A legend, an icon, an inspiration, a true independent woman ahead of her time, what we were today and consider classic is due to one woman, and one woman only, Coco Chanel. The lady who changed the world with one little black dress, a tweed suit, and Number 5.
Gabrielle Bonheur Chanel was born on Agust 19, 1883 in France. At the age of twelve, Chanel's mother died of tuberculosis thus she and her siblings were abandoned by their father. During her time at the orphanage, she began to take an interest in seamstress. After turning eighteen years old, Chanel became a cabaret singer and was nicknamed Chanel due to one of her songs, or if you would rather believe one of the rumers that Coco is short for "kept woman". In the early 1900s, Chanel began designing hats for socialites and became more involved with the French society. Chanel was inspired by her lovers' military uniforms and created a modern look for French women.
In 1910, Chanel opened her first boutique, Chanel Modes, in Paris at 21 rue Cambon. Then Chanel opened a boutique in Deauville, where she designed casual elegant clothes for women. Her next shop was located in Biarritz in 1915, ans she became a registered couturiere in 1919. The Chanel Maison was located at 31 rue Cambon, where it's located today.
The Parfums Chanel began in 1924, and the following year Chanel met British socialite, Vera Bate Lombardi, who became her muse and the social connection to the aristocrats of Europe. Chanel was inspired by Lombardi's style, thus creating the English Look. The perfume Chanel No. 5 was the most successful fragrance, but Chanel only had 10% of the profit, and after the war she was able to earn most of the profits and became the wealthiest woman in Europe.
During the beginning of the secong World War, Chanel closed all of her shops because she believed it was not the moment for fashion. Once Germany occupied France, she moved into the Ritz Hotel, where it became her home for the rest of her life.
Coco Chanel became an icon, she represented a modern woman, independent, and a business woman, which was uncommon during her time. She revolutionized fashion, she was inspired by menswear, she was creative, daring, and didn't care what people thought of her "risky" style. Women around the world needed one woman to change fashion, to change the point of view of how a woman should dress. She embodied class, elegance, and the creator of the most important dress of all time, the Little Black Dress with long pearls.
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| This is how I will dress when I'm an old lady. |
Though after closing the gallery, Dior was called for military service, and during the thirties and forties he worked with Robert Piguet and by 1942 he designed for the House of Lelong, and became one of the top designers. During his time at Lelong, Dior designed and dressed Nazi wives, the only way houses like Nina Ricci, Patou, and Lanvin were able to survive their business.
