Coco Chanel, born Gabrielle Chanel in 1883, was a fashion icon known for her Chanel suits and little black dress. Starting as a hat maker, she opened her flagship store in Paris in the mid-1920s and made a comeback in 1954 with the Chanel dress. Despite controversy during WWII, she continued to work until her death in 1971. The House of Chanel is now managed by Karl Lagerfeld.
Even if you’re not a fashion expert, you probably recognize the name Coco Chanel. Born as Gabrielle Chanel in 1883, Coco Chanel is one of the icons of fashion design, best known for her famous Chanel suits of hers, with boxy jackets and knee-length skirts. This particular design has a place in American history as it was one of Jackie Kennedy’s favorite clothing options.
Coco Chanel was not born into a fashion family but instead was born into poverty. Early in her career, it seemed that performance rather than fashion would be her forte. She pursued a brief career as a nightclub singer, where she earned the nickname Coco, before turning to fashion design.
His first attempts at fashion were in millinery, making and/or selling hats. He opened a shop in Paris in 1913 and also sold some clothing. In his early years as a designer, he preferred to use wool jersey, since it was inexpensive to purchase and draped beautifully. As a designer, his early clothing designs were based on the number of women entering the workforce, and his clothes seemed to be based primarily on menswear cuts. He also designed for 1920s women who were finally abandoning corsets.
In the mid-1920s, Coco Chanel was particularly known not only for her working woman’s clothes, but also for “the little black dress” without which most women now feel that a wardrobe would be incomplete. Around this time, Chanel opened her flagship store in Paris on Rue Cambon. The Chanel company is still located there today.
When World War II hit France, particularly with the German occupation of Paris, Coco Chanel stopped drawing for a while. Known for her passionate affairs with numerous men, an affair at the time all but ended her career permanently. A German spy and soldier, Hans Gunther von Dincklage, helped her stay in her Paris hotel, and Paris could not easily forgive Chanel for this association and connection.
Known for her ability to recreate herself, Coco Chanel finally made a major comeback in fashion when she returned to Paris from Switzerland in 1954. Her newfound success can mostly be attributed to the creation of the Chanel dress, which was popularized not only by Europeans but also by several important American actresses, such as Audrey Hepburn and Grace Kelly. During her long career, many “firsts” are attributed to Chanel. She was among the first to add lines of accessories to her design house; she has created perfumes and jewels as well as clothes. She may also have invented and introduced the first bell-bottoms.
Coco Chanel never retired, and was still creating and working when she died in 1971. Since 1983, The House of Chanel has been conveniently managed by Karl Lagerfeld who continues to follow his dictates of simplicity as a style in fashion. Chanel dresses, which have never gone out of style, are in high demand, especially if they are the vintage creations of their original designer.
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