«There is time to work, and there is time to love. There is no other time left». This was the phrase of the greatest Coco Chanel, who during her life was absorbed in work and affairs with men.
In 2009 there was a movie of «Coco Chanel» shot. I advise to watch it!
The family in which Coco Chanel was born (in 1883) did not give any promising prospects for the future of the girl. The parents, ordinary workers and poor people, earned so little money that they lived in a shelter for the poor, where Coco was born. She became an early orphan — her mother died when Coco was 6, and her father left his daughter after a while. True, she had two sisters, who were put in the monastic orphanage.
It was not easy for Coco to adapt to living conditions, and only after a few years she tried to find herself at least in some way. At first she worked in a lingerie store as a sales assistant, then tried to become a singer and a dancer, but in vain. She often sang the song «Ko Ko Ri Ko» and for that she was nicknamed Coco.
As in a fairy tale about Cinderella, the girl met a wealthy officer who was fond of horse riding. He suggested Coco to move to him, and she agreed. True, she liked the role of a lover only in the beginning. Soon she began to think about what she truly wanted from life. And she thought up! With a sense of style, Coco saw herself as a designer of women's hats, which she began to invent from time to time. Etienne did not support such a desire of the girl.
Coco firmly decided what she wanted to become, so the relationship with the officer was ceased and after a while fate brought her together with a successful businessman, Arthur Capel. They felt happy together and understood very well, because both were entrepreneurs — Arthur already a successful one, and Coco only a beginner. It was Arthur who helped Coco to open the first hat shop in Paris.
From this moment the young designer Coco began to embody her design ideas and fell in love with her activity forever. Her work was not influenced by lack of experience, not even by the first world. She intuitively introduced new trends into fashion, she began to be admired by many women, the popularity grew and Coco was invited to the richest circles of the aristocratic world. But she was relatively calm about that and did not feel dizzy with success. She created fashion.
WHAT CHANEL INTODUCED IN THE WORLD OF FASHION
For example, tanned skin came into fashion thanks to Chanel — one day she appeared in Cannes after a regular stay in the sun. Society, instead of criticizing he, followed that appearance.
The famous perfume of Chanel No.5 became an innovation in the scent industry — before that, female perfumes were made from natural ingredients and were characterized by flowery simple accents. Coco offered the first perfume that did not resemble the smell of a single flower and consisted of synthetic constituents. By the way, the fragrance itself was developed by Ernest Bo, a native of the Russian Empire.
Of course, a black dress. Simple, convenient, universal — it is still an integral part of every woman's wardrobe. One version of its creation was that the beloved of Coco, Arthur, crashed in a car accident. Chanel, being in mourning, began to wear exclusively black clothes. So this color has become fashionable forever.
Handbags on the chain are also an invention of Chanel. Coco said she was tired of wearing reticulis and often losing them, she proposed to «hook» them on a chain so that one could put it on shoulder. The handbag was given the name of 2.55 since it was created in February 1955. The cost of the accessory is not low and can reach 5,000 USD.
Tweed suit (and, in general, a women's pantsuit) and two-color shoes also appeared in the world thanks to the fantasy of Chanel.
Coco also influenced perception of pearls in the wardrobe — the designer simply adored and combined them with both a black dress and a tweed suit. Thus, Coco made pearls fashionable and democratic, as before they were worn only by high-ranking persons.
The peak of Coco's popularity fell on her 50th birthday — Gabrielle, who had never been known before, turned into a recognizable Coco! But in addition to fame in the fashion industry, Coco was known for her love affairs with rich men, as well as arrogance towards people in general.
The war came and the stores had to be closed, and in 1944 Coco was arrested for her relations with a German officer. She was quickly released, literally a couple of hours later, and moved to Switzerland. After leaving the country of fashion, Coco saw that her fame began to subside, she was replaced by young designers, mostly men — Dior, Balenciaga.
Once the woman made a brave decision: at the age of 70 she opened her showroom, the Chanel House in Paris. It is worth saying that the world of fashion did not accept Coco with ovations at first, but after 3 years Coco again got back her Olympus glory. That was «the second life» of a great woman.
In 1971, at the age of 87, Coco suffered a heart attack and she passed away.
Let me finish this post with a very good quote of hers:
«Everything is in our hands, so you should not throw them up!» (Coco Chanel)