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Born into poverty, Gabrielle Bonheur Chanel (Coco Chanel) built one of the most sought-after luxury brands in the world. From learning to sew in the orphanages she grew up in, to dressing Jacqueline Kennedy, the success of Chanel is a genuine rag to riches story.
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Join MemoriesMary Carr She was born as Gabrielle Bonheur Chanel on 19 August 1883 in Saumur, Maine-et-Loire, France. Her father was a street vendor and her mother was a laundrywoman. She lost her mother at the age of 11, and her father sent her and her sisters off to the orphanage run by the nuns of the Congregation of the Sacred Heart of Mary.
Mary Carr It was while she was staying at the orphanage that she learned how to sew. After she turned 18, she left the orphanage and began work as a seamstress. To make ends meet, she took another job singing at a bar, where she got the nickname “Coco”.
Mary Carr Coco Chanel opened another boutique in Deauville, France where she started selling deluxe casual clothing for sports and leisure, along with hats, jackets, sweaters, and sailor blouses. Her straightforward approach to using ordinary designs became the trademark look that she became known for. She further expanded the business with another boutique in Biarritz in the French Basque Country. The wealthy Spanish clientele enabled her to pay off her initial capital and open the Chanel Fashion House at 31 Rue Cambon, Paris in 1919. “Some people think luxury is the contrary of being poor. No, it is the contrary of vulgarity”. - Coco Chanel
Mary Carr Her beauty and youthful charm beguiled men, and she had several lovers who introduced her to the world of luxury. Coco Chanel began designing hats while living with one of her lovers, Étienne Balsan. It started off as a hobby, which quickly became a business. She opened the Chanel Mondes boutique at 21 Rue Cambon, Paris shortly after she became a licensed milliner in 1910.
Mary Carr She rose into prominence when theatre actress Gabrielle Dorziat wore her creations in the play “Bel Ami” in 1912.
Mary Carr Coco Chanel commissioned French-Russian chemist and perfumer Ernest Beaux to formulate the scent that later became the iconic N°5 perfume. The name of the perfume hailed from her affinity for the number 5. Her days at the orphanage forged a lasting association for the number. Each day at the orphanage Coco Chanel would walk to the cathedral to pray. Along the way she would cross a stone path which was cobbled in groups of five. This holy tradition led to this number symbolising the embodiment of purity for her. When Ernest Beaux presented the scent samples to Coco Chanel, she chose the fifth vial. She told the master perfumer, "I always launch my collection on the 5th day of the 5th month, so the number 5 seems to bring me luck – therefore, I will name it Nº5". Source: https://youtu.be/C7m8_f4pgqI
Mary Carr Fashion historians attributed the emergence of the Little Black Dress to Coco Chanel. The picture of a calf-length black dress decorated only by a few diagonal lines appeared in American Vogue magazine in 1926. It is a simple, accessible, yet elegant dress that every woman should have in their closet.
Mary Carr Iconic women wearing the iconic dress
Mary Carr At the start of World War II in 1939, Coco Chanel closed all of her shops, saying that it was not a time for fashion. She took up residence at the Hotel Ritz and had a romantic liaison with German diplomat Hans Günther von Dincklage.
Mary Carr She took advantage of the anti-Semitic sentiments and tried to regain control of Chanel N°5 from the Wertheimer brothers, who were managing the production, marketing, and distribution of the perfume under the corporation, Parfums Chanel. The brothers anticipated that the Nazis will be seizing Jewish-owned businesses, so they turned over the control of the company to a Christian French businessman, Felix Amiot. Parfums Chanel was returned to the Wertheimers after the war and Coco Chanel was later given the opportunity to renegotiate their agreement, which was first formed in 1924 . Beyond Coco Chanel’s sentiments and affair with the German diplomat, it was later revealed through declassified documents that she was a spy for the Nazis during World War II. She later fled to Switzerland in 1944 to avoid criminal charges.
Mary Carr Beyond Coco Chanel’s sentiments and affair with the German diplomat, it was later revealed through declassified documents that she was a spy for the Nazis during World War II. She later fled to Switzerland in 1944 to avoid criminal charges.
Mary Carr It took 15 years before the Chanel Fashion House reopened. Coco Chanel was already 71 years old in 1954 when she came out with her comeback collection. While the French were wary due to her role in the war, the American and British were more forgiving. The collection brought back the iconic Chanel style that celebrates the liberated women that survived another war.
Mary Carr She updated her classic looks, including the classic tweed designs of the iconic Chanel suit. The suit, which she introduced in 1923, was made with tweed. Considered an unglamorous fabric used mainly for sportswear, she was able to tailor it to feminine designs that appealed to the modern women at the time.
Mary Carr Marilyn Monroe dabs on Chanel No. 5 for a photo shoot.
Mary Carr Chanel fitting actress Romy Schneider in her atelier.
Mary Carr Chanel, carrying her 2.55 bag.
Mary Carr Katharine Hepburn as Chanel in Coco on Broadway. (1969)
Mary Carr Jacqueline Kennedy in Chanel. (1967)
Mary Carr The Chanel 2.55 handbag, along with the Chanel suit, continues to be one of the most sought-after pieces of any fashionista both young and old.
Mary Carr Coco Chanel passed away peacefully in her sleep in 1971. She left an indelible mark in the fashion industry. Her style of mixing the traditional ideas of masculinity and femininity paved the way for fashion that is designed not just for its visual appeal, but also for practicality and comfort.
Mary Carr Under the direction of Karl Lagerfeld, who took the helm after Coco’s passing, Chanel continues to be a fashion powerhouse. He stayed true to the Chanel look while giving it a more modern edge. You can see the biggest fashion moments of the 90’s here: https://memories.net/timeline/thebiggestfashionmomentsofthe90s--81495#.XzkyIOM5Bqo.link
Mary Carr It's more than a perfume, it's an icon. A 3-min fashion film featuring couture-clad, Nicole Kidman in the most expensive Chanel No. 5 ad campaign (2006) Source: https://youtu.be/nfoMbir_Qd4
Mary Carr