only meaning in life.

In 1910 she opened a hat shop.

Already in 1912, Coco created her first fashion house in Deauville, but the First World War temporarily interfered with her plans. In 1919, Chanel opens a fashion house in Paris. At this time, Chanel already had clients all over the world. People loved her blazers, skirts, long jersey sweaters, sailor suits and her famous suit (skirt + jacket). Coco herself had a short haircut and loved to wear small hats and sunglasses.

1921 Coco introduces a coat with fur and new brand Chanel No. 5 perfume

“- Where to apply perfume?
“Where do you want to be kissed?”

“Fashion is what goes out of fashion.”

...Gabrielle saw a pile of twisted metal, which had recently been a car, and lightly ran her hand over the glass. There was blood everywhere - the blood of Arthur Capel, her beloved man. She sat down on the side of the road and burst into tears. And when she returned home, she repainted the walls black and went into mourning. Gabrielle Chanel was already very famous - and thousands of imitators instantly followed her example. This is how black color came into fashion.

In 1926, she created her famous little black dress, which became a multifunctional item beyond fashion, thereby establishing the concept of minimalism in modeling

Despite the enormous success of her clothes, in 1939 Coco closed all stores and the fashion house, and World War II began. Many designers left the country, but Coco remained in Paris and only after the end of the war did she leave for Switzerland.

In 1954, at the age of 71, Gabrielle returned to the fashion world and presented her new collection. But she achieved her former fame and veneration only a few years later. Coco has transformed her classic outfits into a more modern style, and the richest and famous women the world began to attend her presentations. The Chanel suit was a demonstration of the status of the new generation: created from tweed, with a tight skirt, a collarless jacket covered with braid, gold buttons and patch pockets. Chanel also showed the public again ladies' handbag, Jewelry and shoes, which were a tremendous success

“They say that women dress for the sake of women, that they are driven by the spirit of competition.

This is true. But if there were no more men left in the world, women would stop dressing.”

“Jewelry is a whole science! Beauty is formidable weapon! Modesty is the height of elegance!”

“If you were born without wings, don’t try to stop them from growing.”

"There is a time to work, and there is a time to love. There is no other time left.”

On January 10, 1971, at the age of 87, the great Coco died. She was buried in Lausanne - in a grave surrounded by five stone lions. Since 1983, Karl Lagerfeld has run the Chanel fashion house and is its chief designer.

“Every woman has the age she deserves.”

Every day Gabrielle (Coco) Chanel began to live again. She scrupulously got rid of the burden of the past. Each new day she removed from her memory all the heaviness of yesterday. Her childhood and adolescence are shrouded in mystery. She created her legend with her own hands, adding facts, confusing biographers. Gabrielle threw it away unnecessary trash, 10 years of her life and, realizing this, she felt that she now had much more time. She began to think more fruitfully and get tired less. With her fate, she proved: the future does not follow from the past; at any moment you can start and build your own career anew.

Chanel viewed any obstacle in her path as a signpost for a new path.

Coco Chanel created a paradox through her lifestyle and driving force her bright talent, that’s why her biography is so rich bright facts

“We need beauty in order for men to love us; and stupidity - so that we love men.”

She considered external beauty in a woman to be a component of success, otherwise it would be impossible to convince anyone of anything in life. The older the lady, the more important beauty is to her. Chanel said: “At 20, nature gives you your face, at 30, life sculpts it, but at 50, you have to take care of it yourself... Nothing makes you look older like trying to look young. After 50, no one is young anymore. But I know 50 -year-olds, more attractive than three-quarters of unimportantly well-groomed young women." Chanel herself looked like an eternal joyful teenager. She took great care of herself and weighed the same all her life as she did at 20 years old.

Over the 87 years of her life, the great Coco gave her name to an entire style of clothing, costume, fashion house and perfume. A constant inventor, Chanel created a lot of new products, but above all... an image of a woman that no one could imagine before her