Coco chanel

Belle OHara
Early Life
Born on August 19, 1883 in Samour,
France
Mother died at a young age and her and
her 5 siblings were put in orphanage
She was raised by nuns and they taught
her how to sew.
When she was 18 she left the orphanage
to work at a local tailor.
She would also sing in clubs and received
the name Coco from soldiers watching
her sing.
Love Life
Cocos love life had a large play in her fashion
career success.
World War 1 led her to move to the town of
Deauville, there she became the mistress of a
rich ex-military officer, Etienne Balsan.
She was 23 when she became his mistress and
moved to his chateau, where she lived for 3
years. In his chateau is where she started
designing and creating hats for a diversion.
Later she started a relationship with Arthur
Edward Boy Capel, who was a wealthy English
Industrialist, who was also a friend of Balsans.
He financed her first shops and got her into a
Parisian apartment.
Fashion Success
In the 1920s she was the first designer to
create loose womens jerseys. What was
usually used for mens underwear, she was
able to create a relaxed style for women
that ignored the stiff corseted look that
was popular at the time.
Another first Chanel had was that she was
the first designer to launch a perfume
under their name. in the 1920s she
launched Chanel No. 5, which is still
popular to this day.
She claimed that perfume, is the unseen,
unforgettable, ultimate accessory of
fashion. . .. that heralds your arrival and
prolongs your departure,
Fashion Statements
In 1925 she introduced the Chanel suit with a
colorless jacket and well fitted skirt.
Her designs added elements of menswear
and emphasized comfort over the corsets,
which were popular at the time.
In the 1920s she created the little black
dress. She was able to take a color that
represented mourning and showed just how
chic it can make evening wear.
Also in 1925 she created the signature
cardigan jacket, which matched with her black
dress. They continue to be a staple in every
Chanel collection.
Celebrities like Audrey Hepburn and Grace
Kelly fell in love with her stylish cardigans.
Death and Chanel Today
In 1969 a Broadway musical about her life
opened, with Katherine Hepburn taking the
role of Chanel.
Chanel worked until she died in 1971 at age
88. She spent her last days in the private
apartment The Ritz.
Karl Lagerfeld took over Chanels fashion
house in 1982 and is still the chief designer.
The film Chanel Solitaire was filmed in 1981
with Marie-France Pisier playing the role of
the designer.
This followed the American movie Coco
Chanel in 2008.
Finally, in 2009 the French actress Audrey
Tatou played the designer as a young woman
in the movie Coco Before Chanel.