Chanel, Coco

Chanel, Coco

▪ French designer
in full  Gabrielle Bonheur Chanel 
born Aug. 19, 1883, Saumur, France
died Jan. 10, 1971, Paris
 French fashion designer who ruled over Parisian haute couture for almost six decades. Her elegantly casual designs inspired women of fashion to abandon complicated, uncomfortable clothes and to adopt her now-classic innovations, such as the Chanel suit, costume jewelry, and the “little black dress.”

 Chanel was born into poverty in the French countryside; her mother died, and her father abandoned her to an orphanage. After a brief stint as a shopgirl and a failed attempt to become a café singer, Chanel engaged in liaisons with a series of wealthy men. In 1913, with financial assistance from one of these men, she opened a tiny millinery shop in Deauville, France, where she also sold simple sportswear, such as jersey sweaters. Within five years her original use of jersey fabric to create a “poor girl” look had attracted the attention of influential wealthy women seeking relief from prevalent corseted styles. Faithful to her maxim that “luxury must be comfortable, otherwise it is not luxury,” Chanel's designs stressed simplicity and comfort and revolutionized the fashion industry. By the late 1920s the Chanel industries employed 3,500 people and included a couture house, a textile business, perfume laboratories, and a workshop for costume jewelry. The financial basis of this empire was Chanel No. 5, the phenomenally successful perfume she introduced in 1922.

      Chanel closed her couture house in 1939 with the outbreak of World War II but returned in 1954 to introduce her highly copied suit design: a collarless, braid-trimmed cardigan jacket with a graceful skirt. She also introduced bell-bottomed pants and other innovations, while always retaining a clean, classic look. After her death in 1971, Chanel's couture house was led by a series of different designers. This situation stabilized in 1983, when Karl Lagerfeld became chief designer.

* * *


Universalium. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем написать реферат

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Chanel, Coco — (1883 1971) (Gabrielle Chasnel)    fashion designer    one of the modern leaders of haute couture, whose name is synonymous with elegance and chic, Gabrielle Chasnel, or Coco Chanel, as she is known, was born in Saumur, Maine et Loire. In 1916,… …   France. A reference guide from Renaissance to the Present

  • Chanel, Coco — soprannome di Chanel, Gabrielle …   Sinonimi e Contrari. Terza edizione

  • Coco Chanel — Coco Chanel, 1920 Born Gabrielle Bonheur Chanel 19 August 1883(1883 08 19) Saumur, France Died 10 January 1971(1971 01 10 …   Wikipedia

  • Coco Chanel — und Hugh Grosvenor, 2. Duke of Westminster, Fotografie um 1924–1930 Coco Chanel, eigentlich Gabrielle Bonheur Chasnel, (* 19. August 1883 in Saumur, Pays de la Loire; † 10. Januar 1971 in Pari …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Coco Chanel & Igor Stravinsky — Directed by Jan Kounen Produced by Chris Bolzli Claudie Ossard V …   Wikipedia

  • Coco Before Chanel — French theatrical release poster Directed by Anne Fontaine Produced by Caroline Benjo …   Wikipedia

  • Coco Mademoiselle — Fragrance by Jacques Polge Released 2001 Label Chanel …   Wikipedia

  • Coco avant Chanel — Título Coco antes de Chanel Coco, de la rebeldía a la leyenda de Chanel Ficha técnica Dirección Anne Fontaine Producción Caroline Benjo …   Wikipedia Español

  • Chanel No. 19 — perfume was first marketed in 1971. The number 19 was chosen to commemorate Coco Chanel s birthday, 19 August. The perfume was launched a year before she died. The scent was created by Henri Robert.[1] No. 19 is a balsamic green scent, quite… …   Wikipedia

  • Chanel No. 5 — Chanel № 5 Chanel № 5 ist ein Parfüm von Coco Chanel. Geschichte Um ihre erste Parfümmarke zu entwerfen, wandte sich Coco Chanel an den Hofparfümeur der russischen Zaren, Ernest Beaux, der ihr von Großherzog Dimitri von Russland in Monte Carlo… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”