Coco Chanel: A Fashion Icon Legacy
Thinking of fashion, many names come into mind: Gucci, Louis Vuitton, Dior, Burberry, Marc Jacobs, and Yves Saint Laurent, but the one that sticks out over all of these seems to constantly be Chanel. Chanel’s story is most inspiring due to her journey; she was not born into the glamour life. Chanel had to work for success, coming up from impoverishment, not even bringing a family with her out of it. She was to be the name on the company, the one that will be admired and noted for the work she did and the obstacles she overcame. Coco Chanel’s hardships not only shaped her future and designs, but they revolutionized fashion and created an iconic image and company that will not be forgotten.
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She found the help “[in 1992,] . . . from Pierre Wertheimer to market [the] fragrance” (IDCH). She made an agreement with the Wertheimers, selling clothes under the Chanel name, but designing her business as a separate company.
Though the Wertheimer family would control the Chanel brand finances, the drive and vision came from Coco (International . . . 2). In 1922, Theophile Bader, French department store chain Galaries Lafayette founder, introduced Coco to Ernst Wertheimer’s son, Pierre (International . . . 2). In 1921, the family and Coco were introduced through desperation of a business partner as she “sought financial help, [and] . . . Pierre Wertheimer wanted to help her succeed,” so he founded Parfums, retaining 70 percent ownership, giving 20 percent to Bader, and leaving Coco Chanel with a measly 10 percent (International . . . 2). Introducing other fragrances including No. 5 in 1929, she operated a fashion studio near the Louvre in Paris, but “the personal relationship between Coco Chanel and Pierre Wertheimer deteriorated” (International . . . 2). Coco Chanel felt the exploitation from the family that would eventually lead her to hiring an attorney to renegotiate agreements, as she felt that she had unwittingly signed away the rights to her own name” (International . . . 2). By the time Coco secured another lover, Hans Gunther von Dincklage, a German Military officer, she had fired many of her employees and shut down
People often ask me, "When did you first become interested in Coco Chanel?" and if I'm honest, I was fascinated long before I started researching her biography more than a decade ago, all the way back to my earliest memories in childhood. For there on top of my mother's dressing table stood a bottle of Chanel No. 5, beyond my reach but not out of sight, and I knew from the moment I began to discern its mysterious letters and number that there was something magical to the black-and-white cipher. I'm not alone in that discovery -- Chanel has come to represent the essence of everywoman, whether in the scent of her perfume or her choice of bold red lipstick or the perfect little black dress -- but the story of Coco feels somehow entwined with
Chanel was an orphan having no heritage of company or knowledge about fashion. Similarly with Prada, they both did not have any educated fashion background but resulted to be the icons of fashion.
Born into dire poverty and aged 11 when her mother passed on, Coco Chanel has come to be recognized by some as the epitome of success in the fashion industry. Indeed, she has such a huge following of admirers that in some instances, fans have made pilgrimages to one of her preserved apartments in Paris. As Tracy, a professed "timeless fan" of Chanel notes, "Chanel's fashion spirit will forever remain immortal." Further, her timeless designs also continue to be hugely popular today.
5.Surprisingly, the perfume was named number five because it was the fifth perfume scent that was displayed to Coco and the creating process. In the same time period Coco had introduced the little black and the infamous Chanel suit. With the little black dress was seen as a scandalous dress. Coco took the color black which usually represented the mourning of a death and made an evening wear color for the risk taking woman. In the year of 1925, house of Chanel introduced the Chanel suit. This suit portrayed A calling lose jacket and fitted skirt that had similar elements from a men's suit, but being part of the Chanel collection still had a sense of comfortability She went on to create another perfume in 1922 which was titled No.22. Gabrielle went on to create many more perfumes and add a cosmetic collection. Alongside of her couture line, Coco had many side projects designing clothing for different events and important people. She had designed and created many costumes for the play Orphee written by Jean Cocteau. She also created costumes for the Ballets
She is very famous for her timeless designs. Some of the things that she is famous for are the little black dress, chanel no. 5, and her trademark suites, all of these products were and are designed for the strong women of the world . Her business is still one of the most famous and recognisable. She let women be comfortable and look good at the same time. Chanels life is full of controversies.
There has never said to be a more accomplished Parisian couturier in the 20th century other than the one and only, Coco Chanel. Gabrielle "Coco" Chanel started as an average, young girl, born in 1883, in Saumner France. She was raised by a peasant family, but grew up to be a unique fashion designer with a famous brand name. Due to her hard work and talent, Chanel is a great model. She took and idea and ran with it to create famous innovations that women all over the world still love today.
In the roaring 1920’s, women were in corsets, that restricted many women to not eat nor breathe. That’s when Coco Chanel change everything for women, that made her career in the fashion industry go through the roof. Before Coco became an icon in the fashion industry, she was put in an orphanage ever since her dad had left her sister and her. Coco was then raised by nuns, which is where she was taught to sew, a skill will help her to fame. Though her name wasn’t always Coco, her birth name was Gabrielle Chanel. Her nickname came from her first job as a singer at clubs around where she lived, that is France. It was up until her relationship with Etienne Balsan, that funded Coco’s first store. Her first store was located in Paris Cambon in 1910, where she sold hats for women. Coco later on left Etienne for one of his friends, Arthur Capel, that was wealthier than him. Arthur also help start up Coco’s fashion career. It wasn’t till Coco was seen wearing her husbands jersey that made her a fashion icon. Since then her career has been lucrative. Chanel introduced men clothing to women, she designed suits without collars and fitted shirts that made her an instant fashion icon. Coco Chanel’s clothing accentuated comfort to women in the 1920’s. After her death Coco Chanel has left popular fashion industry, she was important in the 1920’s that changed how women dressed.
“I recognized that women always lost the game, so I decided to change it.” Coco Chanel is a highly revered and influential person. She strived to stand out and be different. Her legacy continues today with the continual success of her brand Chanel. She did not live with fear, and she liked to be in control of every aspect of her life.
CoCo Chanel had many achievements in the fashion world. This was brought forth by her creative leadership. CoCo was an orphan and originally learned how to sew there. She created a product that was attractive and desired. CoCo managed to be a wealthy businesswoman in a time where there were few opportunities for her to succeed. CoCo Chanel had enough confidence in herself to rely on her own judgement. This can be to blame for her success. CoCo was a leader instead of a follower. She did this by leading women away from impractical clothing (corsets), and instead introduces clothing that emphasized comfort, functionality and high style. CoCo used these skills and others to break through the male barrier in women's fashion. She is also responsible
During the 1920s the art world experienced a lot of change. The art world began to display its new flawless works in colorful expressionism. Haute couture, French for high fashion, was no exception to these newly made changes. Coco Chanel born as Gabrielle Bonheur Chanel was an artist of clothing and of beauty. Chanel’s early life was not as pleasing as she made it known to be.
Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel was a very determined and passionate designer, who wanted to make women feel more proud about themselves. Chanel was born in 1883, but she did not take up designing until after World War 1 (Heilbrunn Timeline N.P.). Christian Dior designed a post-war women’s clothing line that Chanel felt was unworthy of the new feminist mindset (Heilbrunn Timeline N.P.). She accomplished so much with her new determination, so much that she was obsessed with the thought of giving the female population a new-found self-esteem. Chanel’s best artices were handbags, jewelry, shoes, and the Chanel Suit (Heilbrunn Timeline N.P.).
Coco Chanel left a mark in our history that greatly contributed to what our societies’ ideals are today. In spite of enduring traumatic periods in her life, she was able to change ideals of women for the better, invent several fashion pieces, and change society
Women’s fashion has drastically changed throughout the centuries. Many people are to thank for this. One of the most famous women in fashion history is Coco Chanel. Through Coco Chanel’s changes in fashion and women’s clothing, she inspired women to dress the way they preferred and express themselves in ways by what they wore. Coco Chanel was born on August 19, 1883 in Saumur, France.
August 19, 1883, Saumur, France (“Coco Chanel”): this is the date of when Gabrielle Bonheur Chanel was born. While Chanel’s aesthetic in her later years was glamour, glitz, and glam, her early years were not the same. Chanel's mother died when she was twelve, and due to her peddling father, she and her two other sisters went into foster care (Collage). There she was raised by nuns who taught her how to sew (“Coco Chanel”), a skill that will benefit her later in life. Before Chanel entered the fashion world, she was briefly a nightclub singer. This is where she coined the nickname “Coco” and met a very important man to her career (“Coco Chanel”). This man was the wealthy business man Arthur “boy” Cape, and
Coco Chanel, born Gabrielle Bonhuer Chanel, on August 19, 1883 in Saumur, France was an amazing woman who redefined fashion as we know it today. She was a clothing designer who revolutionized the fashion industry with her suits, little black dresses, and avant garde flare. Because of this quickly in her young life she became well know, and rose to be the fashion icon that she is today. From the timeless designs that are still popular to this day, and the sophisticated outfits that can be paired with great accessories Chanel has done it all. When it comes down to it though it was Coco Chanel’s philosophy that “luxury must be comfortable, otherwise it’s not luxury” that lead to her success. (“Coco Chanel”)