best biography coco chanel

Which Coco Chanel Biography Is Best?

June 2, 2023

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Are you a fashion enthusiast who wants to learn more about Coco Chanel, one of the most iconic designers in history? If so, you might be wondering which Coco Chanel biography is the best to read.

With so many options available, it can be overwhelming to decide which one to choose. In this article, we’ll explore some of the best biographies about Coco Chanel and help you find the perfect book for your needs.

The Queen of Fashion

One of the most popular biographies on Coco Chanel is “The Queen of Fashion” by Caroline Weber. This book offers a comprehensive look at Chanel’s life and career, from her humble beginnings in a French orphanage to her rise as one of the most influential designers in history. Weber’s writing is engaging and informative, making this book an excellent choice for both casual readers and serious fashion scholars.

Coco Chanel: The Legend and the Life

Another well-regarded biography is “Coco Chanel: The Legend and the Life” by Justine Picardie. This book takes a more personal approach than “The Queen of Fashion,” delving into Chanel’s relationships with various men throughout her life. Picardie also includes rare photographs and illustrations that help bring Chanel’s story to life.

Chanel: An Intimate Life

For readers interested in a more scandalous take on Coco Chanel’s life, “Chanel: An Intimate Life” by Lisa Chaney might be the perfect choice. This biography delves into some of the darker aspects of Chanel’s past, including her rumored affairs with Nazi officers during World War II. While some readers might find this approach distasteful, others will appreciate Chaney’s willingness to tackle difficult subjects.

Coco Chanel: The Illustrated World of a Fashion Icon

If you’re looking for a visually stunning biography that showcases Chanel’s designs, “Coco Chanel: The Illustrated World of a Fashion Icon” by Megan Hess is an excellent choice. This book features gorgeous illustrations of Chanel’s iconic designs, as well as information about the designer’s life and career. While it might not offer as much depth as some of the other biographies on this list, it’s a perfect coffee table book for fashion lovers.

Final Thoughts

Ultimately, which Coco Chanel biography you choose will depend on your personal preferences. If you want a comprehensive look at her life and career, “The Queen of Fashion” is an excellent choice.

For a more intimate portrait, try “Coco Chanel: The Legend and the Life.” “Chanel: An Intimate Life” is best for readers interested in scandalous details about Chanel’s past. And if you’re looking for something with stunning visuals, “Coco Chanel: The Illustrated World of a Fashion Icon” won’t disappoint.

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Fashion empire

Chanel no. 5, world war ii.

What is Coco Chanel known for?

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Coco Chanel

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• Coco Chanel - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up)
• Table Of Contents

When was Coco Chanel born, and when did she die?

Coco Chanel was born on August 19, 1883, in Saumur, France, and she died on January 10, 1971, in Paris, at the age of 87.

Coco Chanel was a fashion designer who ruled Parisian haute couture for almost six decades. She is known for the Chanel suit, the quilted purse, costume jewelry, and the “little black dress”—all now-classic innovations. Her designs stressed simplicity and comfort, and they revolutionized the  fashion industry . Chanel also introduced the iconic perfume Chanel No. 5.

Coco Chanel began working as a seamstress in her teens, and she opened a small millinery shop in Paris about a decade later, in 1910. In 1912 she established a boutique in Deauville, France. Her practical, elegant designs attracted influential women, and Chanel was soon heading a thriving couture house. “My life didn’t please me, so I created my life,” she said.

Coco Chanel’s parents were Eugénie Jeanne Devolle Chanel, a laundrywoman, and Albert Chanel, a street vendor. The Chanels had a total of six children, and the family lived in poverty in rural France. When she was 11, she was sent to live in an orphanage in Aubazine after her mother’s death. She moved to Moulins at age 18, and she lived in a convent while attending school. She was born Gabrielle Bonheur Chanel. The origin of her nickname “Coco” is uncertain.

Coco Chanel (born August 19, 1883, Saumur , France—died January 10, 1971, Paris) was a French fashion designer who ruled Parisian haute couture for almost six decades. Her elegantly casual designs inspired women to abandon the complicated, uncomfortable clothes—such as petticoats and corsets —that were prevalent in early 20th-century dress . Among her now-classic innovations were the Chanel suit, the quilted purse, costume jewelry , and the “ little black dress.” She also was known for the iconic perfume Chanel No. 5.

She was born Gabrielle Chanel, although her surname was misspelled (Chasnel) on her birth certificate. Her parents were Eugénie Jeanne Devolle Chanel, a laundrywoman, and Albert Chanel, who worked as a street vendor. The family—which eventually included six children—lived in poverty while moving throughout the French countryside. After her mother died in 1895, 11-year-old Gabrielle Chanel was sent to a convent-run orphanage in Aubazine. It was there that she learned to sew.

At age 18, Chanel moved to Moulins , where she attended school while living in a convent. In 1902 she struck out on her own and became a seamstress. During this time Chanel also worked as a café singer. Although not a particularly gifted singer, she was a popular performer, known for her charisma . While the origin of her nickname “Coco” is uncertain, some believe it is a reference to several songs she performed: “Ko Ko Ri Ko” (“Cock-a-doodle-doo”) and “Qui qu’a vu Coco?” (“Has anyone seen Coco?”).

“My life didn’t please me, so I created my life.”

Chanel enjoyed an active social life and had affairs with various wealthy men, notably Arthur (“Boy”) Capel, with whom she had a relationship until his death in 1919. With his financial assistance, she opened Chanel Modes, a tiny millinery shop in Paris , in 1910. Two years later she established a boutique in Deauville , France . There she later sold simple sportswear, such as jersey sweaters. At the time jersey was an inexpensive fabric commonly used in men’s undergarments. However, Chanel transformed the fluid material into practical but elegant designs, many of which were inspired by menswear.

Within five years her original use of jersey to create a “poor girl” look had attracted the attention of influential wealthy women seeking relief from the 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 they revolutionized the fashion industry .

In 1926 Chanel continued to transform fashion by introducing the so-called “little black dress” (commonly called LBD). While Chanel was not the first fashion designer to use black, the color was commonly reserved for mourning attire or more formal wear. Chanel’s black dress, however, was incredibly versatile, easily transitioning from day to evening with the right accessories—such as the costume jewelry she often wore. The LBD was hailed for both its simplicity and mass appeal. Alluding to Henry Ford ’s revolutionary Model T car, American Vogue called the little black dress the “Ford of Fashion,” and it quickly became a fashion staple.

“A woman who doesn’t wear perfume has no future.”

While Chanel found immense success as a designer, the financial basis of her empire was Chanel No. 5. She developed the phenomenally successful perfume in 1921 with the help of Ernest Beaux, one of the most talented perfume creators in France. It has been said that the perfume got its name from the series of scents that Beaux created for Chanel to sample—she chose the fifth, a combination of jasmine and several other floral scents that was more complex and mysterious than the single-scented perfumes then on the market. Others, however, have noted that Chanel was superstitious and considered five to be her lucky number. That Chanel was the first major fashion designer to introduce a perfume and that she replaced the typical perfume packaging with a simple and sleek bottle also added to the scent’s success. The bottle’s top featured interlocking Cs, which later became the Chanel brand’s insignia.

Chanel then partnered with businessmen Théophile Bader of the Galeries Lafayette department store and the brothers Pierre and Paul Wertheimer of the Bourjois cosmetics company to distribute Chanel No. 5. The men agreed to help her produce more of her fragrance and to market it in exchange for a share of the profits. After signing a contract wherein she received only 10 percent of the royalties, Chanel enacted a series of lawsuits in the ensuing decades to regain control of her signature fragrance. Although she was never able to renegotiate the terms of her contract to increase her royalties, Chanel nonetheless made a considerable profit from the perfume.

Chanel closed her couture house in 1939 with the outbreak of World War II . At the time she was living at the Ritz Paris hotel, which became Nazi headquarters after France fell to Germany in 1940. There she began a romantic relationship with Baron Hans Günther von Dincklage, a German diplomat and Gestapo spy.

While researchers and biographers have demonstrated that Chanel was a collaborator, there is disagreement over the extent of her involvement with Nazis. Some allege that she only socialized with Germans, turning a blind eye to their activities. Others, however, assert that she was a Nazi agent. Of particular note is a trip she took to Madrid with a German intelligence agent in 1941. It is believed that she had entered into a deal with the Nazis to secure the release of her nephew, who was a prisoner of war in a German detention camp. Although it is unknown what she did in Madrid, soon after Chanel returned to France, her nephew was freed.

The Nazis reportedly gave Chanel the codename “Westminster,” likely alluding to her earlier affair with Hugh Grosvenor, 2nd duke of Westminster.

Less uncertain is Chanel’s support of some Nazi policies. Anti-Semitic , she petitioned Nazi officials for sole control of Chanel No. 5, arguing, among other things, that the Wertheimers were Jewish, which would preclude them from owning property. However, the Wertheimers had earlier turned their shares over to a non-Jewish businessman, and Chanel’s efforts were unsuccessful.

Soon after the Nazi occupation ended in 1944, Chanel was arrested by French authorities. However, no charges were brought, and Chanel later claimed that British Prime Minister Winston Churchill , a longtime friend, had intervened. She subsequently moved to Switzerland .

The Wertheimers acquired Chanel’s couture house for an undisclosed sum in 1954. The family remains the sole owners.

In the early 1950s Chanel began to contemplate a return to fashion. At the time French fashion had undergone a seismic change led by Christian Dior . He had created the widely copied New Look, a style defined by ultrafeminine, elaborate, and highly sculptured clothing. Chanel, who favored simpler and more comfortable designs, was derisive of the look, and at one point she claimed, “Dior doesn’t dress women, he upholsters them.”

In 1954 Chanel staged her first fashion show in some 15 years. Although the French press had negative reviews, the collection proved popular in the United States . That year Chanel also introduced her highly copied suit design: a collarless, braid-trimmed tweed jacket with a graceful skirt. By the end of the 1950s, she had also debuted several other iconic items, notably a quilted purse with gold chains and two-toned shoes. These creations helped Chanel reclaim her position as one of fashion’s most influential designers.

After her death in 1971, Chanel’s couture house was led by a series of designers, with Karl Lagerfeld ’s tenure (1983–2019) being the longest and most influential. Under their direction, the Chanel brand has remained one of the most influential and iconic. Coco Chanel’s shrewd understanding of women’s fashion needs, her enterprising ambition, and the romantic aspects of her life—her rise from rags to riches and her sensational love affairs—continue to inspire numerous biographical books, films, and plays. Notable examples include the 1969 Broadway musical Coco , which starred Katharine Hepburn as the legendary designer, and Coco avant Chanel (2009; Coco Before Chanel ), a biopic with Audrey Tautou in the title role.

Coco Chanel

With her trademark suits and little black dresses, fashion designer Coco Chanel created timeless designs that are still popular today.

(1883-1971)

Who Was Coco Chanel?

Fashion designer Coco Chanel is famous for her timeless designs, trademark suits and little black dresses. In the 1920s, she launched her first perfume and eventually introduced the Chanel suit and the little black dress, with an emphasis on making clothes that were more comfortable for women. She herself became a much revered style icon known for her simple yet sophisticated outfits paired with great accessories, such as several strands of pearls.

Chanel was born Gabrielle Bonheur Chanel on August 19, 1883, in Saumur, France. Her early years were anything but glamorous. At age 12, after her mother’s death, Chanel was put in an orphanage by her father, who worked as a peddler.

Chanel was raised by nuns who taught her how to sew — a skill that would lead to her life’s work. Her nickname came from another occupation entirely. During her brief career as a singer, Chanel performed in clubs in Vichy and Moulins where she was called “Coco.”

Some say that the name comes from one of the songs she used to sing, and Chanel herself said that it was a “shortened version of cocotte, the French word for 'kept woman,'” according to an article in The Atlantic .

Beginnings of a Fashion Empire

Around the age of 20, Chanel became involved with Etienne Balsan, who offered to help her start a millinery business in Paris. She soon left him for one of his wealthier friends, Arthur “Boy” Capel. Both men were instrumental in Chanel’s first fashion venture.

Opening her first shop on Paris’s Rue Cambon in 1910, Chanel started out selling hats. She later added stores in Deauville and Biarritz and began making clothes.

Her first taste of clothing success came from a dress she fashioned out of an old jersey on a chilly day. In response to the many people who asked about where she got the dress, she offered to make one for them. “My fortune is built on that old jersey that I’d put on because it was cold in Deauville,” she once told author Paul Morand.

Chanel became a popular figure in Parisian literary and artistic worlds. She designed costumes for the Ballets Russes and Jean Cocteau’s play Orphée , and counted Cocteau and artist Pablo Picasso among her friends.

First Perfume

In the 1920s, Chanel took her thriving business to new heights. She launched her first perfume, Chanel No. 5, which was the first to feature a designer’s name. Perfume “is the unseen, unforgettable, ultimate accessory of fashion. . . . that heralds your arrival and prolongs your departure,” Chanel once explained.

The fragrance was in fact also backed by department store owner Théophile Bader and businessmen Pierre and Paul Wertheimer, with Chanel developing a close friendship with Pierre.

A deal was ultimately negotiated where the Wertheimer business would take in 70 percent of Chanel No. 5 profits for producing the perfume at their factories, with Bader receiving 20 percent and Chanel herself only receiving 10 percent. Over the years, with No. 5 being a massive source of revenue, she repeatedly sued to have the terms of the deal renegotiated.

Iconic Designs: Chanel Suit & Little Black Dress

In 1925, Chanel introduced the now legendary Chanel suit with collarless jacket and well-fitted skirt. Her designs were revolutionary for the time—borrowing elements of men’s wear and emphasizing comfort over the constraints of then-popular fashions. She helped women say goodbye to the days of corsets and other confining garments.

Another 1920s revolutionary design was Chanel’s little black dress. She took a color once associated with mourning and showed just how chic it could be for evening wear.

Closing Down Shop

The international economic depression of the 1930s had a negative impact on Chanel's company, but it was the outbreak of World War II that led her to close her business. She fired her workers and shut down her shops.

After the war, Chanel left Paris, spending some years in Switzerland in a sort of exile. She also lived at her country house in Roquebrune for a time.

Return to Fashion

At the age of 70, in the early 1950s, Chanel made a triumphant return to the fashion world. She first received scathing reviews from critics, but her feminine and easy-fitting designs soon won over shoppers around the world.

DOWNLOAD BIOGRAPHY'S COCO CHANEL FACT CARD

Relationships and a Marriage Proposal

Beginning in 1920, Chanel had a short-lived relationship with composer Igor Stravinsky . Chanel had attended the notorious world premiere of Stravinsky’s “Rite of Spring” in 1913.

Around 1923, she met the wealthy Hugh Grosvenor, Duke of Westminster, aboard his yacht. The two started a decades-long relationship. In response to his marriage proposal, which she turned down, she reportedly said, “There have been several Duchesses of Westminster—but there is only one Chanel!”

Life as Nazi Agent

During the German occupation of France, Chanel got involved with a Nazi military officer, Hans Gunther von Dincklage. She got special permission to stay in her apartment at the Hotel Ritz in Paris, which also operated as German military headquarters.

After the war ended, Chanel was interrogated about her relationship with von Dincklage, but she was not charged as a collaborator. Some have wondered whether friend Winston Churchill worked behind the scenes on Chanel’s behalf.

While not officially charged, Chanel suffered in the court of public opinion. Some still viewed her relationship with a Nazi officer as a betrayal of her country.

READ MORE: Coco Chanel's Secret Life as a Nazi Agent

Chanel died on January 10, 1971, at her apartment in the Hotel Ritz. She never married, having once said “I never wanted to weigh more heavily on a man than a bird.” Hundreds crowded together at the Church of the Madeleine to bid farewell to the fashion icon. In tribute, many of the mourners wore Chanel suits.

A little more than a decade after her death, designer Karl Lagerfeld took the reins at her company to continue the Chanel legacy. Today her namesake company is held privately by the Wertheimer family and continues to thrive, believed to generate hundreds of millions in sales each year.

Movies, Books and Plays on Chanel

In 1969, Chanel’s fascinating life story became the basis for the Broadway musical Coco , starring Katharine Hepburn as the legendary designer. Alan Jay Lerner wrote the book and lyrics for the show’s song while Andre Prévin composed the music. Cecil Beaton handled the set and costume design for the production. The show received seven Tony Award nominations, and Beaton won for Best Costume Design and René Auberjonois for Best Featured Actor.

Several biographies of the fashion revolutionary have also been written, including Chanel and Her World (2005), written by Chanel's friend Edmonde Charles-Roux.

In the 2008 television movie Coco Chanel , Shirley MacLaine starred as the famous designer around the time of her 1954 career resurrection. The actress told WWD that she had long been interested in playing Chanel. “What’s wonderful about her is she’s not a straightforward, easy woman to understand.”

In the 2008 film Coco Before Chanel, French actress Audrey Tautou played Chanel in her early years, from childhood to the founding of her fashion house. In 2009, Coco Chanel & Igor Stravinsky detailed Chanel's relationship with the composer.

QUICK FACTS

• Birth Year: 1883
• Birth date: August 19, 1883
• Birth City: Saumur
• Birth Country: France
• Gender: Female
• Best Known For: With her trademark suits and little black dresses, fashion designer Coco Chanel created timeless designs that are still popular today.
• Astrological Sign: Leo
• Nacionalities
• Death Year: 1971
• Death date: January 10, 1971
• Death City: Paris
• Death Country: France

We strive for accuracy and fairness.If you see something that doesn't look right, contact us !

CITATION INFORMATION

• Article Title: Coco Chanel Biography
• Author: Biography.com Editors
• Website Name: The Biography.com website
• Url: https://www.biography.com/history-culture/coco-chanel
• Access Date:
• Publisher: A&E; Television Networks
• Last Updated: December 10, 2021
• Original Published Date: April 2, 2014
• A woman has the age she deserves.
• Nature gives you the face you have at 20; it is up to you to merit the face you have at 50.
• [L]uxury must be comfortable, otherwise it is not luxury.
• My fortune is built on that old jersey that I’d put on because it was cold in Deauville.
• I never wanted to weigh more heavily on a man than a bird.
• What’s wonderful about her is she’s not a straightforward, easy woman to understand.
• Look at how ridiculous these women are, wearing clothes by a man who doesn’t know women, never had one, and dreams of being one!” (about Christian Dior's clothing)
• How could a brain function normally under all that?” (about ornate, heavy hats)
• Fashion is made to become unfashionable.
• Fashion is like a revolution—it only enters our lives after it has gone down in the streets.
• I love luxury. And luxury lies not in richness and ornateness but in the absence of vulgarity. Vulgarity is the ugliest word in our language. I stay in the game to fight it.
• I've always fled from boredom.
• Youth is something very new: Twenty years ago no one mentioned it.

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The Many Faces of Coco

By Lauren Lipton

• Dec. 2, 2011

LET the Coco catfight begin.

“I have to be careful not to trash another writer,” said Lisa Chaney, the author of “Coco Chanel: An Intimate Life,” a new biography of the French fashion icon. Then she proceeded to throw down the gauntlet. (One imagines a tweed-embellished lambskin glove from Chanel’s fall/winter collection.) Over the phone from her home in York, England — and in a press release from her publisher — she ticked off a litany of beefs with another recent Chanel book, Hal Vaughan’s “Sleeping With the Enemy: Coco Chanel’s Secret War.”

Mr. Vaughan’s biography, which posits that Chanel was a Nazi agent during World War II, “is written in a highly inflammatory style,” Ms. Chaney declared. “From the first few pages, it’s insinuation and leaping to conclusions. It’s pretty underhanded, what I think he’s done.”

 Mr. Vaughan said he thought that it was Ms. Chaney who was leaping to conclusions.

“I’m surprised that Chaney would say such a thing,” he said. “I find it quite shocking.” Down came another gauntlet: “Say, ‘Produce the damn document,’ ” Mr. Vaughan challenged, “and I will produce it.”

Mr. Vaughan, an American who lives in Paris, said he had not yet read Ms. Chaney’s book; he was waiting for Amazon to deliver it. But he had questions about a third new biography, “Coco Chanel: The Legend and the Life,” by Justine Picardie, which reads to him, he said, as if it were written to please the late designer’s namesake company. “I don’t know whether it was subsidized, but it’s clearly a Chanel book,” he said.

Ms. Picardie, a British writer, had her own potshots for the other biographers.

“I presume it was Lisa Chaney who said to you that my book is authorized by Chanel,” she said. As for Mr. Vaughan’s book? “The title is an instant sound bite.”

At least seven Chanel books have been published in the past 18 months. It was almost inevitable that the books would end up pitted against one another in reviews, but now some of the authors are going after each other in real life. At stake are not just sales or bragging rights. The true battle is over what Mr. Vaughan contended is an almost institutionalized refusal to delve into Chanel’s dark side.

“The thing that really bothers me is that no one will address the facts,” he said.

What the writers do not dispute is that Gabrielle Chanel (1883-1971), known as Coco, was a fascinating, prickly character, equal parts diva, social climber, femme fatale and genius. She was born into poverty and abandoned to an orphanage. Through hard work, talent and a series of affairs with rich, well-placed men, she rose to become arguably the most important fashion designer of the 20th century.

All three writers also agree on something uglier: in Nazi-occupied France during World War II, Chanel was a collaborator — a loaded wartime term for a citizen who cooperated with the enemy. It’s the degree of Chanel’s collaboration that is at issue.

Mr. Vaughan’s book details Chanel’s long love affair with Baron Hans Günther von Dincklage, a Nazi spy, and her dealings with Nazi higher-ups. Chanel, Mr. Vaughan writes, was a willing agent for the enemy, introducing Germans to her well-placed friends. In 1944, Chanel embarked on a mission to deliver a message to her friend Winston Churchill, the British Prime Minister, that said some high-ranking German officers wanted to end hostilities with Britain.

In return, he writes, she expected — and got — favors. Those included the release of her nephew from a German prisoner-of-war camp, and an apartment in the luxurious Ritz hotel in Paris during the German occupation of France. She also appealed to the Nazis to help her wrest control of her perfume business from the brothers to whom she had sold a majority stake years before.

 “Chanel was the consummate opportunist who was going to get what she wanted,” said Mr. Vaughan, who also paints his subject as a lifelong anti-Semite. “She knew exactly what she was doing. She didn’t see any harm in it.”

Ms. Chaney and Ms. Picardie write about the affair with Dincklage, as well, but they interpret Chanel’s behavior differently.

“There’s no question she was a collaborator of sorts, in that she had a lover who was a German, and he had an association with Nazis,” Ms. Chaney said. The question to her is how much Chanel knew, or chose to know, about Dincklage’s doings. Ms. Chaney suggested that her subject may have been blinded by love. At the start of their relationship, in 1940, Dincklage was 44 and Chanel was 57. “She was very conscious that this was a late affair,” the author said.

For her part, Ms. Picardie said Chanel “was involved in a German plot — but the German plot was to try and bring an early conclusion to the Second World War.”

Which account is accurate? Valerie Steele, director of the Museum at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York, said she had read the Vaughan and Chaney books (and “glanced” at Ms. Picardie’s) and supported Mr. Vaughan’s theory.

“Chaney implies that Chanel was just guilty of horizontal collaboration; I think it was definitely more,” she said.

Ms. Steele and all three sparring authors agreed that it was unwise to judge Chanel’s wartime behavior without putting it in context.

Ms. Chaney said: “Chanel’s position in general was pretty reprehensible. But think about what it was actually like living in an occupied country. There are levels of collaboration. You could say everyone who stayed in France was a collaborator.”

The Chanel company is unsurprisingly vague about its founder’s wartime activities. A spokeswoman, Iana dos Reis Nunes, referred to Dincklage not as a Nazi but as “a German aristocrat.”

“The timing of this romance with a German was unfortunate even if Baron von Dincklage’s mother was English and she met him before the war,” Ms. dos Reis Nunes said via e-mail. The conflicting accounts, she added, “go to show the difficulties in differentiating fact from fiction.”

Both Ms. Picardie and Ms. dos Reis Nunes said that Chanel Inc. had neither authorized nor subsidized Ms. Picardie’s book. But Karl Lagerfeld, the current designer for Chanel, contributed an original drawing to the book.

In the end, determining whose version is the definitive one may not matter, said Rhonda Garelick, a professor of English at the University of Nebraska at Lincoln and a Chanel scholar. She said she believed that Americans’ interest in this chapter of Chanel’s history had more to do with the current climate of political, social and economic upheaval.

“We have Occupy Wall Street — the 99 percent versus the 1 percent of super-elite multimillionaires — and we’re finally taking stock of what it means to have such discrepancy of wealth,” Ms. Garelick said. “We’re looking at an episode of Chanel’s life when people were picking through garbage looking for food, while she was living in the Ritz hotel as one of the richest women in the world. If during that period she was also betraying her country, that’s what piques our interest.”

It’s a good thing readers are so interested. Make room on the bookshelf for another biography of Chanel: “Antigone in Vogue,” by Ms. Garelick. She is working on her manuscript now.

Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History Essays

Gabrielle “coco” chanel (1883–1971) and the house of chanel.

• House of Chanel

Evening dress

Attributed to House of Chanel

Evening ensemble

Cocktail ensemble

Jessa Krick The Costume Institute, The Metropolitan Museum of Art

October 2004

Early Success Among the key designers who made a bold and lasting impression on women’s fashion in the twentieth century, Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel (1883–1971) deserves special recognition. Born in Saumur, in the Loire Valley of France, Chanel survived an impoverished childhood and strict convent education. The difficulties of her early life inspired her to pursue a radically different lifestyle, first on the stage, where she acquired the nickname “Coco,” and then as a milliner.

With the help of one of the male admirers who would provide key financial assistance and social connections over the course of her career, Chanel opened her first shop in Paris in 1913, followed by another in the resort town of Deauville. Selling hats and a limited line of garments, Chanel’s shops developed a dedicated clientele who quickly made her practical sportswear a great success. Much of Chanel’s clothing was made of jersey, a choice of fabric both unusual and inspired. Until the designer began to work with it, jersey was more commonly used for men’s underwear. With her financial situation precarious in the early years of her design career, Chanel purchased jersey primarily for its low cost. The qualities of the fabric, however, ensured that the designer would continue to use it long after her business became profitable. The fabric draped well and suited Chanel’s designs, which were simple, practical, and often inspired by menswear, especially the uniforms prevalent when World War I broke out in 1914.

As her fashion-conscious customers fled Paris at the beginning of the war, Chanel’s boutiques in Deauville and Biarritz flourished. Chanel’s uncluttered styles, with their boxy lines and shortened skirts, allowed women to leave their corsets behind and freed them for the practical activities made necessary by the war. Elements of these early designs became hallmarks of the Chanel look ( 1975.7 ; 1984.28a–c ; 1976.29.7 ) Chanel took great pride as a woman in designing for other women, and by 1919, at the age of thirty-two, she enjoyed huge success, with clients around the world. Soon after, she relocated her couture house in Paris to 31 rue Cambon, which remains the center of operations for the House of Chanel today.

A Style Icon Chanel’s own lifestyle fueled her ideas of how modern women everywhere should look, act, and dress. Her own slim boyish figure and cropped hair became an ideal, as did her tanned skin, active lifestyle, and financial independence. Throughout her career, Chanel succeeded in packaging and marketing her own personal attitudes and style, making her a key arbiter of women’s taste throughout the twentieth century.

The designer’s passionate interests inspired her fashions. Her apartment and her clothing followed her favorite color palette, shades of beige, black, and white ( 1978.165.16a,b ; 1984.30 ). Elements from her art collection and theatrical interests likewise provided themes for her collections ( C.I.65.47.2a,b ). When Chanel attended a masquerade ball dressed as a figure from a Watteau painting , she later reworked the costume into a woman’s suit ( C.I.54.16.1a,b ). She hired Russian émigrés from her circle of friends to work in her embroidery workshop, creating designs to her exacting specifications. Known for a relentless drive for perfection, whether in design or fit, and strong opinions in all matters of taste, Chanel backed her clothing with the authority of her personal conviction.

Chanel continued to create successful looks for women through the 1920s and ’30s. In 1926, American Vogue likened Chanel’s “little black dress” to the Ford, alluding to its almost universal popularity as a fashion basic. In fact, the concept of the dress suitable for day and evening did become both a staple for Chanel throughout subsequent seasons and a classic piece of twentieth-century womenswear ( 1984.28a–c ). The designer also used colorful feminine printed chiffons in her daywear designs ( 1984.31a-c ). Evening ensembles followed the long slim line for which the designer was known, but also incorporated tulle, lace, and decorative elements that soften and romanticize the overall look of the garment ( 1978.165.16a,b ; C.I.46.4.7a-c ).

The Closure and the Comeback Despite her great success, Chanel closed the doors of her salon in 1939, when France declared war on Germany. Other couturiers left the country, but Chanel endured the war in Paris, her future uncertain. Following the end of the hostilities and resolution of some personal difficulties, Chanel found she could not idly stand by and observe the early success of Christian Dior , whose “New Look” prevailed in the postwar period. While many admired Dior’s celebration of femininity, with full skirts and nipped-in waists, Chanel felt his designs were neither modern nor suitable for the liberated women who had survived another war by taking on active roles in society. Just as she had following World War I, Chanel set out to rescue and reinvigorate women’s fashion.

The designer faced challenges in this endeavor: securing finances, assembling a new staff, seeking out new fabrics, competing at age seventy against a new generation of designers. Chanel’s comeback collection of couture debuted in 1953 (1976.370.2a-c). Although it was not a critical success, the designer persevered. Within three seasons, Chanel was enjoying newfound respect. She updated her classic looks, reworking the classic tweed designs until wealthy women and celebrities returned to the showroom in droves. The Chanel suit became a status symbol for a new generation, made of solid or tweed fabric, with its slim skirt and collarless jacket trimmed in braid, gold buttons, patch pockets, and—sewn into the hem—a gold-colored chain ensuring it hung properly from the shoulders. Chanel also reintroduced her handbags, jewelry, and shoes with great success in subsequent seasons.

The Legacy Continues Following Chanel’s death in 1971, several of her assistants designed the couture and ready-to-wear lines until Karl Lagerfeld (born 1938) took over the haute couture design in 1983 and ready-to-wear in 1984. Lagerfeld, like Chanel at the time of her comeback, looked to past designs for the secret to his success. His designs incorporated signature Chanel details, tweed fabrics, colors, gold chains, quilt-stitched leather, and the linked “CC” logo. In later collections, Lagerfeld became more irreverent, deconstructing some of the ladylike polish of Chanel’s 1960s looks. Playing with the fact that Chanel’s favorite jersey fabric had been used for men’s underwear at the turn of the twentieth century, Lagerfeld even incorporated men’s T-shirts and briefs into his designs ( 1993.104.2a–j ). Nonetheless, Lagerfeld’s ability to continuously mine the Chanel archive for inspiration testifies to the importance of Gabrielle Chanel’s contributions to women’s fashion in the twentieth century.

Krick, Jessa. “Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel (1883–1971) and the House of Chanel.” In Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History . New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2000–. http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/chnl/hd_chnl.htm (October 2004)

Additional Essays by Jessa Krick

• Krick, Jessa. “ Charles Frederick Worth (1825–1895) and the House of Worth .” (October 2004)
• Krick, Jessa. “ Shoes in The Costume Institute .” (October 2004)

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Biography Online

Coco Chanel Biography

Gabrielle Bonheur “Coco” Chane l (19 August 1883 – 10 January 1971)

“Fashion is not something that exists in dresses only. Fashion is in the sky, in the street, fashion has to do with ideas, the way we live, what is happening.”

– Coco Chanel

Coco Chanel was a leading French modernist designer, whose patterns of simplicity and style revolutionised women’s clothing. She was the only designer to be listed in the Time 100 most influential people of the Twentieth Century.

“Fashion has become a joke. The designers have forgotten that there are women inside the dresses. Most women dress for men and want to be admired. But they must also be able to move, to get into a car without bursting their seams! Clothes must have a natural shape. ”

She also created her famous Chanel No.5 scent, and this has become a lasting trademark.

The early life of Coco Chanel

Most sources suggest Gabrielle Chanel was born in 1883, though this was a closely guarded fact – with Coco not keen on revealing her birth date. Her mother was unmarried and her upbringing was marked by poverty and uncertainty. Aged 12, her mother died, and her father sent his three daughters including Gabrielle to a convent in Correze. Life in the religious institution was strict and frugal, but she did learn to sew and gain a rudimentary knowledge of creating clothes.

At the age of 18, she left the convent and moved to Moulins. She gained work as a seamstress and pursued a secondary career singing at cabaret events; however, her singing was not good enough to enable a stage career. Around 1908, Chanel began an affair with Étienne Balsan, a rich aristocrat. This enabled Chanel to become acquainted with many wealthy aristocrats and a different social circle.

Early Chanel Casual wear – 1917

In 1913, with financial aid from a lover Arthur Capel, Chanel opened a boutique selling fashionable clothes in Deauville. She made innovative use of jersey fabric – a manufactured cloth which proved useful during the shortages of the First World War. She quickly gained a rising reputation for being on the forefront of fashion, and her initial success encouraged her to start another shop in Biarritz which prospered as a venue for the wealthy during the First World War.

By 1919, Chanel was able to open her first boutique in Paris on 31 rue Cambon, at the heart of the most fashionable area of Paris.

“In 1919 I woke up famous. I’d never guessed it. If I’d known I was famous, I’d have stolen away and wept. I was stupid. I was supposed to be intelligent. I was sensitive and very dumb.”

– Coco Chanel : Her Life, Her Secrets (1971), p. 95

In the post-war period, she felt the need for a revolution in women’s clothes. She began by liberating women from the bondage of the corset and encouraged a casual but elegant range of clothes.

“With a black sweater and 10 rows of pearls Chanel revolutionized fashion”

– Dior on Coco Chanel.

The 1920s were a significant period of liberation for women. It was a decade where women received the vote in several western countries. It was also a time when women were increasingly seen in professions and jobs, previously the reserve of men. Her fashion symbolised some of these social and political changes.

Significant items of clothing Coco Chanel helped pioneer included:

• the collarless cardigan jacket
• the bias cut dress – labelled a Ford by one critic because everyone had one.
• The shoe string shoulder strap.
• The floating evening scarf
• The wearing together of junk and real jewels.

Chanel in sailors outfit 1928

In 1938, she retired from the fashion business. However, 16 years later, she made a determined comeback after becoming fed up with seeing French fashion become dominated by men.

Her first post-war collection was not well received by the critics, but it proved immensely popular with the general public. Rich and famous women once again adopted the Chanel look, and she had shown her lasting influence on the industry.

“In order to be irreplaceable one must always be different.”

She prided herself on her great taste, fashion and practicality combined with an awareness of what people wanted. It was this that made her the most recognisable name in world fashion.

Chanel 2.55

Chanel was an innovator in many aspects of fashion. She developed a new kind of jewellery which imitated much more expensive jewellery. It enabled wealthy people to keep their expensive jewellery at home.

In 1929, she developed the iconic Chanel bag. Like other Chanel creations, it combined beauty, fashion and practicality. The thin strap – enabling hands to be kept free. In 1948, she updated the design to become the Chanel 2.55

Coco Chanel during World War Two

At the start of the Second World War in 1939, Chanel closed her shops, stating that war was not a time for fashion. Three thousand of her workers lost their jobs – it was seen partly as retaliation for previous conflicts with workers, where her workers had sought better wages and conditions.

Other declassified information shows that in 1943/44 Chanel was to be used as a courier for the SS to pursue a separate peace deal with Churchill and the Allies. The plan never succeeded.

In September 1944, Chanel was interrogated by the Free French Purge Committee, the épuration. She was released due to lack of evidence . Some sources suggest that Winston Churchill directly intervened to make sure Chanel was released – Churchill was possibly worried that if sent to trial, Chanel would embarrass the government with her links to top-ranking Nazi’s and sympathisers in the British establishment.

In the climate of post-war interrogations, Chanel moved to Switzerland where she resided until 1954. The post-war period saw the emergence of new male designers, such as Christian Dior, who began to eclipse Chanel’s branding. However, in 1954, she returned to Paris and reopened her couture house. Her post-war label was successful in America and Britain, but less so in France. Many Frenchmen continued to hold her war record against her.

Chanel never married or had children. During her life, she had numerous relationships with influential men. This included poet Pierre Reverdy and the designer Paul Iribe.

Many biographers have said that Coco Chanel remains an enigma – a life full of contradiction and hard to ascertain her real motives.

“Despite the work of a dozen biographers … Chanel remains an enigma.”

David Downie, in Paris, Paris: Journey Into the City of Light‎ (2005)

She died on 10 January 1971, aged 87 at the Hotel Ritz, where she had resided for more than 30 years.

In the 1960s, a Broadway musical was made about her life starring Katharine Hepburn.

Citation: Pettinger, Tejvan . “Biography of Coco Chanel”, Oxford, UK. www.biographyonline.net 26 Oct. 2009. Updated 1st March 2018.

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Tell Me More Celebrates Women's History Month

Coco chanel: the unlikely fashion icon.

Bridget DeChagas

Coco Chanel

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Fashion designer Coco Chanel has been credited with developing the "modern woman." She once said, "I had rediscovered honesty, and in my own way, I made fashion honest." By loosening waistlines, shortening hemlines and embracing pants, Chanel redefined women's style. She was inspired by men's wear: shirts with clean collars, simple sweaters and loose belted jackets. She liberated women from constrictive clothing by making clothes that women could move in. Her designs were a symbol of the independent woman she was.

How she would become one of the most influential fashion icons of all time is the subject of Lisa Chaney's biography "Coco Chanel: An Intimate Portrait." The book was discussed on NPR's Tell Me More as a part of the program's biography series for Women's History Month.

Chanel was born into dire poverty and orphaned at age 11. "By the time I was 12, I realized that money is freedom," she said. She would eventually become the mistress of powerful men – one of the few options available to poor women in early 20th century France to escape poverty. What she never escaped though was the fear of her early life.

Chaney describes for Tell Me More host Michel Martin how very complex Chanel was: Her heart was broken when the love of her life died in a car accident; and she had romances with artist Salvador Dali, a Duke of Westminster, composer Igor Stravinsky and even a Nazi spy. That affair, during WWII, is still a point of criticism as some claim Chanel was an anti-Semite. She has also been criticized for her treatment of employees when she closed her salon during the war. "I think it was a terrible, terrible thing to do. But she was hard. She was hard but she wasn't only hard. And I try really hard in the book to paint a nuanced picture of a woman who was deeply complex and who could be very hard but wasn't only hard," said Chaney.

After the war, Chanel's comeback is credited to the United States. In 1954, the American edition of Vogue magazine lauded the redesigned Chanel suit. While many women will never have the financial means to afford couture Chanel, her influences are seen in today's shoulder bag, sling back shoes and the little black dress.

"She was a force of nature. She was very impressive in many, many ways," Chaney said. "And I think she gave women – all of the 20th and 21st century – I think she gave us an enormous amount. It really wasn't just the clothes. The clothes were a reflection of her life."

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Biography of Coco Chanel, Famed Fashion Designer and Executive

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Gabrielle "Coco" Chanel (August 19, 1883–January 10, 1971) opened her first millinery shop in 1910, and in the 1920s she rose to become one of the premier fashion designers in Paris. Replacing the corset with comfort and casual elegance, her fashion themes included simple suits and dresses, women's trousers, costume jewelry, perfume, and textiles.

She is particularly known for introducing the world to the iconic little black dress as well as a perfume, Chanel No. 5, in 1922. It is, to this day, one of the most famous perfumes of all time.

Fast Facts: Gabrielle "Coco" Chanel

• Known For : Founder of the House of Chanel, creator of the Chanel suit, Chanel jacket, and bell bottoms, Chanel No. 5 perfume
• Also Known As : Gabrielle Bonheur Chanel
• Born : August 19, 1883 in Saumur, Maine-et-Loire, France
• Parents : Eugénie Jeanne Devolle, Albert Chanel
• Died : January 10, 1971 in Paris, France
• Awards and Honors : Neiman Marcus Fashion Award, 1957
• Notable Quotes : "A girl should be two things: classy and fabulous." ... "Fashion fades, only style remains the same." ... "Fashion is what one wears oneself. What is unfashionable is what other people wear."

Early Years and Career

Gabrielle "Coco" Chanel claimed to be born in 1893 at Auvergne, but she was actually born on August 19, 1883, in Saumur, France. According to her version of her life story, her mother worked in the poorhouse where Chanel was born and died when she was only 6, leaving her father with five children whom he promptly abandoned to the care of relatives.

She adopted the name Coco during a brief career as a cafe and concert singer from 1905 to 1908. First a mistress of a wealthy military officer and then of an English industrialist, Chanel drew on the resources of these patrons in setting up a millinery shop in Paris in 1910, expanding to Deauville and Biarritz. The two men also helped her find customers among women of society, and her simple hats became popular.

The Rise of a Fashion Empire

Soon, Coco was expanding to couture and working in jersey, a first in the French fashion world. By the 1920s, her fashion house had expanded considerably, and her chemise set a fashion trend with its "little boy" look. Her relaxed fashions, short skirts, and casual look were in sharp contrast to the corset fashions popular in the previous decades. Chanel herself dressed in mannish clothes and adapted these more comfortable fashions, something that other women also found liberating.

In 1922, Chanel introduced a perfume, Chanel No. 5, which became and remained popular, and remains a profitable product of Chanel's company. Pierre Wertheimer became her partner in the perfume business in 1924, and perhaps also her lover. Wertheimer owned 70% of the company; Chanel received 10 percent and her friend, Théophile Bader, 20 percent. The Wertheimers continue to control the perfume company today.

Chanel introduced her signature cardigan jacket in 1925 and iconic little black dress in 1926. Most of her fashions had a staying power and didn't change much from year to year—or even generation to generation.

World War II Break and Comeback

Chanel briefly served as a nurse during World War II . Nazi occupation meant the fashion business in Paris was cut off for some years; Chanel's affair during World War II with a Nazi officer also resulted in some years of diminished popularity and an exile of sorts to Switzerland.

In 1954, her comeback restored her to the top ranks of haute couture. Her natural, casual clothing including the Chanel suit, once again caught the eye—and purses—of women. She introduced pea jackets and bell bottom pants for women.

In addition to her work with high fashion, Chanel also designed stage costumes for such plays as "Cocteau's Antigone" (1923) and " Oedipus Rex " (1937) and film costumes for several movies, including Renoir's "La Regle de Jeu." Katharine Hepburn starred in the 1969 Broadway musical "Coco" based on the life of Coco Chanel. A 2008 television movie "Coco Chanel" starred Shirley MacLaine portraying the famous designer around the time of her 1954 career resurrection.

Death and Legacy

Chanel worked right up to the time she died. Though she was ailing and in declining health by the early 1970s, she continued to direct her company. In January 1971, she began preparing the spring catalog for her firm. She took a long drive on the afternoon of January 9 and then went to bed early, feeling ill. She died the next day, January 10, 1971, at the Hotel Ritz in Paris, where she had lived for more than three decades.

Chanel was worth a reported $15 billion when she died. And though her career had its ups and downs, her legacy in the fashion industry is assured. In addition to perfumes and the little black dress, Chanel helped popularize costume jewelry, trousers, tweed jackets, and short hair for women—all of which were considered fashion no-no's before Chanel came onto the scene. The company also created such iconic items as black bouclé jackets, two-tone ballet pumps, and an array of quilted handbags.

Designer Karl Lagerfeld took the reins at Chanel in 1983 and lifted the company back to prominence. He ran Chanel right up until his death on Februry 19, 2019, as the company's creative director. Virginie Viard, Lagerfeld's right-hand woman for more than three decades, was named to succeed him. Chanel is a private company owned by the Wertheimer family and continues to thrive; it reported sales of nearly $10 billion for the 2017 fiscal year.

• Alkayat, Zena.  Library of Luminaries: Coco Chanel: An Illustrated Biography . Illustrated by Nina Cosford. 2016.
• Garelick, Rhonda K.  Mademoiselle: Coco Chanel and the Pulse of History.  2015.
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12 Facts About Coco Chanel, From Her Real Name to Her First Job

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Haute couture isn't everyone's forte, but even if you don't follow fashion religiously, there are some household names everyone just knows, like Prada, Gucci, Dior, and, of course, Chanel. We likely don't have to tell you that Coco Chanel is still a style icon: her designs were revolutionary and her signature fragrance is an all-time classic (even Marilyn Monroe was a fan). But, aside from her name, what do you really know about the woman behind the double-C?

Chanel is often attributed to a quote , "A girl should be two things, classy and fabulous." (Whether or not she actually did, however, is another story.) In her life, she was both. From her most famous designs to her style muse, here are a few need-to-know facts about the woman who blessed us with the little black dress.

When Was Coco Chanel Born?

Coco Chanel was born on August 19, 1883, in Saumur, France.

What Was Coco Chanel’s Childhood Like?

Unfortunately, the fashion designer's childhood was far from a fairytale. Chanel was born to Eugénie Jeanne Devolle, a laundress in the charity hospital run by the Sisters of Providence, and Albert Chanel, a peddler. Chanel was only 12 years old when her mother died from a combination of factors, including tuberculosis, poverty, pregnancy, and pneumonia, according to reports from The Telegraph UK. After her mother's passing, Chanel's father abandoned her and her two sisters, dropping them off at a convent-run orphanage where they were raised by nuns.

What Was Coco Chanel’s First Job?

Like many of the greats, Coco Chanel started from the bottom as a seamstress by day and a club singer by night in Moulins, a commune in France.

Where Did Coco Chanel Get Her Name From?

Coco Chanel was born Gabrielle Bonheur Chanel. She acquired the nickname 'Coco' during her brief stint as a cabaret singer. One theory is that Chanel was dubbed 'Coco' after the songs she sang ("Ko Ko Ri Ko" and "Qui qu'a vu Coco dans l'Trocadéro?"), but according to an article published in The Atlantic , Chanel claimed "Coco" was short for "'cocotte,' the French word for 'kept woman.'" Either way, it stuck.

When Was Chanel Established?

Chanel opened her very first shop in 1910. The brick-and-mortar was located on Rue Cambon in Paris, where the designer kickstarted her namesake brand selling hats.

What Was Coco Chanel’s Most Famous Design?

You can thank Coco Chanel for the little black dress hanging in your closet, even if the tag doesn't don the label's signature double C. The fashion icon introduced the now classic wardrobe staple early on in the 1920s, and it proved to be as revolutionary as the times.

Chanel is also known for its two-piece suits. The collarless tweed jacket and well-fitted skirt set give women a desirable, tailored fit but don't feel stiff on.

Where Did Coco Chanel’s Style Inspiration Come From?

Coco Chanel grew up in a time when women were expected to wear confining pieces, but she had another vision. Chanel's goal was to design classy garments that were as fashionable as they were comfortable, drawing inspiration from menswear and practical necessity.

When Did Chanel Create the Chanel No. 5 Perfume?

In 1921, Chanel released her first perfume with the help of perfumer Ernest Beaux. The name came from the fact that it was the fifth sample out of 10 created.

What Is Coco Chanel's Connection to Lions?

Lions are a symbol that is associated with the brand and included in collections. This is because Coco Chanel was inspired by the city of Venice, known as the City of the Lion, and was also a Leo.

Who Was Coco Chanel Married To?

Coco Chanel never married, but she did have suitors, and they played a significant role in her success. She was first linked to French textile heir and racehorse owner Etienne Balsan, who helped Chanel become a milliner (someone who sells hats) as her first real solo endeavor. However, it was Arthur 'Boy' Capel, a wealthy polo player, who helped Chanel set up shop on Rue Cambon, and eventually a boutique in Deauville. Capel is believed to be Chanel's one true love, not to mention quite the significant muse. After Capel died in a car accident in 1919, Chanel viewed men as a means to an end. She chose lovers based on their status and wealth in order to sustain her independence.

What Made Coco Chanel So Influential?

Coco Chanel was several things—wealthy, successful, and controversial—but what made her influential was her rebellious yet highly fashionable designs. Chanel approached fashion in a way that designers weren't at the time. She made clothes trendy, beautiful, and comfortable. She took mournful black and made it chic, she took menswear and applied it to womenswear. She defied limitations and encouraged women to do the same—in fashion, and beyond.

When Did Coco Chanel Die?

Coco Chanel died of a heart attack on January 10, 1971 in the Hotel Ritz in Paris. She was 87 years old.

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43 Classic Photographs That Prove Coco Chanel’s Taste Never Wavered

Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel was one of the 20th century’s most formative couturiers. Established first as a milliner, the French designer soon became synonymous with a new style of dressing that did away with corsets and layers of trimmings and tulles, instead embracing a more fluid silhouette shaped around a more androgynous ideal. 

Chanel, who passed away aged 87 in 1971, did nothing by halves. If her clothes have now become synonymous with a monochrome palette, then her life, by contrast, was a colourful one, filled with embellished truths and an ever-changing backstory. While she never married, Chanel’s love life was dramatic, making her personal affairs as much a topic of discussion as her collections. 

Today, Chanel’s legacy lives on in her namesake house, now under the design direction of Virginie Viard , after a 36-year custodianship by Karl Lagerfeld, who died in 2019 . The motifs that made up her work and her personal wardrobe — tweed suits, camellias, costume pearls and jewellery, a colour palette grounded in contrasting black and white and, of course, the interlocking CC insignia — remain just as pertinent, and are a testament to Chanel’s unwavering taste and forward-thinking vision. 

Here, British Vogue takes a look at Mademoiselle Chanel’s life in style.

An early portrait of Chanel showed the soon-to-be designer as a young woman wearing a peach, boat-necked dress, her long hair plaited across her head. 

Chanel was photographed in conversation with her lover, Grand Duke Dmitri Pavlovich of Russia, wearing her signature pearl necklaces.

The designer joined the Duke of Westminster at Chester Races wearing a loose silhouetted coat with a cloche-style hat, slingback heels and her pearls. 

The couple attended the 1925 Grand National together, with Chanel wrapping up in furs, an appliquéd hat and Mary-Jane shoes. Their relationship would endure for another 10 years.

Chanel was photographed in a belted, grey, knit cardigan, pearls and a matching hat.

In Biarritz, Chanel stepped into a town car wearing a drop-waist silhouette with piles of costume jewellery and Mary-Jane shoes.

Chanel went boar hunting with Winston Churchill and his son Randolph in the forests near Dieppe, France, wearing a typical hunting outfit. 

Outside her home on rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré, Paris, Chanel was photographed wearing a patterned knitted dress with lengths of pearls and a matching cardigan.

Coco Chanel's other life

'Society people amuse me more than others,' Coco Chanel once said. 'They have wit, tact, a charming disloyalty, a well-bred nonchalance, and an arrogance that is very specific, very caustic, always on the alert; they know how to arrive at the right time and to leave when necessary.'

Coco Chanel is famous for many things - her style, her fashion empire, her extraordinary life - but just as important to her creativity were the people she surrounded herself with: an eclectic mix of aristocrats and artists. In the words of her biographer Lisa Chaney, Chanel inhabited 'two worlds that are, in many ways, mutually exclusive: the world of society, the haute monde, and the world of the artist'. But Chanel brought those two worlds together. Characters like the 2nd Duke of Westminster, Picasso, Stravinsky and Grand Duke Dmitri Pavlovich, grandson to Tsar Alexander II, populated her world and her parties. The film director Luchino Visconti said that her lunches - one of the most coveted invitations in Paris - were full of 'the most glittering, famous and interesting wits'.

'What really interested Chanel was influence,' says Chaney, author of Chanel: An Intimate Life . 'She wanted power, but not for power's sake. She wanted what power brought, which was independence.'

Born Gabrielle Bonheur Chanel in Saumur, France, in 1883 to a street vendor and a laundry woman, she was 11 when her mother died from bronchitis. Her father placed her and her sisters Julia and Antoinette in a convent orphanage in Aubazine. When she was 12, she came to the realisation that, as she said later, 'without money, you are nothing, that with money you can do anything… I would say to myself over and over, "Money is the key to freedom."'

After working as a seamstress and a cabaret singer - it's thought that one of the popular songs she sang in Moulins gave rise to her nickname Coco - Chanel met Etienne Balsan, heir to a textile fortune, who established her as his mistress in his chateau at Royallieu. It was Balsan who, in 1908, introduced Coco to her English lover, the polo-playing playboy Captain Arthur Edward 'Boy' Capel. 'He was my father, my brother, my entire family,' Chanel later said of him. Educated at Beaumont College, Berkshire, and then Stonyhurst, Lancashire, Capel was the dashing son of a rich shipping merchant. 'He was one of the most important people in her life, if not the key person,' says Chaney, who was the first biographer to have access to Capel's personal papers. It's generally accepted that the inspiration for many of Chanel's most iconic designs - including the CC logo, the design of the No. 5 perfume bottle and her use of unconventional fabrics such as jersey (previously used for men's underwear) - all had their roots in her affair with Capel. Her lover channelled money into Coco's first shop selling hats and within months Chanel's exquisitie creations were being featured in national magazines. Soon, Chanel opened a boutique, again financed by Capel, in the fashionable resort of Deauville, followed by one in Biarritz and then a store on Rue Cambon, in Paris.

During the first three decades of the 20th century, the French capital found itself at the epicentre of a creative explosion. Chanel witnessed a number of key cultural moments and counted many of the modernists as friends or lovers. 'My work came about as a reaction to my times,' she explained. She was in the audience at the first night, in May 1913, of Diaghilev's shocking new ballet The Rite of Spring , starring his lover, Vaslav Nijinksy.

Chanel had, according to Chaney, 'the character of an artist', and as such she felt at ease with the general spirit of bohemianism that infused her social circle. Sexual boundaries were fluid. Chanel also struck up a friendship with Count Etienne de Beaumont and his wife, Edith. Around the couple - who were both gay - flitted a heady crowd of artists, among them Satie, Braque, Cocteau and Picasso, with whom Chanel had an affair. 'He was wicked,' she said of him. 'He fascinated me the way of hawk would - he filled me with fear.'

Each spring, Etienne de Beaumont organised a month-long series of parties spread across Paris. In addition to the sumptuous dinners, the well-known 'fiendish social tyrant' hosted an extravagant costume ball. In 1919, the theme for the ball dictated that each guest should arrive in costume but 'leave exposed that part of one's body one finds the most interesting'.

Hedonism gripped Paris with the fervour of a new religion - and alcohol and drugs (particularly cocaine and morphine) were bountiful. At one event held on the day before New Year's Eve 1920, at Chanel's shop on Rue Cambon, the party started out civilly enough with a buffet in the fitting rooms, only to degenerate into debauchery. One of the composers of the group known as Les Six 'cracked his fingers on the piano, and there was blood running down the keyboard', remembered one observer. 'Jean [Cocteau] contorted, was initiating the Duchesse de Gramont in a broken can-can… Stravinsky [Chanel's lover at the time] was drinking his ammonia [booze]… Massine [the choreographer of the Ballets Russses] was doing things in the middle of the parquet floor, very quickly, on his own, then fell like a mass.' The friends congregated at Le Boeuf sur le Toit, a bar on the Rue Boissy d'Anglas, known among the English as the Nothing Doing Bar. 'As well as beautiful women and men, and beautiful boys, and boys dressed as girls, and girls dressed as boys, there were the poets, painters, musicians, actors, dancers, the titled, the rich and the famous,' writers Lisa Chaney.

Throughout this time Chanel's closest female friend was Misia Sert, described by the writer Paul Morand, later the author of Chanel's memoirs, as a 'collector of geniuses, all of them in love with her'. Chanel had first met Misia, a pianist whose third husband was the Spanish painter Josep Maria Sert, in 1916. 'She was two-faced, conniving and manipulative,' says Chaney, 'and they loved and hated each other.' Many have assumed that it was Misia who was responsible for introducing Chanel into the rich diversity of the Parisiain scene. After all, Misia said, referring to Chanel: 'One could say that it is easy to help a beautiful diamond to shine. Still, it was my privilege to help it emerge from its rough state, and - in my heart - to be the first person dazzled by its brilliance.'

'Misia was a patron of the arts and, yes, she was frightfully sophisticated and gifted, but she never did anything with it,' she says. 'She was not driven in an artistic sense and, in the end, she could not bear it that Chanel outshone her. It was also obvious that Misia had a very serious issue with drugs. One day the two women were walking down the street and Misia took a syringe from her handbag and injected herself in the leg. Chanel was appalled.'

It would have been particularly easy for Chanel to lose herself in parties after the breakdown of her relationship with Boy Capel - in 1918 he married Diana Wyndham, a daughter of Lord Ribblesdale - and then his death, in a car accident, in December 1919. 'His death was a terrible blow to me,' she said later. 'I lost everything when I lost Capel He left a void in me that the years have not filled.' Yet Chanel busied herself with work and, after several months in mourning and then a trip to Italy with Misia and her husband, she returned to Paris ready to live again. Following an affair with Grand Duke Dmitri Pavlovich - who introduced her, in 1920, to Ernest Beaux, the man who helped her create Chanel No. 5 - she embarked on a long relationship with the 2nd Duke of Westminster.

The designer met Hugh Richard Arthur Grosvenor in Monte Carlo, after an introduction by Chanel's friend and public-relations adviser, the socialite Vera Bate. Although Chanel was rich in her own right, this was nothing compared to the vast wealth of the 2nd Duke of Westminster, one of Europe's richest men and known to his friends as Bend'Or (from the family coat of arms). His seduction techniques included sending salmon, which he had caught in Scotland, by plane to be delivered to Coco in Paris, together with fresh flowers and fruit grown at his house, Eaton Hall. But she was far from intimidated by his wealth or social connections, and her insouciance attracted him even more.

The Duke introduced her to Winston Churchill, who regularly went salmon fishing with the couple at his friend's vast estate, Reay Forest, in Scotland. 'She [Chanel] fishes from morn till night, & in two months has killed 50 salmon,' Churchill wrote to his wife in 1927. 'She is vy [very] agreeable - really a gt [great] & strong being fit to a rule a man or an Empire. Bennie vy well & I think extremely happy to be mated with an equal.'

The couple created two houses together - Rosehall House, in Sutherland, and the celebrated La Pausa, in Roquebrune-Cap-Martin. The house, near Monaco, was described by US Vogue editor Bettina Ballard as 'the most comfortable, relaxing place I have ever stayed in'. The routine was always the same: Chanel would remain in her own quarters during the morning, when she expected the villa to be bathed in silence, and she would emerge in time for lunch. 'No one missed lunch - it was far too entertaining,' wrote Ballard. 'The long dining room had a buffet at one end with hot Italian dishes, cold English roast beef, French dishes, a little of everything.'

In Paris, Chanel gave some of the most important parties of the era - one observer wrote of the 'white violence of the multitude of peonies - subtle, gay, moving parties which made several people envious'. Once she took over the Hôtel de Lauzun to mark the end of a Ballets Russes season. Music was provided by a jazz band, the gardens were lit by lanterns and guests ate from enormous dishfuls of caviar. 'We drank rivers of champagne and vodka,' recalled one guest. 'Coco drank as much as anyone else. As always, she flirted with the men. She was very kittenish, even purring, pretending she was completely captivated, when suddenly pfft! Nobody there! She was like a little Cinderella. She disappeared around two in the morning, so as not to miss her beauty sleep.' Throughout her life, Chanel maintained her slim figure, regularly visiting spas to keep in shape. 'Yes, she had invented the shift dress, but she always thought women should make an effort,' says Chaney.

Chanel's relationship with the Duke of Westminster ended when his head was turned by a series of younger women, including Loelia Mary Ponsonby, whom he married in 1930. When asked why she did not marry him, she is supposed to have said: 'There have been several Duchesses of Westminster - there is only one Chanel.' She went on to have relationships with the designer/illustrator Paul Iribe, who died while staying at La Pausa in 1945, and Salvador Dalí.

After the war, Chanel spent nine years in Switzerland before returning to Paris, where she lived at the Ritz. In 1954, she reopened her couture house, which she had closed at the onset of the war, but as she aged she became increasingly isolated and she died on 10 January 1971, aged 87. Today she is remembered not only for her style revolution - she gave the world the little black dress, the quilted handbag, the fashionable suntan - but also for a lifestyle from a lost, gilded age. 'I am not a heroine,' she once said. 'But I have chosen the person I wanted to be.'

Chanel with Randolph and Winston Churchill at a meet in France, 1928

With the 2nd Duke of Westminster at the Grand National, 1925

In New York, 1932

At her Paris home with her friend Lady Abdy, 1929

At her villa in the South of France with her friend Lady Dunn and her dog Gigot, 1931

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Coco Chanel: The Legend and the Life Paperback – Illustrated, August 23, 2011

Filled with fresh new research and never-before-seen photos, this updated edition of the definitive biography of Coco Chanel deepens our understanding of the history and legacy of the incredible woman who shaped modern fashion and created an empire of haute couture.

Coco Chanel was an extraordinary inventor, conjuring up the little black dress, bobbed hair, trousers for women, contemporary chic, bestselling perfumes, and the most successful fashion brand of all time. But she also invented herself, fashioning the myth of her own life with the same dexterity as her couture; and what lies beneath her own glossy surface is darker, more mysterious, and far more intriguing.

Uncovering remarkable new details about Gabrielle Chanel’s humble early years, Justine Picardie picks up the legend Chanel where it began—in orphanhood and poverty. Throwing new light on her passionate and, at times, dark relationships and providing profound insights into her connections with Cocteau, Diaghilev, Picasso, and Dali, this beautifully constructed portrait gives a fresh and penetrating look at what made Coco Chanel the strong-spirited and powerful presence she became. An authoritative account, based on personal observations and interviews with Chanel’s last surviving friends, employees, and relatives, the book also unravels her coded language and symbols and tracks the influence of her formative years on her legendary style.

Feared and revered by the rest of the fashion industry, Coco Chanel died in 1971 at the age of 87, but her legacy lives on. This special new edition has been extensively revised and updated and offers a uniquely authoritative account of the world’s greatest designer. Adding fresh new insights and discoveries, it comes complete with a compelling array of previously unseen images from the Chanel archives.

• Print length 352 pages
• Language English
• Publisher It Books
• Publication date August 23, 2011
• Dimensions 1 x 6.5 x 9 inches
• ISBN-10 0062074172
• ISBN-13 978-0062074171
• See all details

Editorial Reviews

“Fascinating. . . . Intriguing reading. . . . In researching this book, Justine Picardie has shown as much doggedness in uncovering her subject’s life as Chanel did in disguising it.” — Edwina Ings-Chambers, Sunday Times

“I thought there was nothing more to say about Coco Chanel, but Picardie’s recent book does a great job of depicting a difficult and compelling 20th-century icon.” — Kate Betts, The Week

“Gripping. . . . In the deftest prose, Picardie lots one of the most extraordinary lives of the 20th Century. The book is lavishly illustrated, too, with images of iconic outfits and intimate photos from Chanel’s private albums.” — Mail on Sunday

“Picardie reveals a fascinating insight into the woman who created the Little Black Dress and who freed women from the constraint of corsets. . . . By using the archives of the House of Chanel, of course, but also those of the Duke of Westminster and Winston Churchill, Picardie has managed to create a truly three-dimensional portrait of an enormously complex woman.” — Claire Black, The Scotsman

“Elegant.” — ARTnews

“Captivating. . . . Wonderful photos and illustrations.” — ARTnews

“Picardie’s biography on Chanel is not only stunningly presented—it features photos, pictures and fashion drawings by Karl Lagerfeld on almost every page—but brilliantly written.” — ARTnews

From the Back Cover

Sleek. Chic. Notoriously guarded. Welcome to the secret world of Gabrielle Chanel.

The story of Chanel begins with an abandoned child, as lost as a girl in a dark fairy tale. Unveiling remarkable new details about Gabrielle Chanel’s early years in a convent orphanage and her flight into unconventional adulthood, Justine Picardie explores what lies beneath the glossy surface of a mythic fashion icon.

Throwing new light on her passionate and turbulent relationships, this beautifully constructed portrait gives a fresh and penetrating look at how Coco Chanel made herself into her own most powerful creation. An authoritative account, based on personal observations and interviews with Chanel’s last surviving friends, employees and relatives, it also unravels her coded language and symbols, and traces the influence of her formative years on her legendary style.

Feared and revered by the rest of the fashion industry, Coco Chanel died in 1971 at the age of eighty-seven, but her legacy lives on. Drawing on unprecedented research, Justine Picardie brings her fascinating, enigmatic subject out of hiding and uncovers the consequences of what Chanel covered up, unpicking the seams between truth and myth in a story that reveals the true heart of fashion.

About the Author

Justine Picardie is an acclaimed author and journalist. She has written six books, including her critically acclaimed memoir, If The Spirit Moves You: Life and Love After Death. Her most recent book was Miss Dior: A Story of Courage and Couture, a biography of the sister of legendary fashion designer Christian Dior. Having started her career at The Sunday Times Justine went on to become a columnist for The Telegraph, editor of the Observer Magazine, and features director of British Vogue. Today, Justine Picardie is a contributing editor to Harper's Bazar, having previously been its editor-in-chief.

Product details

• Publisher ‏ : ‎ It Books; Illustrated edition (August 23, 2011)
• Language ‏ : ‎ English
• Paperback ‏ : ‎ 352 pages
• ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0062074172
• ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0062074171
• Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.95 pounds
• Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 1 x 6.5 x 9 inches
• #90 in Fashion History
• #174 in Fashion Design
• #1,053 in Women's Biographies

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About the author

Justine picardie.

Justine Picardie is the author of four books, including her critically acclaimed memoir If the Spirit Moves You and her most recent novel, Daphne. The former features director of British Vogue and editor of the Observer magazine, she is currently a fashion columnist for the Sunday Telegraph, and also writes for several other newspapers and magazines, including Harper's Bazaar and the Times of London. She lives in London with her two sons.

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Customers say

Customers find the book well-written, captivating, and inspiring. They also find the life of the fashion icon fascinating and filled with interesting facts. Readers appreciate the wonderful photographs and illustrations. They say the book is thoroughly researched and in-depth. Opinions differ on the writing style, with some finding it beautiful and clear, while others find it boring.

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Customers find the book well-written, captivating, and interesting. They also say it's a lovely and inspiring read.

"...We want to read about Chanel, not anyone else.Overall, great read , almost like a novel, and if you're a fan of Chanel you're sure to..." Read more

"... Well written , well researched and the author beautifully unfolds Chanel's life to the reader...." Read more

"...A very entertaining book ." Read more

"...(one after the other) gets a little boring, over all this is a good book ...." Read more

Customers find the book insightful and fascinating. They say it's an excellent account of Coco Chanel's life and legacy. Readers also mention the book is filled with interesting facts about her life.

"...She is able to tell Coco's story without embellishing but using several different sources for each stage of her life and deducting the most likely..." Read more

"...the last chapters about the World War II years and beyond are extremely interesting , and I learned there was a lot more about the woman than Chanel..." Read more

" Filled with so many interesting facts about her life, struggle to finish it but as I was on the last pages felt like I wanted more" Read more

"... Well-rounded views , well researched and yet could do without some of the sidetracks. Insightful look into the incredible life of "the Fashion Icon"...." Read more

Customers find the photographs and illustrations in the book wonderful, attractive, and simple. They appreciate the good quality of the paper, the cover, and images. Readers also mention the book itself is lovely and looks great on the shelf.

"...The illustrations are luscious ...." Read more

"...yet though was very excited to as there were so many wonderful photographs and illustrations ...." Read more

"...sneered at her new line, which was a variation on the practical, attractive , and simple designs that she had done before...." Read more

"The book arrived quickly, it looks almost new and it was a great price. I am very happy!" Read more

Customers find the book thoroughly researched, informative, and insightful. They also say the author truly shows her research and the book is a reliable resource.

"...The illustrations are luscious. This is a well-researched study - the author seems to have dipped into every possible source, from the records of..." Read more

"...What Picardie has achieved is a comprehensive and in-depth gathering of the different tidbits of Chanel's life and brought it together in a..." Read more

"...This is an in depth book . Picardie understands the complexity of Chanel's character and the tenacious and driven capability of one woman to succeed...." Read more

"...Well-rounded views, well researched and yet could do without some of the sidetracks. Insightful look into the incredible life of "the Fashion Icon"...." Read more

Customers have mixed opinions about the writing style of the book. Some mention it's beautifully written, clear, concise, and poetic. Others say it'd be hard to understand and convoluted at times.

"...obviously obtained great support from others, but it was hard for me to understand how . The telling seemed flat and one-dimensional." Read more

"...The book is smartly divided into small portions; each chapter is short and logical . The illustrations are luscious...." Read more

"I usually don't finish a book this poorly written . I probably got it through Bookbub or Amazon for $.99, and I was curious about Chanel...." Read more

"...Overall, great read, almost like a novel , and if you're a fan of Chanel you're sure to enjoy." Read more

Customers find the book long, drawn-out, and repetitive. They also say it's burdensome to finish.

"I read this as a book club selection and found it quite burdensome to finish ...." Read more

"Very interesting but a very long book take with many chapters" Read more

"THe book was ok but not what I was expecting. It was long and drawn out and repetitive. I learned very little about Coco Chanel." Read more

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An Illustrated Biography of Coco Chanel

In an imaginative new biography of Coco Chanel , illustrator Nina Cosford traces  the designer ’s astonishing life from convent orphanage to  31 Rue Cambon . You know the story: Née Gabrielle Chanel, Coco earned her nickname while singing in Parisian café concerts between billed acts. (Her signature song: “Qui qu’a vu Coco?”) Her life reads like an epic novel, from tormented love triangles to fatal car crashes and affairs with the likes of  Picasso ,  Dalí , and  Stravinsky . Her forward-thinking designs changed the industry forever.

The book  Library of Luminaries: Coco Chanel: An Illustrated Biography , out August 16 from Chronicle Books, narrates her life with sumptuous drawings by Cosford, text by Zena Alkayat, and excerpts from Chanel’s own letters and diaries.

Click ahead for a delicate glimpse into Chanel’s life — her early hat designs, the opening of her first store, and fishing ventures with  Winston Churchill .

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• coco chanel
• illustrations

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Coco Chanel

Coco Chanel Biography

Gabrielle Bonheur Chanel (August 18, 1883 – January 10, 1971) Born in Saumur, France. French designer considered one of the most representative and influential figures in the fashion world of the twentieth century. The promoter of the garçonne-style renovator and vindicator, Coco Chanel became known as a designer in the 1910s, after buying and renovating a line of hats that she sold with the support of her lover Étienne Balsan. Upon gaining the recognition he opened numerous stores and began producing everything from shoes, suits, and dresses to perfumes and accessories. One of the greatest contributions that this revolutionary designer left was the liberation of the woman from the rigid and stoned wardrobe of the belle époque, thus reflecting the struggle for equality and women’s rights initiated by the women of the time.

Family and beginnings

Born into a humble family, Chanel had as parents the farmer Eugénie Jeanne Devolle and the seller Albert Chanel. Her childhood was marked by poverty, the alcoholism of her father and the illness of her mother, who left six orphaned children when she died in 1895. After the death of her mother, her father tried to leave the children to the care of their grandparents, but they refused, so he accommodated the three boys in farmers’ homes and the girls sent them to an orphanage. At twelve, Chanel was left in the care of the nuns of the monastery of Aubazine (Corrèze), where she was strictly educated, learning to sew, embroider and iron.

During the six years that she remained in the monastery, Chanel was trained as a seamstress and began to create a fictional story about her birth and her family, which she hated after abandonment; She spent most of her life denying them and hiding any record that existed about them, as her past embarrassed her. Anxious to start a new life, she left the orphanage and began working as a saleswoman in a sewing shop and singer in La Rotonde, an entertainment place for army men, where she performed songs such as Ko ko ri ko and Qui qu’a vu Coconut?. It was in this place that she started being called Coco , a name she would use later to make herself known as a designer.

At age 22 she fell madly in love with Étienne Balsan, a wealthy young man who ripped her out of provincial life and introduced her to the world of the upper class, parties, and leisure, however, Chanel wanted to work, so he spoke with Balsan to finance the opening of her first business, a millinery. Well, by then she had started selling her first hats to wealthy ladies and ladies on the ground floor of Balsan’s apartment, making himself known for her talent and particular informal and elegant style. In 1910, while Balsan was thinking about the project, Chanel ran away with Arthur Boy Capel, a polo player friend of Balsan, with whom she lived in Paris for a while. That same year she opened her first store in Paris, Chanel Modes , which was supported by Balsan and Capel.

The start of a dream

After opening her first store in Paris, Chanel began to gain recognition as a designer, reforming hats she bought at the Galeries Lafayette. Given the success achieved with the hats, Chanel decided to expand her business by designing her fashion line, which was well-received by her clients, who were mostly known from Balsan. In a short time, the fashion house attracted the attention of women of the time with its informal, elegant and revolutionary fashion, away from the bell-shaped and saturated style of the belle époque. The success of her designs led her to open more branches and hire more than 4000 workers, with whom she managed one of the biggest changes in the fashion world. With her stores on rue Cambo, Deauville, and Biarritz, Chanel imposed a new fashion style, between feminine and chic, which completely changed the way women of the time dressed, reflecting to some extent the change in the times and the struggle initiated by female activists in search of equal rights.

Being a model of her designs, Chanel became the image of the young and successful woman of the time: thin, stylized, with short hair, androgynous figure, and garçonne style. While her business was growing, Chanel was going through difficult moments in the love field, as she was abandoned by Capel, who married an aristocrat in 1919. At the end of World War I, Chanel settled in Hotel Ritz and focused entirely on her business, which prospered rapidly thanks to the dissemination of her designs and style in fashion magazines and newspapers around the world. The recognition she had gained allowed her to innovate and create new styles for the modern, elegant and free woman such as short skirts, female pants, Scottish tweed costume jewelry, round toe shoes a, the beach pajamas and her iconic bag with golden chains.

In 1929, the Wall Street crack forced Chanel to reduce the number of workers and the cost of their designs, however, this did not save the signature of the closure. Overwhelmed by loss, she moved to North America, where she began working designing clothes for big movie stars with the support of producer Samuel Goldwyn. After reopening the fashion house with the support of her new lover Duke Pierre Wertheimer and revolutionizing the world of perfumes with Parfums Chanel, the designer had to face the closing again due to the outbreak of World War II. She subsequently went into exile in Switzerland and stayed away from the world of fashion while attending the creation of the new Dior and Balenciaga look. She reopened her home in 1954, seventy-one years old and continued working on her designs even when her rheumatism and arthritis beset her. This prominent French designer died on January 10, 1971, in her bed at the Hotel Ritz, Paris.

Her funeral was attended by important figures such as designers Paco Rabanne, Balenciaga, and Yves Saint Laurent and the painter Salvador Dalí , among others. Three years after her death, Alain Wertheimer took command of the brand, skillfully leading the company and greatly promoting the sale of Chanel Number 5 and its different editions. Currently, the Wertheimer family are the owners of the company, which they have managed to keep up thanks to the work of great designers and the renewal of Coco Chanel’s style. Among the designers that marked the history of the company is Karl Lagerfeld, who was responsible for recovering the brightness and importance of the brand.

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Fernando Botero Biography

Fernando Botero Angulo (April 19, 1932 – September 15, 2023) was a sculptor, painter, muralist, and draftsman, hailing from Medellín, Antioquia, Colombia. He was a Colombian artist known and celebrated for infusing a substantial volume to human and animal figures in his works.

Early Years and Beginnings

Fernando Botero was born into an affluent Paisa family , composed of his parents, David Botero and Flora Angulo, along with his older brother Juan David, who was four years his senior, and his younger brother, Rodrigo, who would be born four years after Fernando, in the same year that their father passed away. In 1938, he enrolled in primary school at the Ateneo Antioqueño and later entered the Bolivariana to continue his high school education. However, he was expelled from the institution due to an article he published in the newspaper El Colombiano about Picasso , as well as his drawings that were considered obscene. As a result, he graduated from high school at the Liceo of the University of Antioquia in 1950.

In parallel to his studies, Fernando attended a bullfighting school in La Macarena at the request of one of his uncles. However, due to an issue related to bullfighting, Botero left the bullring and embarked on a journey into painting. In 1948, he held his first exhibition in Medellín. Two years later, he traveled to Bogotá where he had two more exhibitions and had the opportunity to meet some intellectuals of the time. He then stayed at Isolina García’s boarding house in Tolú, which he paid for by painting a mural. Once again in Bogotá, he won the second prize at the IX National Artists Salon with his oil painting “Facing the Sea” .

“Ephemeral art is a lesser form of expression that cannot be compared to the concept of art conceived with the desire for perpetuity. What many people fail to understand is that Picasso is a traditional artist”- Fernando Botero

Due to the prize from the IX Salon and the sale of several of his works, Fernando Botero traveled to Spain in 1952 to enroll at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts of San Fernando in Madrid. There, he lived by selling drawings and paintings in the vicinity of the Prado Museum. In 1953, he went to Paris with filmmaker Ricardo Irrigarri, and later, they both traveled to Florence. Here, he entered the Academy of San Marco, where he was heavily influenced by Renaissance painters such as Piero della Francesca, Titian, and Paolo Uccello.

Career and Personal Life

In 1955, Botero returned to Colombia to hold an exhibition featuring several of his works created during his time in Europe, but it was met with a lukewarm reception from the public.

Woman With a Mirror / Foto:Luis García (Zaqarbal) / Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Spain (CC BY-SA 3.0 ES)

In 1956, he married Gloria Zea, with whom he would later have three children: Fernando, Juan Carlos, and Lina. The couple traveled to Mexico City, where Fernando Botero was eager to see the works of Mexican muralists, but this experience left him disillusioned. Consequently, he began searching for his own artistic style, drawing influence from both the Mexican artist Rufino Tamayo and the Colombian artist Alejandro Obregón . In this quest, he started experimenting with volume, initially in still lifes, and gradually extending this approach to other elements.

In 1957, he successfully exhibited in New York, showcasing his new artistic sensibility. The following year, he returned to Bogotá, where he was appointed as a professor at the School of Fine Arts at the National University of Colombia . He presented his work “La Camera Degli Sposi” at the X Colombian Artists Salon , winning the first prize and becoming the country’s most prominent painter. This piece sparked some controversy as it was initially censored for being almost a parody of Andrea Mantegna’s “La Cámara de los Esposos”. However, it was later reinstated in the exhibition on the advice of Marta Traba. Subsequently, Fernando Botero exhibited his works in various spaces in the United States, where a businessman from Chicago purchased “La Camera Degli Sposi” .

“Fernando Botero and his works are the finest ambassadors of our country in this land of navigators and discoverers, of poets and fado singers”- Juan Manuel Santos

In 1960, Botero separated from Gloria Zea and traveled to New York. He led a modest life here as the New York art scene was primarily inclined towards abstract expressionism. Consequently, Botero was influenced by artists like Pollock, which led him to experiment with color, brushwork, and format, to the point of nearly abandoning his distinctive style characterized by the manipulation of volume. Aware of this, Botero returned to his usual style of flat colors and figurative representations.

Starting in 1962, he began a series of exhibitions in both Europe and the United States, as well as in Colombia. By 1970, the year his son Pedro was born to his second wife, Cecilia Zambrano, Fernando Botero had already become the world’s most sought-after sculptor. However, in 1974, his son Pedro tragically died in a traffic accident, leading to his second divorce and leaving significant marks on his artistic endeavors.

In 1978, the Colombian painter married Sophia Vari , a renowned Greek artist with whom he shared a significant part of his life, until sadly, she passed away in May 2023.

Since 1983, Fernando Botero has been exhibiting his works and donating them to various cities around the world. As a result, we can find his pieces in the streets of Medellín, Barcelona, Oviedo, Singapore, and Madrid, among others. In 2008, the Autonomous University of Nuevo León in Mexico conferred upon him an honorary Doctorate.

Renowned Colombian artist, Fernando Botero, died on September 15, 2023 , in Monaco at the age of 91 due to pneumonia . His artistic legacy will endure forever. In his hometown, seven days of mourning were declared.

Pedrito a Caballo, Fernando Botero (1975).

Top 10 Famous works by Fernando Botero

Some of the most recognized works by Colombian painter and sculptor Fernando Botero:

• “Pedrito on Horseback” / “Pedrito a Caballo” (1974): This is an oil painting on canvas measuring 194.5 cm x 150.5 cm. For Botero, this work is his masterpiece and a refuge during a personal tragedy. The child depicted is Pedro, his son from his second marriage, who tragically passed away in an accident when he was young.
• “Mona Lisa at 12 Years Old” / “Mona lisa a los 12 años” (1978): This piece stands out as a unique version of Leonardo da Vinci’s famous painting, the Mona Lisa . Painted in oil on canvas and measuring 183 cm x 166 cm, Botero incorporates his characteristic style of voluptuous and rounded figures into this work, which has become one of his most distinctive pieces.
• “Woman’s Torso” / “Torso de Mujer” (1986): It is a majestic bronze sculpture that rises to an impressive height of approximately 2.48 meters. It is often affectionately referred to as “La Gorda” (“The Fat One”). This artwork finds its home in Parque de Berrío, located in the captivating city of Medellín.
• “Woman with Mirror” / “Mujer con Espejo” (1987): An imposing bronze sculpture weighing 1000 kg. It is located in Plaza de Colón, in the heart of Madrid, Spain. The artwork captivates the gaze with the portrayal of a woman peacefully lying face down on the ground, holding a mirror in her hands. Her expression reflects deep introspection and enigmatic melancholy.
• “The Orchestra” / “La Orquesta” (1991): In this oil on canvas artwork, measuring 200 cm x 172 cm, Botero presents a band of musicians with a singer, all immersed in a spirit of celebration. The artist aims to convey a sense of harmony and joy through his portrayal.
• “Woman Smoking” / “Mujer Fumando” (1994): It is a creation executed in watercolor, spanning dimensions of 122 cm x 99 cm. In this work, Maestro Botero skillfully captures the essence of a woman elegantly holding a cigarette between her fingers. His meticulous focus on voluptuous forms, posture, and the serene expression of the figure masterfully combine to emphasize the sensuality and profound intimacy of the moment captured in the artwork.
• “Man on Horseback” / “Hombre a Caballo” (1996): This bronze sculpture is one of the most iconic works in the artist’s career. It depicts a rider in a majestic and proud posture. Over the years, this imposing work has been exhibited in multiple cities around the world, solidifying its place as a prominent piece in the sculptor’s body of work.
• “The Horse” / “El Caballo” (1997): This iconic sculpture showcases a horse of majestic presence and a distinctive rounded form, sculpted in bronze and measuring approximately 3 meters in height. This masterpiece reflects Botero’s profound passion for horses while also serving as a powerful representation of the mythical Trojan Horse.
• “The Death of Pablo Escobar” / “La muerte de Pablo Escobar” (1999): This artwork, created using the oil on canvas technique, has dimensions of 58 cm x 38 cm. While not considered a masterpiece, this artistic piece represents one of the most significant moments in Colombia’s history. Fernando Botero captures, in his distinctive style, the moment of the death of the drug lord Pablo Escobar , addressing issues related to violence and criminality that have marked the country’s history. An interesting detail is that, although Pablo Escobar admired Fernando Botero’s art, it cannot be said that the admiration was mutual. The painter created two works depicting the death of the drug trafficker.
• “Boterosutra Series” / “Serie Boterosutra” (2011): This work by Botero is part of an erotic art collection called Boterosutra , marking a milestone in the history of Colombian art as the first artistic representation of sexual intimacy between lovers. This series comprises around 70 small-sized pieces created using various techniques, including colored drawings, watercolors, brushstrokes, and also black and white, all of which constitute one of the most contemporary works by the painter.

Ryan Reynolds

Biography of Ryan Reynolds

Ryan Rodney Reynolds was born on October 23, 1976 in Vancouver, Canada, and he is a well-known actor. When Ryan was born, his mother, Tammy, was a student and a salesperson, while his father, Jim, worked in wholesale food sales and also excelled as a semi-professional boxer. In addition, Ryan has three older siblings.

He studied in his hometown of Vancouver until 1994 when he decided to join a theater group as an extracurricular activity while attending Kwantlen College. However, his passion for acting became a vocation, and Ryan dropped out of college to devote all his time and energy to his acting career.

Debut as an actor

He quickly landed small roles in successful and memorable TV series such as “Sabrina the Teenage Witch” and “The X-Files”. In 1998, his big break came with the series “Two Guys, a Girl and a Pizza Place”, which ran until 2001 and catapulted him to fame. The show became very popular thanks to its great comedic content, an area where Reynolds demonstrated perfect skill, but this was not the first time that Ryan had made a name for himself in a Hollywood comedy, as he had already been in “Life During Wartime” in 1997.

After working in several minor jobs, Ryan got his first major role as a protagonist in the crazy “Van Wilder – Animal Party”, where he played a college party organizer. The success of the film opened doors for him to work alongside Michael Douglas in “Till Death Do Us Part”, support Wesley Snipes in “Blade Trinity” or star in the horror movie “The Amityville Horror”. However, at this stage of his career, Ryan stood out mainly as a protagonist in comedies such as “Just Friends”, “Waiting” and “Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle”. This led him to want to leave his comedic side behind, getting involved in different projects such as the thriller “Smokin’ Aces”, the independent film “Adventureland” and the action film “X-Men Origins: Wolverine”. Later on, he also participated in romantic films such as “The Proposal” and “Definitely, Maybe”. However, recognition of his acting ability did not come until Ryan was nominated for a Goya Award for his demanding role in “Buried”. It is worth noting that he also brought to life the comic book hero “Green Lantern” and the renowned “Deadpool”.

Contracts, curiosities

Prestigious brands like Hugo Boss have not been oblivious to Ryan Reynolds’ popularity, charisma, and good looks, offering him contracts to be the face of one of their fragrances : Boss Bottled Night, a fragrance that, through great advertising, managed to convey an irresistible seductive effect.

Two curiosities can be highlighted from his work: first, the nearly 10 kilos of solid muscle he gained thanks to rigorous physical training to bring Hannibal King to life in “Blade: Trinity”; and second, his appearance on the animated TV series Zeroman, in which he lent his voice to the character Ty Cheese. In addition, like many Hollywood stars, Ryan Reynolds has an eccentricity outside the world of entertainment: a great passion for motorcycles , of which he owns three collector’s items, one of which was designed exclusively for him and is none other than a Harley Davidson.

Romantic relationships

Regarding his personal life, Ryan Reynolds was in a romantic relationship with singer Alanis Morissette from 2002 to 2007. The couple got engaged in 2004, but in July 2006, People magazine reported that they had separated, although neither of them officially confirmed the news. Shortly after, in February 2007, they decided to end their engagement by mutual agreement. In May 2008, Reynolds announced his engagement to actress Scarlett Johansson , and they got married on September 27 of the same year. However, in December 2010, the couple announced in a statement to People magazine that they had decided to end their marriage.

So, on September 9, 2012, he married the actress Blake Lively in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina. In October 2014, they announced that they were expecting their first child, and in December of that same year, Ryan Reynolds and his wife Blake Lively became parents with the birth of their daughter: Ines. Later, on April 14, 2016, his wife’s second pregnancy was confirmed, and on September 30, 2016, he became a father for the second time to a boy named James.

Biography of Tom Hanks

Thomas Jeffrey Hanks, born July 9, 1956 in Concord, California, United States, is an actor known as Tom Hanks. Hanks was raised by his father Amos Mefford Hanks, who worked as a cook of English food, and his mother Janet Marylyn, a nurse. He was raised with the values of the Catholic and Mormon religion. During his time at Skyline High School in Oakland, he attended theater classes with his best friend. During his adolescence, Hanks demonstrated his acting talent and won the Best Theater Actor award at his institute. Later, he enrolled in Chabot College in Hayward, California and two years later did a exchange at California State University, Sacramento.

1981 – Debut as an actor

In 1979, the Hanks family moved to New York, which gave Tom the opportunity to debut as a supporting actor in the horror film “Sabe que estás sola” in 1981. Two years later, he landed a lead role in another film. Additionally, he did his first television work in the comedy series “Bosom Buddies.” Later, he decided to move to Los Angeles to participate in “Despedida de soltero” in 1984, although the film was not very successful, it allowed him to be discovered by Ron Howard, who later contacted him to offer a role in “Splash” in 1984.

Since then, Tom starred in several comedy films such as “Amigos del alma” (1980), “Esta casa es una ruina” (1986), “Big” (1988), “No matarás… al vecino” (1989), “Socios y sabuesos” (1989), and “Joe contra el volcán” (1990). His father was always very important in his career, constantly encouraging him to keep fighting for his dream. On several occasions, he helped him to get small roles. He also supported his participation in the Great Lakes Shakespeare Festival in Cleveland, Ohio. Tom had already made some appearances in series like “Vacaciones en el mar”, “Happy Days”, “Taxi”, or “Family Ties”.

“The King of Comedy”

After a small role in the horror film “He Knows You’re Alone” (1980) directed by Armand Mastroianni, he starred in several comedies that typecast him in comedic roles. His charming personality and natural talent contributed to his growing popularity. Definitely his consecration came in the eighties, he was cataloged as the king of comedy . Thanks to “Big” (1988), he achieved great success for his performance, receiving the Los Angeles Critics Award and an Oscar nomination . Although he had a bit of a downfall after that, he regained momentum as a disillusioned former baseball pitcher who trains a women’s team in “A League of Their Own” (1992).

Tom considered it appropriate to change direction and tackle other stories, to move away from comedy a little. So, he eagerly sought more intense themes where he could showcase his versatility. With his work in “The Bonfire of the Vanities” (1989), directed by Brian de Palma, he attempted to take the first step to break away from light comedies, but the result was not as expected. However, his career took off again with his portrayal of an AIDS-stricken lawyer in “Philadelphia” (1992), directed by Jonathan Demme, an intense character that was quite a challenge. His effort was rewarded with an Oscar. He renewed his commercial success with “Sleepless in Seattle” (1993), directed by Nora Ephron, where he teamed up with Meg Ryan, and worked with her again in “You’ve Got Mail” (1998).

Some of his most acclaimed performances

In the mid-90s, Hanks established himself as one of Hollywood’s brightest stars. It’s worth mentioning that his career enjoyed significant success. For his role in Robert Zemeckis’ “ Forrest Gump ” (1994), this has been one of the most striking films of the decade, he was again deserving of an Oscar , a prize that increased, turning him into one of the best-paid actors in Hollywood. With the comedy “The Wonders” (1996), he made his directorial debut.

Later, he did the same in the field of production with the TV series “From the Earth to the Moon,” a work that took him several years. Hanks had the lead role in the feature film “Saving Private Ryan” (1997), directed by Steven Spielberg , with this role he was nominated for the Academy Award, although the film received five Oscars. In 2000, he worked with Robert Zemeckis again in the film “Cast Away,” a film in which his solo performance was praised, for which he received an Oscar nomination.

Between 2003 and 2004, he repeated his collaboration with Spielberg in “Catch Me If You Can” and also in “The Terminal.” In 2006, he starred in the hit film “The Da Vinci Code,” the cinematic version of Dan Brown’s controversial work. Starting in 2014, Hanks’ films have grossed over 4.2 billion in countries such as the United States and Canada, and over 8.4 billion in the rest of the world, he is definitely an actor who ensures great success for films. His fame is such that the asteroid (12818) Tomhanks bears his name.

Marriages, children.

The actor has had several marriages throughout his life. His first marriage was to Samantha Lewes in 1978, from which two children were born: Colin Hanks in 1977 and Elisabeth Ann in 1982. However, the couple divorced in 1985. Later, in 1988, he married actress and producer Rita Wilson , with whom he had two additional children: Chester Marlon in 1991 and Truman Theodore in 1996. In recent years, the actor has been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, which requires a strict diet and daily care to maintain his health.

Marc Anthony

Biography of Marc Anthony

Marc Anthony (born September 16, 1968) is an American salsa singer and actor , born in New York. His real name is Marco Antonio Muñiz Rivera . From a young age, he has been involved in music, growing up with rock and rhythm & blues. His parents, Felipe Muñiz and Guillermina Rivera, discovered his passion and musical ability when he was a child. During his teenage years, to earn money, he began singing at bars and nightclubs , and quickly gained popularity. He was contacted by one of the members of the Latin Rascals group, and their producer Louie Vega invited him to record several albums with the Atlantic Records label.

Beginnings as a singer

One of Marc Anthony’s most successful musical products was the album “Rebel”, which achieved some success on the disco music charts. In 1992, his career in the salsa world took off when the famous Tito Puente took him as an opening act for a concert at Madison Square Garden. A year later, he recorded a salsa version of a song by Juan Gabriel that received excellent reviews and great popularity in the musical circles of New York. Soon, Marc Anthony appeared in several television productions and began to receive offers for concerts. After a few years, he was recognized as the new “king of salsa”. During the 1990s, his lyrics occupied the top position in Latin America and also in the United States.

The new “musical phenomenon”

Marc Anthony became a massively successful musical phenomenon , comparable to the success of Héctor Lavoe. At the same time, he continued to develop his acting career, appearing in films such as “Bringing out the Dead” directed by Martin Scorsese; “Big Night” directed by Stanley Tucci; “Hackers,” and “The Capeman,” a Broadway musical directed by singer and songwriter Paul Simon. He also performed the main theme of the soundtrack of “The Mask of Zorro” (1998), in which Antonio Banderas was the lead actor.

Third salsa album “Against the Stream”

That same year, he worked on the production of his third salsa album: “Contra la Corriente,” undoubtedly many salsa critics and aficionados affirm that it was the best album of his career, for which he received a Grammy for Best Latin-Tropical Album. In 1999, he released the album “Marc Anthony” to the market, this album undoubtedly demonstrates a new stage in his musical career, as it combined salsa with pop and also featured songs in English, in order to reach and conquer the Anglo-Saxon audience and market.

The first single, “I Need to Know,” put him in the top positions of the North American charts: it remained in the Top 10 of the Billboard for eleven weeks and eight more weeks in the Top 40. He also released the Spanish version, titled “Dímelo.” With this song, he won the Grammy for Best Latin Song of the Year and was number one on the Latin Billboard chart. He quickly released the second single, “You Sang to Me,” repeating the success of the previous one and selling over two million copies of the album.

Starting the new millennium, he released a greatest hits salsa album titled “Desde el principio.” After that, Marc Anthony went on a extensive tour that took him through the United States. All magazines and press talked about his triumphant concert at Madison Square Garden. Then he was in Canada and Central America. At that time, Marc Anthony received the admiration of his fans when he helped with his charitable work for the victims of Hurricane George, in sum, he founded a foundation that bears his name.

International tours

In 2011, he started the Dos Mundos Tour, with the company of Alejandro Fernández , a concert across Latin America. The following year, he was in Colombia at the Manacacías Summer Festival, many people from different parts of the country traveled to attend his concert. He had a significant participation in the 53rd International Song Festival of Viña del Mar, Chile, where he sang the song “¿Y cómo es él?” from his album “Iconos”. He received the highest distinction.

On March 3, 2012, Marc returned to Uruguay after 17 years and gave his performance at the Charrúa Stadium in Montevideo with an attendance of 25,000 spectators. In the GIGANT3S TOUR, he performed in several North American cities alongside Chayanne and Marco Antonio Solís . In 2013, he released his album 3.0. In 2014, he was the big winner of four of the five awards for which he was nominated at the Premios Lo Nuestro. Additionally, his career was recognized as one of the most successful Latin music artists. In 2016, he released a song called “Deja que te bese” with the collaboration of Spanish singer Alejandro Sanz, the song has over 50 million views on Youtube.

In September 2016, he carried out his “Marc Anthony Live” tour which included 5 dates at Radio City Music Hall. His private life has been somewhat controversial and has been exposed to various comments. He had his first daughter in 1994, Arianna Rosado-Muñiz, a product of his relationship with a former police officer from New York. In 2000 he married for the first time to Dayanara Torres, with whom he had two children. He later helped Jennifer Lopez in the production of the song “Sway” for the soundtrack of the movie Shall We Dance?. They then fell in love and after only one month of relationship, they got engaged in March 2004.

The couple had twins and Jennifer sold the exclusive photos of the children to People Magazine. However, after a few years, the couple decided to end their marriage on April 9, 2012. It is said that everything started when Jennifer Lopez met dancer Casper Smart and began a relationship with him two months after her separation from Marc. Later, Marc started a relationship with Venezuelan model Shannon de Lima, whom he married in 2014. Despite this, his relationship with Jennifer, the mother of his children, is harmonious, and he even participated in her song “Olvídame y pega la vuelta” in 2016. Two years earlier, the Puerto Rican singer made an impact with the hit song “Flor Pálida”.

On January 28, 2023, he married Nadia Ferreira in an incredible wedding surrounded by stars from film, music, and sports. The ceremony took place at the Perez Art Museum in Miami, with David Beckham as the best man.

  Ver esta publicación en Instagram   Una publicación compartida por Nadia Ferreira (@nadiatferreira)

Paul McCartney

Biography of Paul McCartney

Paul McCartney (born June 18, 1942) is a singer. He was born in Liverpool, England. His mother, Mary Patricia, was a nurse, while his father, James McCartney, was a volunteer firefighter. During Paul’s birth, his father was not present as he was fighting in the Battle of England during World War II. Paul grew up in a religious and strict environment, with his mother Catholic and his father Protestant, but later became agnostic. After returning from the war, his father devoted himself to selling cleaning products and, in his free time, played in bars.

Death of his mother

That’s why his son developed a deep love for music. He stood out in school for his intelligence and discipline and studied at Liverpool Institute secondary school, a good free secondary school. In 1954, he met George Harrison, with whom he quickly formed a strong friendship. At the time, McCartney’s mother was the one who kept the household and for work reasons they moved to Allerton, where they lived until 1964. On October 31, 1956, when McCartney was 14 years old, his mother died from a stroke.

After his mother’s death, McCartney was devastated. It took some time for him to return to normal. H is father saw music as a refuge to help his son feel better, so he took him to listen to the Jim Mac’s Jazz Band, where his father played trumpet or piano. He also gave him a trumpet, but when rock and roll became popular, he chose an acoustic guitar. The first song he composed was “I Lost My Little Girl” on that guitar, a Zenith. He also composed “When I’m Sixty-Four” on the home piano.

1957 – Met John Lennon

He met Lennon on July 6th, 1957. McCartney joined The Quarrymen, a school band led by Lennon, in 1958 as the lead guitarist. The band mixed rock and roll and skiffle, a popular music style, with jazz and blues. After several name changes, the band decided to call themselves The Beatles in August 1960 and recruited drummer Pete Best for their move to Hamburg. In 1961, one of its members, Sutcliffe, left the band and McCartney was forced to take over as bassist. They recorded as a backing band for English singer Tony Sheridan on the single My Bonnie.

1963 – “Beatlemania”

They managed to attract the attention of Brian Epstein, who became their manager in January 1962 and a key figure in their later success. With their first hit, “Love Me Do” in 1963, the “Beatlemania” began. John Lennon and Paul wrote a large number of songs together, but later their egos collided and they preferred to write separately. In 1970, The Beatles disbanded. But Paul continued his successful career with songs that reached number one. He recorded his first solo LP, “McCartney”, with songs very different from those that Lennon would write, with commercial melodies for varied tastes.

1980 – Paul McCartney Guinness Records

In 1980, he entered the Guinness Book of Records as the highest-selling songwriter in the world. His theme Yesterday , one of the most celebrated by The Beatles , has around 2,500 versions in the most diverse musical styles. Some of his solo hits are: Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey, Live and Let Die for the James Bond film received the Oscar for best musical theme; Coming Up from his solo album Paul McCartney II. He joined George Martin and Ringo Starr in 1982 for the recording of Tug of War. On Press to play, his next album, was recorded with Eric Stewart.

Awards, arrest, record.

Winner of 18 Grammy Awards, including two Lifetime Achievement Grammy Awards (one with the Beatles and another as a solo artist). He is a vegetarian and an animal rights advocate. He was arrested for marijuana possession in Tokyo in 1980 and was briefly in jail. He participated in the “Live Aid” concert against hunger in Ethiopia in 1985. I n 1990, he achieved the record for the largest attendance at a concert with 184,000 people in Rio de Janeiro. Since 1997 he is Sir Paul McCartney, invested as a knight by Queen Elizabeth II.

2013 – Other awards, marriages.

On February 10, 2013, he received a Grammy for “Best Traditional Pop Album” for his album “Kisses On The Bottom”. Later, he received a special award from PRS for Music in commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the composition of his most famous song, “ Yesterday “. These songs, as well as “And I Love Her,” “You Will Not See Me,” and “I’m Looking Through You,” were written inspired by his relationship with British actress Jane Asher. After five years of engagement, the couple broke up due to his infidelity with Francie Schwartz. He married Linda Eastman on March 12, 1969, and together they formed the musical group Wings after the dissolution of the Beatles . In 1999, he presented his collection of poems entitled “Blackbird Singing: Poems and Lyrics (1965-1999)”. After the death of his wife, McCartney experienced deep sadness.

In 2002, Paul McCartney married former model Heather Mills in an Irish castle. After a long legal battle in the London Supreme Court, in 2008 Mills was authorized to collect one fifth of the 250 million dollars she had demanded from McCartney for their four-year marriage. In 2011, McCartney married Nancy Shevell in a civil ceremony in London on October 9th of that year.

Relevant aspects of his life and musical career

• With 60 gold records and the sale of over 100 million albums and singles as a solo artist and with The Beatles, McCartney is recognized as one of the most successful composers and artists of all time.
• As a solo artist in 1999 and as a member of The Beatles in 1988, he has been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twice.
• As a solo artist and with The Beatles, he has been recognized with twenty-one Grammy Awards.
• 32 of the songs that McCartney has written or co-written have reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100.
• As of 2014, he had sold over 15 million certified units by the RIAA in the United States.
• In 1997, McCartney was elevated to the rank of knight for his services to music.
• In 1965, McCartney, Lennon, Harrison and Starr were named members of the Order of the British Empire .
• He has been married three times and is the father of five children.
• He has participated in projects to help international charities related to issues such as animal rights, seal hunting, landmine cleaning, vegetarianism, poverty and musical education.
• He ranks 11th on Rolling Stone’s list of 100 Greatest Singers.
• He ranks first on Rolling Stone’s list of 100 Greatest Artists as a member of The Beatles.
• He ranks third on Rolling Stone’s list of 100 Greatest Bassists.
• Only surpassed by Bob Dylan , he ranks second on Rolling Stone’s list of 100 Greatest Songwriters.

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Coco Chanel

October 17, 2017 by

Lecture Date: March 13, 2018

Tweed jackets, the little black dress, menswear as womenswear: Coco Chanel is responsible for many of the innovations that still dictate women's fashion today. But there's a lot more to the designer than her gold-chained handbags, signature scent, and witty remarks —like her literal rags-to-riches story. Here are 15 things you might not know about the famed French fashion icon Coco Chanel.

1. Coco Chanel learned to sew at an orphanage.

Born Gabrielle Chanel on August 19, 1883, the future fashion designer came from humble beginnings. After her mother died when Chanel was around 12, her peddler father put her and her two sisters in a convent-run orphanage. The nuns there taught her to sew , and the stark black and white of their habits began to inform her design aesthetic.

2. Her nickname, Coco, most likely came from her brief time as a singer.

After leaving the orphanage at age 18, she worked in a tailor's shop during the day, and eventually began singing at French caf'concs , a sort of early-version cabaret show featuring bawdy verses sung in urban working class bars and restaurants. Chanel and her aunt Adrienne (who was just over a year older than Gabrielle) used these gigs to make extra money and flirt with the military personnel that were stationed in Moulins, France. The story goes that two of the songs Chanel was known to sing were " Ko Ko Ri Ko " and " Qui qu'a vu Coco dans l'Trocadéro ?" ("Who's seen Coco at the Trocadéro?"), and the crowd would call for encores by shouting "Coco! Coco!" Of course, Coco is also a term of endearment for a child (and Chanel preferred telling of how her father would call her that), and it can also be a diminutive of cocotte , a French term for a kept woman—which she would soon become.

3. Chanel was a licensed milliner.

After her brief singing career, Chanel became a licensed milliner and opened a hat shop in 1910 called Chanel Modes, at 21 Rue Cambon in Paris. The venture was funded by Etienne Balsan, a wealthy heir to a textile empire whom she'd met when he was a young officer in Moulins; according to Lisa Chaney's biography Coco Chanel: An Intimate Life , Balsan "invited her to live with him as his mistress," and Coco readily accepted.

At her hat shop, Chanel got a lucky break when Gabrielle Dorziat, a famous French actress of the time, became a fan of Chanel's hats and sparked a trend. Later in Chanel's life, a hat became a signature accessory—photographer Douglas Kirkland, who spent three weeks documenting the designer in 1962, never saw her remove it.

4. She designed that famous Chanel logo herself.

Still emblazoned on handbag, earrings, necklaces, and dozens of other products, the famous interlocking "Cs" of the Chanel logo were created by the designer and first appeared circa 1924 on bottles for her signature fragrance, Chanel No. 5. The logo hasn't changed since. Theories on her inspiration vary, but many point to Catherine de Medici's royal insignia , which Chanel may have seen on a visit to a royal residence. Alternately, the same insignia is featured on the walls of Château de Crémat in Nice where, according to legend, Chanel had attended parties, and the two Cs obviously worked well with her name and branding.

Another possibility was that was an homage to English aristocrat and polo player Arthur "Boy" Capel, Chanel's longtime lover and the man whom she considered the love of her life; he died in an automobile accident just before Christmas 1919, leaving Coco devastated. It's speculated that the Cs could have been for Capel & Chanel—her way of keeping his influence and memory alive.

5. Her fragrance, Chanel No. 5, might have been the result of a lab mistake.

The story behind Chanel's iconic perfume is full of twists and turns. In the early 1920s, Chanel worked with perfumer Ernest Beaux to create the scent. Reportedly, Chanel liked Beaux's fifth sample , leading to the now-famous name. (Also, five was said to be her lucky number.) But the scent, with notes of jasmine, rose, sandalwood, and vanilla, might have been the result of a laboratory mistake. The formula had an unusually high dose of aldehyde in it—a synthetic component that made the scent " sparkle ." The fragrance and its groundbreaking, minimalist bottle design would go on to become one of the best-selling and most recognized perfumes in the world.

6. Chanel sparked a decades-long court case over her perfume.

In a business deal to launch Chanel No. 5 in department stores in 1924, Chanel kept her name on the bottle, but got only 10 percent of the profits. Businessman Pierre Wertheimer agreed to make the perfume in mass quantities, taking a 70 percent cut (Théophile Bader, the founder of famed Paris department store Galeries Lafayette, got the other 20 percent because he brokered the deal). Chanel waged war in the courts for years to try to sweeten her deal—in fact, the Wertheimer business eventually had a lawyer whose only job was to deal with Chanel.

7. Chanel was allegedly a Nazi agent.

After Chanel's death in 1971, classified documents started to emerge that revealed the full extent of her dealings with the Nazis during WWII. Her decade-long affair with Hans Günther Von Dincklage, a German intelligence officer, was well known (she stayed ensconced at the Ritz during much of the Nazi occupation of Paris), but in his 2011 book Sleeping With the Enemy , journalist Hal Vaughan revealed that Chanel was involved enough with the Nazi agenda that she was referred to as Abwehr Agent F-7124—codename " Westminster ." "There were legions of women of courage and derring-do throughout Europe, working hard to outwit the Nazis," The Washington Post 's book review stated. "Chanel was not among them."

When the war was over, Chanel exiled herself to Switzerland before returning to Paris in 1954 to restart her fashion house. For their part, Chanel (the company) contested the claims in Vaughn's book, arguing that she had many close Jewish friends before and after the war and that her role during the Nazi occupation may have been more nuanced.

8. Chanel even enlisted Nazi help in the Chanel No. 5 fight.

During World War II, Chanel leveraged her Nazi connections and tried to use Aryan laws to push Pierre Wertheimer and his brother—who were Jewish—out of her business. Thanks to some last-minute business dealings that involved selling their majority stake to an Aryan businessman during the war, the Wertheimers were able to hold on to their investment and regain full ownership after the war. Incredibly, the Wertheimers eventually financed Chanel's return the fashion industry in the 1950s. The notoriously tight-lipped Wertheimer family refuses to give interviews or speak on their dealings or relationship with Coco Chanel, but they still own the Chanel brand to this day; it's worth $8 billion by recent estimates.

9. Winston Churchill was a friend of Chanel's.

Chanel had well-placed friends everywhere, including politicians. She met Winston Churchill in the mid-1920s through her then-lover, the Duke of Westminster. The duke—one of wealthiest men in the world and one with considerable influence—was close friends with Churchill (who was then Chancellor of the Exchequer), and the future prime minister was a regular at his home. Once, in a letter home , Churchill wrote that "the famous [Coco Chanel] turned up and I took great fancy to her—a most capable and agreeable woman … She hunted vigorously all day, motored to Paris after dinner, and today is engaged in passing and improving dresses on endless streams of mannequins. … She does it all with her own fingers, pinning, cutting, looping. Some have to be altered ten times." More than a decade later, during World War II, this old friendship was used by the Nazis to try to form an alliance with England.

10. Although Chanel had many affairs, she never married.

The only thing Chanel was more famous for than her fashions might be her storied affairs. Her many dalliances included a short-lived one with Pablo Picasso (Lisa Chaney's biography Coco Chanel, An Intimate Life describes its end as "Picasso [was] always quick to demand sexual and emotional subservience from his women, and Gabrielle being in many ways just as intense and formidable a character as he was, this affair could only have been a brief one"), the Duke of Westminster, the grandson of a Russian Tsar, and the composer Igor Stravinsky. When Stravinsky took to reworking his famed The Rite of Spring for a new staging with a Paris ballet company in 1920, Chanel was one of the primary patrons .

11. The Chanel bag made it acceptable for women to wear shoulder bags.

In the 1950s, it was de rigueur for women of status to carry their purse in their hands. But in 1955, Chanel changed all that when she introduced the 2.55 Chanel Shoulder Bag (named for when it launched, in February 1955). The sleek bag featured quilted leather and a signature gold chain for the strap, making it glamorous for women to wear a bag on their shoulder.

12. Chanel made jersey fabric cool.

When Chanel first starting designing in the early 20th century, women's fashion relied on the corset, which made for tight, fitted, and uncomfortable styles. Chanel liberated the silhouette by using jersey —a fabric then primarily used for men's underwear. Jersey was inexpensive and it draped well, making it perfect for Chanel's early designs of simple dresses.

13. Chanel's also credited with popularizing the little black dress.

Perhaps fashion's most enduring wardrobe staple—the one that can be reinvented and reworn a thousand different ways—was another one-time revolutionary idea that Chanel brought to the masses: the little black dress. Vogue coined the term in 1926, printing a Chanel design and comparing it to the Ford Model T in terms of universality (they called the dress "the frock that all the world will wear"). Although the LBD is considered a basic must-have now, at the time it was revolutionary because black was considered a color for those mourning.

14. Chanel even made getting a tan fashionable.

The LBD, striped shirts, perfume, menswear as womenswear: Everything Chanel did started a trend. And that includes suntans. In the early 1920s, when visibly spending too much time in the sun was still considered lowbrow, Chanel got a little too bronzed while out on a Mediterranean cruise with the Duke of Westminster. The resulting photos of her arrival in Cannes are often credited as setting off a desire for that sun-touched glow (which she soon capitalized on by creating the first line of tanning lotions for women).

15. Katharine Hepburn played Chanel in a Broadway musical.

, a 1969 musical based on Chanel's life, had a book and lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner (best known for the blockbuster My Fair Lady ). Though Katharine Hepburn was a veteran stage actress, the four-time Oscar winner was not particularly known for her singing voice—and this was to be her one and only musical. The show only had 329 performances on Broadway, but thanks to YouTube, the company's performance at the 1970 Tony Awards is still available—it was nominated for seven Tonys that night and won two. Even if the musical didn't have staying power, at least the thought of one pioneer of the modern, trouser-wearing woman playing another feels very—how would you say?— je ne sais quoi .