Fashion designer coco chanel biography. Biography of Coco Chanel (Coco Chanel) - photos, quotes, career, personal life, success story. Ronica's personal and creative biography

The little French woman who changed the world. So contemporaries spoke about Coco Chanel. She was worshiped, she was idolized. The girl was not beautiful in the classical sense of the word. But she was able to conquer the world with her resourcefulness and a unique sense of freedom, embodied in revolutionary simplicity and elegance.

Coco Chanel's biography remains an example of incredible luck. Success gave this woman worldwide fame and huge money, which allowed her to command the thoughts and minds of the most influential personalities of the 20th century. At the same time, in childhood, the girl was considered an ugly duckling and only with age turned into an attractive woman:

1. With a height of 1 meter 69 cm, she weighed no more than 54 kg. Historians claim that the great couturier in best years my life had thin waist- 67 cm, which favorably emphasized the hips, with a volume of 99 centimeters.
2. The founder of the Coco Chanel brand lived for 87 years (08/19/1883 - 01/10/1971), while already in old age she stubbornly told that she was much younger than indicated in the passport.
3. This legendary designer of hats and suits owes his desire to conquer the world and achieve his goal to the sign of the Zodiac, under which the future celebrity was born. Leos, by their very nature, perceive the people around them exclusively as a means to an end.

Even in old age, Gabrielle Bonnier Chanel (the woman's real name) remained true to her principles, not wanting to submit to fate and age.

Childhood

Biographers write about the early youth of the world famous fashion designer in different ways:

• the father left his three sisters in the care of the state when Gabrielle was only 12 years old;
• the girl and her five brothers and sisters were left in the orphanage when future Coco was only 6 years old;
• in the care of relatives, the baby turned out to be very tiny, and when she grew up they gave her to the nuns to be raised.

The woman herself did not like to remember the family, when journalists began to ask her about the believable story of Coco Chanel and her parents, she preferred to remain silent. Only once did she say: "People who have a legend are themselves a legend!" This reluctance to talk about her roots was most likely connected with the betrayal of her parent, who offended her mother during her lifetime and abandoned her daughters after dying from asthma. The poor woman was only 33 years old when she left this world.

Studies

Since 1895, Chanel lived in a monastery shelter. Here she went to school. The nuns strictly followed the pupils, taught them needlework and clothing repair. The girl learned to patch up holey skirts and to change old coats from early childhood. Ten years spent among the orphans and visiting students hardened the character of the future fashionista. She dreamed of breaking free from the gloomy walls at all costs and throwing her annoying uniform into the trash.

The girl became interested in the art of modeling and decorating thanks to her relative from Vichy. The woman was the sister of Gabrielle's mother and the grown-up nieces were often invited to the family estate for vacations. A relative specially bought felt blanks and reshaped them in her own way. A future celebrity in her youth was considered very ugly, so she paid great attention to the opportunity to decorate an ugly appearance.

From 18 to 20 years old, a young orphan, together with a girlfriend, was forced to live and study at a kind of institute for noble maidens. They did not want to be locked up at such a young age, but the institution provided the graduates with work, so the orphans had no choice.

Carier start

In 1902, Gabrielle and a friend were assigned to a ready-to-wear shop in the small town of Moulins. Gradually, clients began to besiege talented tailors, who quickly and efficiently serve everyone. Here, the future style icon Coco Chanel made the necessary acquaintances among wealthy representatives of noble families.

Gradually, she managed to save some amount and two more intimate friends, a niece and aunt, rented a small apartment on the outskirts of the garrison town. Clientele began to appear at the young dressmakers at home. The owners did not know for a long time about such a transition of their regular customers into the wrong hands, but Gabrielle was not particularly shy. She dreamed of wealth and independence.

Along the way, on weekends, Chanel performed as a singer in a small cafe, performing a cheerful composition about chicken. Here the word from the chorus became her new name. So Coco appeared and Gabrielle forgot.

By the age of 24, she was able to open a hat workshop in the apartment of her first lover. All fans of the unusual style of Chanel moved here, there was no end to the customers. In the fall of 1910, another patron of an enterprising French woman opened unlimited credit in her name at a local bank. A former orphan set up her own workshops on the ground floor big house in one of the best areas of Paris.

At the age of 30, the woman had several boutiques in France - not only the local nobility visited the resort towns during the season. At the beginning of the 20th century, all the aristocrats of the Spanish royal court were happy to dress at the trendsetter at the beginning of the 20th century. She was subordinate to about 300 people.

In 1917, fashion changed completely, bulky hairstyles did not harmonize in any way with simple jersey suits and loose dresses with a low waistline. Chanel decides to cut off the braid, according to the woman herself, she wanted to show her thin, long neck in a winning light. So, short hairstyles from Gabrielle's light hand have become a novelty and a hit of the season.

Takeoff and popularity

In 1912, photographs of famous actresses wearing Chanel hats appeared for the first time on the pages of a fashion magazine. The eccentric owner of the workshop has become popular not only among ordinary people. In 1913, the Russian choreographer Stravinsky ordered costumes for his innovative ballet for the famous Parisian hat lady and owner of a fashionable salon. The status of a representative of a trendy direction in clothing is firmly entrenched for a small mistress of a large enterprise.

In 1920, the Rothschilds' wealthy daughter-in-law fell out with Paul Poiret, a recognized authority in the fashion world. She treated his models badly, and the owner of the most popular agency found it offensive. In retaliation for her intransigence, the noble lady went to Chanel to order numerous outfits for herself and her friends. The income of a once poor orphan girl has tripled.

Acquaintance with a descendant of imperial perfumers, who for many years created fragrances for the Russian nobility, led to the creation of legendary perfumes. In 1921, Ernest Bo presented several fragrance options to choose from for the capricious trendsetter, based on aldehydes for the first time.

It was decided to name the perfume chosen by Chanel by its serial number. The popularity of perfume is said by interesting fact that in the world at least 1 bottle of this brand is sold every 55 seconds! As stated in Wikipedia, the first year of the sale of "Chanel No. 5" brought the owner of the brand millions in revenues.

Over the years, the composition of the fragrance has not changed, its face at one time was the most famous beauties of the planet:

• Catherine Deneuve;
• Nicole Kidman;
• Estella Warren;
• wife of Gerard Depardieu, Carole Bouquet;
• Audrey Tautou.

Thanks to the legendary perfume, by the spring of 1945, Coco became one of the richest women in Europe. Her handbags are produced only in a single copy. In the wardrobe of every self-respecting fashionista, dresses and costumes from the legendary legislator must have been present. Coco Chanel's fashion has become recognizable on all continents. Her rival Poiret once called the Parisian style “the fashion for the poor” for her striving for brevity and refined simplicity.

While in exile, in Switzerland, Coco Chanel took little part in the life of the beau monde, but in 1954, when the woman was allowed to return to her homeland, the fashion designer decides to do it with triumph. She is not afraid of her own age and the current realities of modern life.

The great Mademoiselle has been actively working with Hollywood actresses since the mid-60s. In updated suits and dresses from the famous couturier, they sported:

• Audrey Hepburn;
• Liz Taylor;
• Katharine Hepburn.

Personality and character

Chanel was strict with her employees and subordinates. She mercilessly fired for the slightest offense and never bothered to visit hospitals during the First World War. Coco Chanel spoke somewhat dismissively about her men: “Gentlemen Balzan and Capel treated me with pity, seeing in me a poor, abandoned sparrow. In fact, I was a real tigress. Little by little she comprehended life - or rather, she learned to find means to defend herself against it. "

Without the help of her patrons, she would have remained an ordinary dressmaker of an unknown little ready-to-wear store. But she knew how to succeed. Quotes about the life of Coco Chanel were adopted by many stars in an effort to achieve recognition and fame:

1. "Every girl should always know two things: what and who she wants."
2. “It is impossible to be innovative all the time. I want to create classics! "
3. "Even if you find yourself at the very bottom of grief, having nothing at all, not a single living soul around, there is always a door on which you can knock ... This is work!"
4. "Our homes are prisons, but we will find freedom in them if we can decorate them as we please."
5. "Most beautiful jewelry make me think about wrinkles, the flabby skin of rich widows, bony fingers, death, wills. "

At the same time, Chanel herself constantly wore a large string of large pearl beads, donated to her by an English aristocrat and complementing the classic image of Coco in all photographs of that time.

Coco Chanel spoke about beauty very boldly, believing that by the age of thirty, an intelligent woman must become attractive. She also did not recognize laziness, telling in her memoirs that in an effort to achieve success, a woman should not stop at anything. But the quotes about Coco Chanel's fashion fully show her attitude to the work of her whole life:

1. "Elegance in clothes means freedom of movement."
2. "I myself am fashion."

Personal life

The first civil husband the young milliner was the young sergeant Etienne Bazan. He came from a wealthy family of manufacturers, had money and adored horses. It was this hobby of the young rake that made the young French woman wear men's trousers for the first time. The girl did not have money for expensive Amazons from luxurious fabrics, and her owner dreamed of making a jockey out of her passion. With him, she learned to shock the audience. men's shirts and jackets made especially for a young kept woman.

The Englishman Arthur Kepel soon became the love of Chanel's life. He was also fond of horse racing and was incredibly handsome. For his sake, Coco left the carefree life on the estate and went to Paris to start her own business. As the milliner said in her memoirs, this man became everything to her - husband, lover, father.

The next chosen one of the wealthy owner of her own fashion industry was the legendary Igor Stravinsky. By the time of their romance, Gabrielle had buried her beloved Englishman and introduced a fashion for black in everything - from ladies' toilets to cars.

In 1920, on the Cote d'Azur, a former impoverished orphan made his lover the Russian prince Dmitry, a native of the royal family. Young Romanov fled to France from the reprisals of the Bolsheviks and was in straitened circumstances. The rich Chanel did not spare money for her lover. An abortion, performed in early adolescence in unsanitary conditions, robbed her of the happiness of motherhood. Therefore, she scattered money left and right, wanting to attract the attention of a handsome Russian.

Pierre Reverdi replaced the Russian aristocrat at the throne of the fashion queen. The shocking rich entrepreneur won the heart of the extravagant poet with her direct statements on any occasion. She was so unlike her usual surroundings. Their romance lasted until 1926, after which Koko bought all the manuscripts of a disillusioned rhymer from her friends and paid him and his wife a small house until the end of the life of their former lover.

The Duke of Westminster sent various gifts to the obstinate lover for a long time:

• orchids for home decoration;
• delicacies;
• jewelry;
• fur.

The calculating Frenchwoman responded with the same expensive signs of attention, not wanting to follow the lead of a rich courtier. Journalists could not understand why the aging milliner attracted the attention of men. Contemporaries argued that the thin brunette had an unforgettable charm, a sparkling sense of humor and was always in place in the circle of the cream of society.

She demonstrated the best models from her collections at the most sophisticated social receptions and was in demand as an invited guest. Coco Chanel's personal life by this time was a constant subject of discussion on the pages of the tabloid press, but the heroine of the caustic libels did not care much about the opinion of those around her.

For many years Paul Irib was an artist in the company of an eminent milliner. He created sketches of jewelry, which, thanks to the desire of the hostess of a fashion concern, became very popular even in high society. The famous cartoonist and creator of brilliant theatrical scenery fell in love with the capricious Frenchwoman.

Over the years, she became afraid of loneliness, and an affair with her own designer was a gulp for Gabrielle fresh air... A heart attack took a beloved from the milliner at the moment when she was about to invite him to sign.

Count Luchino Visconti. The loving mistress of the fashion brand for about three years had a non-binding relationship with a descendant of an ancient Italian family. The man did not hide his unconventional aspirations in love, the connection with the trendsetter helped him become a famous person in cinematic circles and Jean Mare's lover.

Hans Gunther von Dinklage was 13 years younger than his famous passion. They practically lived together during the occupation of Paris by the Nazis.

Walter Schellenberg. The brilliant SS officer could not resist the charms of the aging Mademoiselle. Their romance became known only after the war, when the trial of Nazi criminals revealed the terrible secret of the French woman. Because of this relationship, she faced the death penalty. Winston Churchill saved the situation.

Lifestyle

Throughout her life, the celebrity drove about 32 interior items, presented to her in her youth by a wealthy patron Arthur Kepel, to all apartments and houses. The woman adored luxurious and expensive designs.

Thanks to the work of her own makeup artist, Mademoiselle looked great even in her worst times. However, she always worked. Many seamstresses in her workshops were surprised at such a desire to create something with their own hands. The main rule in the diet of the great milliner was the rejection of spicy, fragrant food.

The woman kept her horse well, could chase wild boars for hours, and then go in a high-speed car to her own workshops to check how things were going.

She went to bed early. No social events came between Coco Chanel and good rest.

Prizes

In 1957, Coco Chanel became an Oscar winner in the fashion world. In the American Dallas, the successes of the miniature Frenchwoman received worldwide recognition. The woman herself was called a person who had a huge impact on the world community in the 20th century.

Chanel's image in literature and cinema

The legendary creator of raincoats and jackets, women's trouser suits and dresses with short skirts did not go unnoticed by filmmakers:

1. "Woman, Epoch". A documentary series about the great representatives of the weak half of humanity. The filmmakers in 1978 released the first episode of a large cycle, the story of historical figures began with the image of Coco Chanel and the story of her success.
2. In 1981, the Canadian director released the feature film Lonely Chanel. The plot is based on the story of a young celebrity and her beloved Englishman. The creators tell the viewer about the help of an aristocrat to his passion in creating a brand, about her worries about marrying her friend, about the tragic death of the most beloved man in Chanel's life.
3. Gabrielle Chanel. Immortal Style ”. The film was released in 2001. The director has put together rare documentary footage with the participation of the Great Mademoiselle herself, filming shows of her most famous collections. Interviews with people who know the woman personally, who have worked with her or have been friends for many years, became a bunch of different stories.
4. "Coco Chanel". In 2008, a biographical feature film about the life of the famous couturier was presented to the jury of the American Academy Award. Shirley McLaine, who plays Chanel as an adult, also received the prestigious Golden Globe Award for the best portrayal of Coco in a television film. Eyewitnesses and people who knew the designer personally claimed with one voice that the actress was able to embody on the screen the true character traits of a strong-willed and decisive trendsetter.
5. Coco to Chanel. In 2009, French filmmaker Anne Fontaine decided to tell her story about the Great Mademoiselle. The film received the prestigious American Oscar for Best Costumes. The huge work of costume designers was appreciated by the eminent jury and world designers.
6. "Coco Chanel and Igor Stravinsky" directed by Jean Quinn tried to tell about the difficult relationship between the Russian composer and Coco Chanel. The film was received controversially, with many celebrating the outright fiction in the relationship between the former milliner and the pioneering musician. Despite the melodrama of the picture, critics noted the work of Mads Mikkelsen, who played the role of Stravinsky.
7. "Once" (2012), "Return" (2013). Short films directed by the head of the House of Chanel, Karl Lagerfeld. The first part of the story tells about the beginning of the milliner's career, when she opened her first workshop in Danville, the designer was played by Keira Knightley. The second part is devoted to Coco's preparation for the triumphant revival of the elite Fashion House after being exiled to Switzerland. Here the strong-willed celebrity was embodied on the screen by Christy Chaplin, the daughter of the great comedian.

The cult personality in the fashion industry did not go unnoticed by fans to tell about the life of celebrities through the prism of their own experiences:

1. Claude Delay - Lonely Chanel. For many years, the author was Koko's personal psychoanalyst and therefore knew about her experiences much more than other biographers. In France, the book was presented to readers back in 1983, on the centenary of the designer's birth. In the Russian version, the book was presented only in 2010, simultaneously with the release of the film with Audrey Tautou in the lead role, and therefore all copies were instantly sold out. Very interesting work, illustrated with rare photographs.
2. Edmond Charles-Roux - Chanel Time. The fashion historian detailed how many actual changes to the style and image of the European woman were made by the designer. Without a doubt, those who want to know the reason for the personality cult of this little Frenchwoman will find the work interesting and informative.
3. Justine Picardy - “Coco Chanel. Legend and Life ". For 10 years, the journalist bit by bit collected information about the true state of affairs in the life of the legendary celebrity. As the publishers said in the preface, the writer had the opportunity to work with the archive of the former milliner, and therefore some of the facts were received with hostility by Chanel fans. In particular, the journalist devoted most of the literary epic to romantic relationship Coco with Winston Churchill and the Duke of Westminster.
4. Paul Moran - Coco Chanel Allure. The author decided to show the character of a celebrity, the conditions of her life and the path to success through a description of the celebrity's inner circle. The heroes of individual chapters are: Sergei Diaghilev, Igor Stravinsky, Pablo Picasso, Duke of Windsor, Winston Churchill, Eric Satie, Misie Sert.
5. The readers' particular attention was drawn to the illustrations to the work made by the creative designer of the Chanel fashion house Karl Lagerfeld in 1996.
6. Marcel Edrich - "Mysterious Coco Chanel". There are practically no truthful facts in this literary work. The thing is that the writer was the personal chronicler of the famous Great Mademoiselle. Therefore, some moments are described solely from her words, and Chanel herself loved to give her image mystery and legend. As critics noted, this is exactly the chronicle of herself that she would like to see on the shelves of bookstores.

By 1913, thirty-year-old Gabrielle Chanel has two salons in France. Having borrowed money from Arthur Capel, with great excitement she opens a store in the French resort of Biarritz, on the very border with Spain. With this milestone, the Chanel brand begins to conquer Europe.

And already in 1915 a fashionable European magazine writes: "A woman who does not have at least one dress from Chanel in her wardrobe can be considered hopelessly behind fashion."

Over the course of a century, the items from Chanel desired by fashionistas can be enumerated endlessly: from classic coats to elegant brooches. Today Chanel House has 150 boutiques around the world and hundreds of thousands of branded products.

According to some reports, the company's annual turnover is over a billion dollars. And the brand's logo is one of the most recognizable and quoted in the fashion world, like the name of its founder, the great Coco Chanel.

Who is she? How was this woman's life? Where is Gabrielle Chanel from? You will learn about all this by reading the article.

"Coco"

“My father really didn't like it. He was afraid that they would call me Gaby. So he came up with the affectionate nickname Coco, which meant chicken. "

Gabrielle came up with this beautiful story to drown out the pain of an orphan childhood, in which there was no father's love. The nickname Gabrielle Chanel received much later from visitors to the Rotunda cabaret, where she performed after shifts in the store. In several songs that she performed, this word constantly sounded.

Gabrielle Chanel: biography, childhood

She was born on the nineteenth of August 1883 in an asylum for the poor in the French town of Saumur. The name Gabrielle got her from the nurse-nun in the hospital of the orphanage. Neither the mother, the daughter of an ordinary hard worker, nor the father, a wandering merchant, could come up with a name for the newborn. The girl became the second of five children in this family.

When she was 12, her mother died, exhausted from asthma. The father, who had a passion for the road and drinking, and the track was gone. The authorities assigned the two sons, as abandoned, to someone else's family, which received benefits for them, and the brothers plowed like the damned. The three sisters briefly settled down with their uncle and aunt's relatives, but soon ended up in the monastery orphanage.

Later, Chanel spoke of those events as unbearable blows for a child's soul, then she had to deeply feel what it was like to lose everything. This pain gave rise to a hopeless inferiority in the girl, which pushed her to desperately brave actions to the very gray hairs.

Uncompromising, arrogant, audacious. Hatred of the idle lifestyle of the bohemian and a burning desire to earn on their own in order to achieve all the benefits of this life. This is all that I have found in my difficult childhood Coco. And this was useful to her in order to prove to him, who abandoned her to an indifferent person with a mediocre fate, that she is and she is worthy of love. By the way, they never met their father again.

Singer

Two years after her native monastery, Coco spent in another boarding house, after which she was assigned to work in a store for brides in the city of Moulins.

Quickly gaining trust from the store's customers, she took small orders at home. But the dream of a career as an artist brought the cafe "Rotunda" to the stage, where she sang popular songs and earned herself the first glory and attention of men.

The rumor about the young singer quickly spread throughout the small soldier's town. And the lively orphan was kicked out with a bang from her decent position in the store.

Paris

Meeting with Etienne Baysan opened the door to another world. A military man, an aristocrat by birth, he possessed a huge inheritance and a glorious character. Their relationship began in the very "Rotunda".

Having moved to his country house, the young provincial got access to but never became Etienne's legal companion.

When Gabrielle Chanel, whose youth photo is presented to your attention in the article, decided to open an atelier, Baysan refused her a loan, but provided his Paris apartment for this purpose.

Despite the warm relationship, Etienne never confessed his love and was not eager to marry. His feelings were kindled when his mistress went to another. The other was his closest friend.

The battle

Arthur Capel, known in the circle of friends as "Boy", was an orphan, but managed to create a fortune and was accepted in high society. With him, Coco realized that it is not necessary to be born rich - you can become her. Thanks to Boy, she began her career as an entrepreneur.

He gave money for the workshop. Gave a loan, because only on such a condition did the proud milliner accept them. So, in 1910, the first Chanel boutique appeared in Paris. At first there were hats, but later it was filled with other creations of the novice couturier.

In 1913, with Arthur's money, a second store was opened in the resort town of Deauville. With the arrival of the Germans in France in 1914, many wealthy refugees turned out to be in Deauville. Gabrielle was able to pay back all debts to Capel and open another boutique in Biarritz, from where her march across Europe began.

And Etienne and Arthur, meanwhile, shared Coco for a whole year. At this time, she was calmly engaged in business. Capel understood that this was a truly independent woman, and did not even try to make her his wife.

Fight remained the main love of her life. In 1919 he died in a car accident. The one who gave her everything, again made her experience a terrible feeling from childhood - complete emptiness and loneliness.

Gabrielle Chanel: personal life

Life went on. In 1920, Koko met Dmitry Pavlovich Romanov, the grand duke and cousin of the last Russian tsar. He is young, handsome and not married. Their short-lived relationship helps her to forget about the grief.

The Duke of Westminster was the richest man in England at that time. He arranged shows for her in London, without which one could not hope for success in Paris. Koko admitted that only with him she felt protected and weak. He was able to replace her father. To marry her, the Duke divorced for three years, but due to the inability to have an heir from Gabrielle, they still parted.

Paul Irib is a talented artist and sculptor. He was the first and last man they actually intended to marry. Died in hospital after suffering a heart attack in her arms. It happened during a tennis match, shortly before the scheduled wedding. After his death in 1935, Chanel could not sleep well for many years.

In the fall of 1940, she begins to meet with a German citizen, Hans Gunther von Dinklage. Nobody approved of this connection. Of course, Coco didn't give a damn about everyone. Thanks to her relationship with Hans, she is expelled from the country, he follows her. But the family did not work out again, and at this Chanel stops looking for happiness in love, completely surrendering to work.

War

By the 40s, Gabrielle Chanel, whose photo you see in the article, had five stores on the Rue Cambon in Paris. With the fascist occupation, they closed all of them. During the war, she moved in the circles of the Nazis, because only then they could buy her goods. But, it should be noted that having a commercial interest, she never dreamed of political upheavals.

By the end of the war, the arrests of collaborators began - Coco was also interrogated. They say that before entering the station, she said: "If I am away for a long time, call Churchill." She was not arrested, but for her connection with the Nazis, she was strongly advised to leave France.

She could never forgive this Motherland. After spending 9 years in exile in Switzerland, Chanel bequeathed to bury herself there.

Return

In 1954, 15 years after the House was closed, she returned. But the sensation ended in failure - the public did not accept the collection. Chanel tore and threw. She could not concede primacy to Dior, whose new look Parisians appreciated for splendor, deliberate decorativeness and bright colors. Coco has always promoted restrained luxury and dreamed not of a seasonal style, but of noble classics.

With grim frenzy, she set about creating a second collection and emerged victorious. She achieved recognition by squeezing out the men who reigned at that time on the Olympus of fashion.

Koko ascended never to come down from the podiums again. She brought convenience, beauty and elegance back into fashion. Her style is an eternal classic, a sign of good taste, a hymn to simplicity and luxury, freedom to be yourself.

Care

On January 11, 1971, getting ready for work, she felt unwell. The ampoule with the usual drug did not give in, only the maid could open it. But the injection did not help. She died of a heart attack in her replacement room at the Ritz Hotel in Paris. It was the first day in her life that she did not show up for work.

Russian trace in the life of Chanel

What is the "Russian trace" left by the famous Coco Chanel? Here are some facts:

• Based on the Russian men's shirt, Koko invented a blouse that has become a business classic for French women.
• The imperishable fragrance Chanel №5 is the development of the Moscow perfumer Ernest Bo.
• She invented the bottle for herself, taking as a basis the damask of Russian vodka donated by Romanov.
• Diaghilev's first Russian Seasons in Europe were paid for by Coco.
• When the Russian Ballet does not have enough money to pay for Diaghilev's funeral in Venice, it will again take over.
• Her house was the home of the immigrant Russian intelligentsia.

Little known facts

Interesting facts from the life of Coco Chanel:

• Being nearsighted, she was shy about glasses all her life and carried them in a bag.
• During her sea cruise, the Duke of Westminster presented her with a rare emerald. Admiring a stone in an expensive setting, she threw it into the water.
• It was only after her death that the world learned that Chanel was decreasing her age by 10 years.
• Since 1935, after the death of Paul Irib, she began to inject the semi-legal drug "Sedol" and did them until the end of her life. Chanel assured that she uses this medicine only once a day.
• With the "filing" of the Romanovs, she used cheap labor in the workshops - a refugee from Russia.
• The trademark black toe on light-colored shoes is her way to visually shorten the size of her fortieth foot with a height of 169 cm.
• One of the first invited famous people to advertise their brand by giving the promoted goods as a gift.

This is Gabrielle Someone will envy her, someone will admire her ... In any case, there is someone to take an example from ...

Coco Chanel is an outstanding female fashion designer, founder of the Fashion House, who has proven that elegance is impossible without convenience. Her designer fantasies include a little black dress, a pantsuit for women, a handbag on a chain and other signature items that create a sophisticated style.

Perfume "Chanel No. 5" is the leader in sales, and the publishing house "Time" includes the name of the Great Mademoiselle in one hundred of the most influential people in the fashion industry. What is the life story behind the brand, whose logo - two crossed letters "C" - is known all over the world? The biography of Coco Chanel will tell about this.

Childhood and youth in the monastery

Gabrielle Boner Chanel was born on August 19, 1883 in the French town of Saumur. The little girl was born under the zodiac sign "lion", later she will decorate her interior with the figures of the king of beasts and use the "lion" motif in the fittings.

"Leo" is characterized by a desire for success, but was it easy to achieve it?

Childhood Gabrielle was difficult, she can be attributed to the category of people who "made themselves" in spite of the circumstances.

Jeanne Gabrielle did not remember her mother well, or, as she confessed in her memoirs, she did not want to remember. Jeanne, 19, fell in love with Gabrielle's father, Albert, and became pregnant. The guy escaped, 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 unfortunate lover and gave birth the next day.

When she became pregnant again three months later, her roommate advised her to "go to work." A young woman "in position" and with a baby in her arms wandered from house to house, offering help with the housework.

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

Gabrielle has more pleasant memories associated with her father; they waited for his appearance in the family as 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 "farm hands" to farmers, and entrusts his daughters to the care of the sisters of the Aubazin monastery. Gabriele was 13 years old, she did not see her father again.

My loneliness has made me a strong personality Coco chanel

AREA OF GOOD

In Aubazin, Gabriel's life was dreary, numerous prohibitions dominated the young rebel: waking up, falling asleep and starting a meal followed at the command of the nurse on duty. Years in an 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 bore 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 is a documentary fact: only grandfather and aunt Louise took the girl to stay with them on vacation.

Gabriela calls Aunt Andrienne, my father’s younger sister, “sister” because of the small age difference. She, too, was in Aubazin, and the girls share a romantic dream of a rich groom and freedom. When they decide to marry Andrienne to an old notary, Gabriela persuades her to flee the monastery.

There is not enough money for long and the unlucky fugitives return. They are quickly assigned to another institution of the "strict regime" - the boarding school of the Institute of Our Lady of the city of Moulins. Gabriel has been there for two years, from 18 to 20 years old. Recalling these years, Chanel will declare in an interview that she “served her time”, and when asked by a surprised journalist “for what”, she will clarify - “for dissent”.

The boarding school graduates had to be ready for an independent life, so they were taught to sew. These skills will come in handy for a future clothing designer.

Early life and Etienne Balsan

After boarding, Gabrielle and Andrienne work for the Gramper couple in a shop selling dowry for brides. The girl is also engaged in minor repairs of dresses of secular ladies: she sews on frills, refines lace.

Is it then that Gabrielle has a dislike for flower 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 outgoing amber, they generously doused themselves with floral perfume.

Gabrielle decides to break the code of fate and change the field of activity.

If you want to have what you never had, you have to do what you never did. Coco chanel

The girl wonders what can bring her fame? Moulins was a garrison town in which the 10th Horse Jaeger Regiment was quartered. In the Rotunda cafe, watching the singers, Gabriel decides that she sings as well as they do, and announces to the director of the establishment that she is ready to sign a contract!

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

Her “cocky” verses with the chorus “ko-ko-ri-ko” are very popular with the local military. Calling the girl for an encore, the audience chants “ko-ko”. This nickname is to become her pseudonym.

Gabriela's success evokes sarcastic remarks from fellow rivals, for her boyish figure she is teased "starving from India."

Only nonentities have no envious persons. It is better to have the first than to be the second. Coco chanel

BIG CITY LIGHTS

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

So in 1905 she goes to conquer the city mineral waters Vichy. Pouring water to holidaymakers, Gabriel collects money for vocal lessons. But classes do not help to get an engagement, and she returns to Moulin.

Really, to earn money again have to take up sewing needles and threads? But life presents her with a different, more difficult choice.

From the resort town, in addition to disappointments, she brings an unplanned pregnancy. The girl is terrified of repeating the path of her mother. Convinced that giving birth to a child in her position is tantamount to death, Gabrielle chooses life: "If I hadn't done this, there would have been no Coco Chanel."

MIXED HORSES, PEOPLE, HATS

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

Once the kept woman Balsana Emilienna d'Alanson, who was staying in Royeaux, asks Coco to remake her hat - just as she remade it for herself. Soon, the headdresses, altered by Coco, are worn by all of Balsan's friends.

Chanel strives for independence from men, and the success of avant-garde hats prompts the young milliner to have her own store. Coco receives permission from Balsan to occupy his Parisian apartments and continues his design experiments there.

The first store in the capital, Chanel opens in 1910 on Cambon street 21, during the year she moves to house number 31 on the same street. There and now, opposite the Ritz Hotel, there is a Chanel store.

Arthur Capel and the resort business

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

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

Coco regretfully observes the "poor rich": because of the ridiculous outfits, the resort girls are not available to horseback riding in a men's saddle, driving a car, playing tennis and so on. leisure.

Corset "captives" slowly defile under sun umbrellas and drenched in sweat. Fashion catalogs of that period dictate required elements wardrobe: huge hats with veils, lush bustles, slimming corsets, long trains.

According to Chanel, elegance is impossible without convenience! She begins not to dress, but to undress women. Her clothing gives priority to comfort. More and more ladies are walking around Deauville in simple headdresses that you can take off and put on on your own - "in complete disgrace", as the authoritative fashion designer Paul Poiret dubs the newfangled hats.

The first to come to France World War reflected in the resort Deauville; vacationers are leaving, boutique owners are nailing shutters. But Gabriel does not close the atelier. But what fashion can there be in war time? All the same - comfortable Chanel fashion.

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

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

Mademoiselle Chanel makes high demands on the employees, getting rid of lazy people and bunglers. Chanel's products are of excellent quality and are not cheap. When Boy asked why it was SO expensive, Gabrielle, who had an entrepreneurial foresight, replies - to be taken 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 the Harper's Bazaar magazine - a dress without a waist, with a scarf tied at the hips and a vest in the manner of a man's.

In Paris, Chanel becomes really popular in just a week - so the legend says. Once a lady who was dressing at the Poiret fashion designer 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 make Chanel famous in the shortest possible time. Money flows like a river.

Koko pays off with Combat: he returns every franc invested in the case. Arthur Capel is surprised: he thought he was giving Gabriel a toy, but it turned out - freedom.

I WAS HIM FROM WHAT WAS

Koko also shows business acumen when, due to hostilities, textile raw materials run out in warehouses. At the beginning of 1916, there was nothing to sew from!

Jersey presents Chanel with "surprises": a dense knitted fabric does not fold down, does not emphasize the curves of the figure, and constrains movement.

The fashion breaker removes the folds, stops accentuating the waist and shortens the skirts so that you can see the calves of the legs!

Fight jokingly begs Koko not to bare the young ladies' knees, because men will start grabbing them “even in restaurants”.

I WILL NOT GIVE UP WITHOUT FIGHT

In those days, class prejudice flourished. Chanel notices that Boy is ashamed of her. And this is when magazines devote laudatory articles to her, and eminent clients crowd in boutiques!

In protest (Boy likes her luxurious long hair) Chanel trims her curls. Her appearance in the theater with a "boy-like" hairstyle makes a splash. A la garcon haircut is gaining popularity, harmoniously complementing the practical look "from Chanel".

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 inform Arthur about it. Ambitious Boy proposes to the lord's daughter and dazzles Coco with information about the wedding.

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

Acquaintance with the creative elite and patronage

Coco gets out of her depression when she meets Sert, a Catalan decorator, and his wife Misei. Friendship with this woman will last more than 20 years, Gabriel confesses that without her she would have died "a complete idiot."

Serts inject Chanel into higher circles creative elite, she has a chance to observe the birth of brilliant paintings and poems. Chanel meets artists Pablo Picasso and Salvador Dali, playwright Jean Cocteau, poet Pierre Reverdi.

Misya introduces Koko to Serge Diaghilev, the organizer of the ballet Russian Seasons. Backstage at the ballet, Chanel observes the dancers doing their best in every workout. Koko learned to work from the Russians - this is her own recognition of the one who herself deserves the title of "workaholic"!

Chanel protects cultural projects, helps creative people. For the production of The Sacred Spring, she gives Diaghilev 300,000 francs, and composer Igor Stravinsky invites his family to live in his villa, setting up a “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 designer extends the influence of Russian culture to professional activity: opens a set in an atelier for Russian emigrants who knew about needlework, opens a workshop for hand-made embroidery, brings Slavic motifs to models.

Not 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 the help of a wallet.

When Dmitry leaves for America a year later, the couple retains friendly feelings. Chanel calls the prince "a genius of useful acquaintances", it is he who introduces her to the creator of her own fragrance - the perfumer Beau.

Chanel No. 5 and a little black dress

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

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

For their production on an industrial scale, she begins to collaborate with the Wertheimer brothers. The company "Chanel Parfam" is created, in which the designer brings the recipe and the name and receives 10% of the shares. She will later regret this distribution, the Wertheimers will issue new firms to front persons and will hide the sales volumes.

- Where do you need to apply perfume?

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

What influenced the fact that the release of the novelty becomes a sensation?

The success of the perfume was also facilitated by Marilyn Monroe, who coquettishly admitted that she wears “only a couple of drops of Chanel No. 5” for the night. After her announcement, millions of bottles of perfume are being sold.

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

In 1925, the Chanel trademark appeared on the perfume bottle. According to one of the versions, the emblem is the initials of Coco Chanel, according to another - the symbol of good luck "double horseshoe", 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 the theater box, Chanel was looking through the eyes of someone from her acquaintances. Contemplating the crowd, she gets the idea of ​​the excessive diversity of outfits: it is not the faces that catch the eye, but the flowered dresses.

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

"Well-wishers" claim that the designer forces clients to share her grief for the Battle - previously black was worn only in mourning. But the women liked the dress.

Without jewelry, it was suitable for a business setting, and with pearl beads, a gold bracelet or brooch, it looked like an evening dress.

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

In its 26th note, Vogue magazine notes that the dress "has caught up with the popularity of the Ford car!"

Duke of Westminster

In Monte Carlo, Chanel meets the Duke of Westminster - Vendor, as he was called. He floods Coco with luxurious bouquets, personally shot by game, jewelry. Chanel is conquered, but only to the extent that she allows herself: she "presents" the duke with cufflinks worth a car!

With Vendor, the designer spends a lot of time at Eaton Hall. Considering the uniform of servants, Chanel draws ideas for creating women's jackets. She discovers a new fabric - soft English tweed. English tendencies can be traced in her work.

The press "marries" a beautiful couple, but Chanel understands that having become a married "madam", she will have to leave the Fashion House. Duchess dressmaker - for that era it is unthinkable!

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

Chanel nevertheless considered the idea of ​​marriage - if she gives the duke an heir who will take 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 loyalty.

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 jewel overboard.

MILLION DOLLAR BUSINESS

In 1931, Prince Dmitry introduces Chanel to Sam Goldwin, the creator of American cinema. Goldwyn dreams of dressing movie stars in "Chanel" clothes both in films and in life and offers a contract for a million dollars.

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

Thanks to the persuasion of her new lover, artist Paul Iribe, 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 the train, the press enthusiastically dubs "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.

The same age as Paul Irib becomes Chanel's last hope for family happiness. But again, tragedy occurs: he dies on the tennis court in front of Gabrielle.

Maybe I became the Great Mademoiselle because I have no one to feed my supper? Coco chanel

In the summer of 1936, Paris was on strike. Workers, incited by a coalition of left-wing political parties, are demanding higher wages and agreements with trade unions.

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

The furious Chanel has to go with the team to the world, 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 stores, leaving the store selling perfumes. When the elder sister's son is captured, the designer turns to the German embassy attaché, Baron von Dinklage, for help.

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

Few people in the world can answer the simple question of who Gabriel Boehner is. However, one has only to change a few words, saying Coco Chanel, and everything will fall into place.

Coco Chanel is a woman who personifies an entire era, century. A woman whose name has become a brand and legend, as well as the personification of fashion and style icon.

A girl from an orphanage knew how to believe and dream, so by 1915 all fashion magazines in Europe argued that a woman can be called a fashionista if she has a little black dress from Chanel.

Height, weight, age. Coco Chanel's life years

Everyone in the world knows this woman, so they want to know everything about her, from the story of her prosperity to such parameters as height, weight, age. How old Coco Chanel was when she left is also a very interesting and popular question.

Coco Chanel was born in 1883, so at the time of her death in 1971 she was eighty-seven years old. According to the sign of the zodiac, the woman belonged to the passionate, fiery, sensual and sincere Leo. Eastern horoscope presented the future fashion designer with the sign of the Goat, which amazes others with its mood swings, a penchant for creativity, sophistication, elegance and amorousness.

According to old photographs, Coco Chanel's height was only one meter and sixty-nine centimeters. The weight of the famous fashion designer constantly changed depending on the fashion, however, he was always very small - fifty-four kilograms. Coco believed that a woman's weight should be like a bird's, and a waist like a wasp's.

Coco Chanel biography

Coco Chanel's biography began in the very distant last century, namely, in 1883. The baby's childhood was very unhappy, it just so happened that no one needed her.

At birth, the girl was named Gabrielle in honor of the nun midwife who gave birth. She lived with relatives, and then in an orphanage at the monastery. There, the girl wore a uniform and dreamed of how she would grow up and sew beautiful clothes for everyone.

After she came of age, Coco got a referral to a lingerie store. She worked as a salesman, sang in a cabaret in the evenings.

The girl really wanted to work as a milliner, but no one gave her any recommendations, since she had no work experience. In order to fulfill her dream, Gabrielle moved to Paris.

At the age of 27, the girl met a like-minded person who liked her ideas. Arthur Capel was able to sponsor her ideas, so Chanel was able to open a hat store. Three years later, the talented fashion designer had two stores, the woman became a designer of hats for noble and wealthy Parisians. She was recognized strongest of the world this and the celebrities of France and began to order clothes only from her. The name Coco Chanel has become a kind of brand and testified that the fashionista has a sense of style.

Coco Chanel quotes

Later, the woman was able to open her own line of perfumes and accessories. The scent of perfume "Chanel No. 5" and the short black dress are known all over the world. It was Coco who introduced the fashion for women's trouser suits, a tan, a wasp waist, a string of pearls around the neck, and rectangular handbags on a chain. Chanel created costumes for famous ballets and theater productions of the twenties.

Two rules for women: shoes - one size larger, bra - one size smaller.

In the fifties, Chanel became famous, wealthy and successful, although during the Second World War the business had to be shut down. In 1944, Koko was arrested for collaborating with German officers, although the matter was only that the Nazis bought her clothes.

At the end of 1944, the woman was amnestied, but advised to leave the country. Coco moved to Switzerland, lived there at the Ritz Hotel. She died in his room in 1971 without suffering a heart attack.

Personal life of Coco Chanel

Coco Chanel's personal life was stormy and incredibly beautiful. The lovers of the fashion designer were the strong, the rich and famous people from all over the world. When a young girl met her patron and companion Etienne Baysan, she fell in love with him without memory, however, the man did not pay any attention to her. Then Coco, whom Etienne refused a loan to open a new atelier, left him forever. At that moment, Baysan realized that he loved the girl, but she had already gone to Arthur Capel.

Baysan and Capel fought for Coco's attention for a long time, but she did not give preference to anyone. Arthur understood that Chanel was independent and proud, so he did not make her a marriage proposal. In 1919, a man died in a car accident.

The woman did not suffer for long, a year later she started a relationship with Prince Dmitry Romanov. Among her admirers and lovers was the Duke of Westminster, with whom she parted because she could not give an heir.

The artist Paul Iribe wanted to marry Coco, but he suddenly died in the woman's arms from a heart attack, which overtook him during a tennis match.

After Paul's death, Chanel could not sleep at night for a long time, however, 1940 brought an affair with Hans Gunther von Dinklage. This romance was not approved in society, but Coco did not deeply care about the feelings of others. The couple never got married, so the designer left the search for love forever.

Coco Chanel had many lovers and admirers, but she never married in her life.

Coco Chanel family

Coco Chanel's family was dysfunctional, or rather, the girl did not have it at all. When the baby was born, her mother, weakened by difficult childbirth and bronchial asthma, died suddenly. Coco's parents were traveling merchants.

Father - Albert Chanel - children were never needed, especially since he was not married to Gabrielle's mother - Jeanne Devol. The man simply left and never appeared in the girl's life again. By the way, as a child, little Gaby made excuses for her dad and waited for him to take her away. As an adult, she invented that it was her father who gave her the cute nickname Coco, calling her a chicken. However, this was a lie, the girl was so nicknamed in the cabaret, because she often sang the popular song "Ko-ko-ri-ko".

Coco was the second child of five children, so her two brothers, Lucien and Alphonse, were taken into the service of rich people. Three sisters Julia, Antoinette and Gabrielle were taken by relatives, and then simply handed over to the orphanage at the monastery of Saint Etienne. By the way, the girl had another brother, Augustine, who lived only a few months and died.

The girl lost everything, she was betrayed and offended, so she did everything to prove to her father and relatives that she could become rich and famous.

Coco Chanel's children

Coco Chanel's children were never born, they say that this is because of a terrible family curse. Rumor has it that the mother of the future fashion designer and all the girls from her family were cursed by her own father because she entered into a sinful relationship and ran away from home with a poor man.

One way or another, but the baby Koko could not give birth, although she gave all the money for treatment for infertility and tried innovative methods at that time. She even did special gymnastics and even hung the witch's amulet over the bed, but this did not help.

The curse of the vengeful grandfather was fulfilled, because with the death of Coco, the Chanel family ceased to exist.

Instagram and Wikipedia Coco Chanel

Instagram and Wikipedia Coco Chanel, as well as pages in social networks the fashion designer does not, since she died long before the invention of the Internet.

However, it is possible to find numerous profiles that are dedicated to a famous fashion designer. Coco Chanel's Wikipedia page contains reliable data about her life, love affairs, tragic childhood, work, career and death.

There is no designer page on Instagram, however, many users use the woman's name in order to upload her photos, as well as modern clothes and accessories created from Coco's sketches.

Coco Chanel

Coco Chanel (Coco Chanel, real name Gabrielle Bonheur Chanel. August 19, 1883, Saumur - January 10, 1971, Paris. French fashion designer who founded the fashion house Chanel and had a tremendous influence on the fashion of the XX century.

She was the first in the history of fashion and life that the French proudly call "Art de Vivre !!!" - "Art of Living".

Chanel's style, which contributed to the modernization of women's fashion, is characterized by borrowing many elements of the traditional men's wardrobe and following the principle of luxurious simplicity (le luxe de la simplicité).

She brought a fitted jacket and a little black dress to women's fashion.

She is also known for her branded accessories and perfumery products.

Coco Chanel

She was born in Saumur in 1883, although she claimed to be born in 1893 in Auvergne.

Mother died in difficult childbirth when Gabrielle was barely twelve. Later, her father left her with four siblings.

Chanel's children were then in the care of relatives and spent some time at the orphanage.

At the age of 18, Gabrielle got a job as a seller in a clothing store, and in her free time she sang in a cabaret. The girl's favorite songs were "Ko Ko Ri Ko" and "Qui qu'a vu Coco", for which she was given the nickname - Coco.

Gabrielle did not succeed as a singer, however, during one of her performances, Officer Etienne Balzan was fascinated by her. She moved to live with him in Paris, but soon went to the English industrialist Arthur Capel, known among his friends by the nickname "Boy".

She opened her first store in Paris in 1910, selling ladies' hats, and within a year the fashion house moved to Rue Cambon, 31, where it is located to this day, just opposite the Ritz Hotel.

"I'm tired of carrying reticules in my hands, and besides, I always lose them.", - said in 1954 Coco Chanel. And in February 1955, Mademoiselle Chanel presented a small rectangle-shaped handbag on a long chain. For the first time, women were able to carry a bag comfortably: just hang it on their shoulder and completely forget about it.

The famous perfume appeared in 1921 "Chanel Nº 5".

Their authorship, however, belongs to the emigrant perfumer Verigin, but he worked at the Chanel perfume hotel together with the native Muscovite Ernest Bo, who invited Coco to choose the scent he liked from two series of numbered samples (from 1 to 5 and from 20 to 24). Chanel chose bottle number 5.

Coco Chanel also made popular a little black dress that could be worn throughout the day and evening, depending on how it was complemented with accessories. There were rumors in the world that the black dress was designed to remind Chanel of her lover Arthur Kapel, who died in a car accident: society did not approve of wearing mourning for a person with whom a marriage was not registered.

In 1926, the American magazine Vogue equated in versatility and popularity "small black dress" for Ford T.

In 1939, with the outbreak of war, Chanel closed the fashion house and all its stores.

In June 1940, her nephew Andre Palace was taken prisoner by the Germans. Trying to rescue him, Chanel turned to her longtime acquaintance, the attaché of the German embassy, ​​Baron Hans Gunther von Dinklage. As a result, Andre Palace was released, and 56-year-old Chanel entered into a relationship with von Dinklage.

Hal Vaughan in his book "In Bed with the Enemy: Coco Chanel's Secret War"(Sleeping with the Enemy: Coco Chanel's Secret War) claims that Chanel collaborated with the German government during World War II. According to the historian, she not only supplied the Germans with insider information from France, but was also officially listed in German intelligence, having on her account more than a dozen successfully completed espionage missions.

In November 1943, Chanel sought a meeting with - she wanted to convince him to agree to the principles of secret Anglo-German negotiations. Gabrielle discussed this issue with Theodore Momm, in charge of the textile industry in occupied France.

Momm passed the offer to Berlin, the head of the Sixth Directorate, which controlled the service foreign intelligence, Walter Schellenberg. He found the proposal interesting: Operation Modelhut(German Fashionable Hat) made it possible to travel unhindered to Madrid (where Chanel intended to meet Churchill) with a pass valid for several days. The meeting, however, did not take place - Churchill was ill, and Chanel returned to Paris with nothing.

Coco Chanel - cooperation with the Germans

At the end of the war, Chanel remembered all her contacts with the Germans. She was labeled as an accomplice of the Nazis, she was accused of collaboration and arrested.

In 1944, on the advice of Churchill, she was released, but on condition that she left France. Chanel had to leave for Switzerland, where she lived until 1953.

In March 2016, archival documents from the French special services were released.

Declassified documents of the French special services indicate that Madame Chanel was registered as an agent of the Abwehr, but historians believe that she may not have known about it.

The dossier on Chanel, in particular, contains a letter from an anonymous source in Madrid to the French resistance. It says that Chanel, who was considered "suspicious", in 1942-43 was the mistress and agent of Baron Gunther von Dinklage, who worked as an attaché in the German embassy and was suspected of agitation and intelligence activities.

Frederic Kuginer, responsible for keeping the archives of the French special services, explained to reporters that the German intelligence service ("Abwehr") registered Coco Chanel as its agent, she could be a source of information or perform some kind of work for the Germans. However, it remains unknown whether Madame Chanel herself knew about her status.

In 1954, 71-year-old Gabrielle returned to the fashion world and presented her new collection. However, she achieved her former glory and respect only after three seasons.

Coco has perfected her classic models, and as a result, the richest and most famous women have become regular visitors to her shows. The Chanel suit has become a status symbol of a new generation: made of tweed, with a narrow skirt, jacket without a collar, trimmed with braid, golden buttons and patch pockets.

Coco also reintroduced handbags, jewelry and shoes, which were subsequently a runaway success.

In the 1950s and 1960s, Coco collaborated with various Hollywood studios, dressing stars such as Audrey Hepburn and Liz Taylor.

In 1969, actress Katharine Hepburn played the role of Chanel in the Broadway musical Coco.

On January 10, 1971, at the age of 87, Gabrielle died of a heart attack at the Ritz Hotel, where she had lived for a long time.

She was buried in the Bois-de-Vaux cemetery in Lausanne (Switzerland). The upper part of the tombstone is decorated with a bas-relief depicting five lion heads. After the death of the Chanel fashion house, it went through difficult times. Its revival began in 1983, when a fashion designer took over the management of the house. In 2008, in honor of the 125th anniversary of the birth of Chanel, he presented the design of a commemorative 5 euro coin featuring the designer's image. The gold coin (mintage of 99) is priced at 5,900 euros, and one of the 11,000 silver coins can be purchased for 45 euros.

Coco Chanel's personal life:

The woman who gave the world the perfume "Chanel No. 5", a small bag and a little black dress, did not find personal happiness. She was not married. She did not give birth to children, although she really wanted it - but was sterile - a very stormy youth and numerous abortions affected. Coco died alone at the age of 88 in a suite at the Ritz Hotel, having outlived all her lovers.

For a long time (and in fact, until the end of her life), the status of a kept woman was entrenched for her. And not without reason. Coco realized her talents, which she certainly had, through bed - thanks to the money of her lovers who sponsored her projects.

At 22, Coco met a wealthy officer Etienne Balsan... It is now difficult to judge how strong and sincere her feelings towards Balsan were, but it was thanks to him that Chanel left the cheap cabaret in which she worked as a singer.

Coco moved to the country estate of Etienne Balsan. But Chanel's position in the house was not much different from that of a servant - for Etienne, the young singer was only entertainment. When Coco announced her desire to become a milliner, her lover scoffed at her, but it was Balsan who introduced Chanel to Arthur Capel- a man who, with his money, opened the way for her to the world of big fashion.

After parting with Etienne Balzan, Coco Chanel begins to live with Arthur Capel, who managed to become for her not only her lover, but also a friend and sponsor. With his help, Chanel took the first steps as a fashion designer and in 1910 opened a hat store in Paris.

Coco Chanel and Arthur Capel

Arthur Capel, who had the nickname "Fight", was known as a womanizer, but after meeting with Chanel, he finished all his many novels in order to fully devote himself to life with his beloved.

For several years, the lovers were immensely happy, until Capel began to return to old habits. Increasingly, Boy began to have affairs on the side, to which Koko had to close her eyes. Chanel was also upset by the fact that Arthur Capel was obviously not going to marry her, and after a while he announced that he was going down the aisle with a completely different girl belonging to the highest circles.

Either Coco's love, or the fear of being left without a rich sponsor was so great that she agrees to endure this humiliation. According to legend, she even sews a dress for Arthur's chosen one.

In 1919, Arthur Capel died in a car accident. His death was a severe blow for Coco, which led to a prolonged depression. Coco Chanel subsequently stated that her only true love she always believed Arthur Capel.

A year after the death of Arthur Capel, Coco Chanel is introduced to the prince Dmitry Pavlovich Romanov who was a cousin of Emperor Nicholas II.

Despite the very noticeable age difference - Chanel was 37 at that time, and Prince Dmitry was not even 30 - the acquaintance quickly develops into a whirlwind romance.

Coco did not fail to use this connection to develop her business.

Dmitry Romanov helped his mistress to expand the business: he introduced him to influential people, suggested using beautiful girls as fashion models. However, the main merit of Prince Dmitry is that exactly he introduced Chanel to perfumer Ernest Bo, together with which they will subsequently create the legendary fragrance Chanel No. 5.

The romance of Dmitry and Koko was short-lived. About a year later, the prince moved to the United States, where he married a very wealthy girl. Dmitry manages to maintain warm friendly relations with Coco until his death in 1942.

Next famous novel Coco - with Duke of Westminster... At the time of the beginning of the relationship, both had a rich past behind them. Coco Chanel experienced betrayal and the loss of loved ones, the duke was divorced twice.

Their relationship was truly royal: receptions, travel, luxurious gifts. Coco Chanel and the Duke of Westminster were welcome guests everywhere and led an active social life. No one had any doubts that the wedding was not far off. But this time too, luck turned away from Mademoiselle Coco: the Duke of Westminster wanted an heir, whom Chanel, due to infertility, could not give birth to.

For some time she still hoped that the duke simply would not be able to part with her and would eventually forget about his desire to have children. However, this did not happen, and after 14 years the beautiful novel was over.

After parting with the Duke of Westminster, Chanel had several novels, one of which almost cost her the work of her entire life. During the Second World War, Mademoiselle Coco, who at that time was already over 50, met a German diplomat By Hans Gunther von Dinklage.

Chanel, as mentioned above, with the help of Dinklage freed her nephew from captivity. And he made her his mistress and dragged her into spy games.

Coco Chanel and Hans Gunther von Dinklage

Hans was a German spy and Wehrmacht colonel who convinced Coco Chanel to arrange for him to meet with her friend Winston Churchill. At the end of the war, Coco Chanel was arrested. She was charged with aiding fascism. Chanel denied everything, claiming that she was only associated with Hans Gunther von Dinklage love relationship... The French authorities decided to allow Koko to voluntarily leave the country, in case of refusal she was awaited in prison.

Coco Chanel, along with her lover, left for Switzerland, where she lived for almost 10 years. Family life again it did not work out - they often quarreled and even fought.

Coco Chanel (film, 2009)