Coco Chanel Research Paper
Coco Chanel changed women’s fashion and has brought the world of high fashion to the masses by introducing a designer perfume and designer jewelry
Gabrielle Chanel: Early years
It is impossible to talk about Coco Chanel’s success without mentioning her early life. Born in 1883 and named Gabrielle Chanel, Coco as she would be known later came from another century where a lot of things were happening in the world. In that year, President Chester Alan Arthur inaugurated a work of engineering (the Brooklyn Bridge); in Paris, news arrived that the French flag had been raised over the citadel of Hanoi. And in a small French Province called Saumur a girl named Gabrielle Chanel was born to a poor unmarried couple. Chanel’s mom Eugenie “Jeanne” Devolle was 20 years old and had already a first daughter Julia from the same father Henri-Albert - to whom she was not married yet (Picardie). The father was a small-wares peddler from Cevennes, the …show more content…
mother a peasant of stock native to Auvergne, and the newborn a little girl named Gabrielle Bonheur Chanel (a tribute to the nun in the hospice were Chanel was born also made her godmother).
In 1884 after family pressures, Chanel’s mom finally married Henri-Albert, with whom she had been living for three years. When Chanel was only twelve in 1895, her mom died. Not long after the death, Chanel’s father abandoned her and her sister to the regions largest orphanage (Edmonde Charles-Roux). When Chanel was turning 17 she had to choose between leaving the orphanage or staying and becoming a nun. Since she didn’t see a future as a nun, Coco left the orphanage.
The Notre Dame School
At age eighteen she was sent to another garrison town, Moulins, where she attended the Notre Dame School, a religious institution run by canonesses, with her aunt of same age, Adrienne. There, Coco learned self-discipline, good manners, neat housekeeping and a careful approach to money. Her fear of becoming poor again made her a very confidant and eager for success woman. The convent played an important role as Chanel’s first introduction to the fashion industry. While there, Chanel and Adrienne went to work as assistant seamstress in a shop in Moulins. She also learned the importance of immaculate sewing (Bond). More sewing took place during Gabrielle’s holidays with her aunt Louise, from whom she learned how to trim and embellish hats, to add to the practical needlework skills she had acquired from the nuns. The girls also fashioned new collars and cuffs out of remnants of white linen to trim their sober black convent uniforms (Picardie). Clearly this was the introduction to Chanel’s career in fashion, and of very importance for her success.
Who would imagine that this girl, born in this humble family would one day rule the fashion industry and become the first woman to do so? 'Those on whom legends are built are their legends, ' declared Coco Chanel to her friend Paul Morand, one of several writers to whom she tried, and failed, to tell the story of her life. 'People 's lives are an enigma, ' she said to another friend, Claude Delay, not long before her death. Her life is indeed a mystery and several books/biographies have different aspects of her life but one thing they all have in common is the portrait of a strong, vivid and outspoken woman. (Charles-Roux)
Chanel’s move to Paris and her first Financial Support Always eager to overcome the humble life she’s had, Chanel was working her way to success. At first, Chanel had a dream of becoming a singer as she worked at a café frequented by high-spirited, competitive young officers, where she would sing popular songs. Although the singer career didn’t go through, her job at the café gave Chanel her famous nickname: Coco. It was there also that Coco realized of her interest in cavalry officers (who would always frequent the café). In Moulins, Chanel was 25 years old when she met a cavalry officer called Etienne Balsan, who would become a lover and take her to his state, near Paris, with him. Her relationship with Balsan introduced her to equestrian world, which would become a great influence in her designs. (Charles-Roux 6). Chanel also used Balsan as a way to move from Moulins to Paris and it was while still with Balsan that Chanel met Arthur “Boy” Capel.
Chanel was only 26 years old and two years younger than him. According to Charles-Roux, Capel was a “brilliantly intelligent Englishman and greatest love”. He had a great impact in her life as he gave her financial support for her first shop. Coco had a very unique style as she dressed much more simpler than the women at her time. She would design, make and sell hats in a small way from her own apartment. But 1910 with the help of Boy Capel, Coco started selling harts and haute couture in the rue Cambon in Paris. Her clientele was growing and so the success of her designs. By 1913, with the financial help of Boy Capel, the aspiring designer opened her first shop. Located in Deauville the shop was well locate, near hotels and casinos and had a simple white awning for shade and on it her name was spelled in simple black letters. This was the beginning of the Chanel logo. (Haedrich 74, Bond
14).
A New Idea for Women’s Clothing and Appearance Chanel’s designs were influenced by her life experiences. Thus, most of her clothing were simple and not related to what was known as luxury. At that time women were dressed in complicated garments and corsets. In his book “Coco Chanel and Chanel” Bond gives credit to Paul Poiret, a Parisian designer, for freeing woman from the corset, but Coco made the casual looks acceptable and famous. Coco Chanel became a legend, not Paul Poiret. In 1914 there was the World War I and it may sound unusual, but the war actually helped Chanel’s business. In the later months of 1914, society women and their families took refuge in Deauville. This move guaranteed clientele for Chanel’s shop. Also during war, women were start taking nursing positions and others war work, which required practical clothing (Bond 14). In 1915 she opened her third, and most ambitious store, in Biarritz. Also with the financial help of Boy Capel, the store was a success in by 1916 there were over 100 employees. Again, Chanel was very keen at doing business as she realized that Biarritz had the clientele for her new business (an elegant resort town crowded with newly rich war profiteers, soldiers, and Spanish visitors). Chanel used her own style for her designs as she saw the need for relaxed practical clothing. Some of her items included pullover tops, cardigans, buttons down shirts, sailor-type jackets and lose dresses. That was a very smart move and undoubtedly made her name even more famous and Chanel started branding herself with that unique style, usually inspired in men’s looks. To her surprise she was able to reimburse “Boy” Capel.
The Introduction of a New Fabric In 1916 with fabrics at a high price, due to war, and more difficult to get, Chanel set out to find a machine-made fabric as close to knitting as possible, and she did. Chanel found Jersey. She styled jersey material, which until then had only been made into men’s underwear. After finding the fabric that could give her what she wanted, Chanel believed that this fabric would take over the market (Charles-Roux 100). Chanel always reflected her own style to her designs and this go the other way around as well. Since she was investing in the jersey fabric, she did what any business person would do: she market the fabric. Gabrielle immediately adopted the fabric for herself. Her first design with jersey was an unbelted, three-quarter length over-coat free of all ornament and almost masculine. The jersey fabric became a huge part of her designs and soon was accepted. According to a WWD, the jersey fabric was accepted and became a “must” among women at the time. Chanel 's "Rapid Rise Result of Jersey Vogue" proclaimed WWD 's front-page headline on November 14, 1918. According to the paper, she had close friend Geneviève Vix of the Opéra Comique to thank for this boom. It seems the designer had whipped up a collection of jersey coats before World War I, only to send it off to storage at her house in Monte Carlo once the hostilities hit in 1914. One afternoon Genevieve wore a jersey blue sport coat and that was what Chanel needed to promote her jersey collection.
Chanel n.5 By the early 20’s Chanel was already a recognized brand. Her style strongly influenced the women’s clothing of the 20’s. She imposed her own style and life experiences as a creative method for her designs. The new idea, popularized by Chanel herself, was slim, elegant, and youthful. (Bond 19). With her reputation already established and her name recognized throughout France and beyond, Chanel decided it was time to innovate and expand the business. It was when she decided to launch a perfume with her name on it. So in 1924 Chanel met with a chemist, Ernest Beaux, to create the perfect scent for the women of the time. Coco wanted a perfume that it was fresh, like a woman waking up in the morning and represented her fashion. Chanel said “a woman who doesn’t wear perfume has no future”. With this quote, once again the smart businesswoman is selling her product. (Bond 22)
At the time all perfumes were made with natural substances, usually flowers and fruits but Chanel made history again by introducing a perfume that had artificial substances. She told Beaux what she wanted for the scent and he came up with 10 different scents numbered 21,22,23,24,25 and 1,2,3,4,5. After smelling all of them, Chanel chose the scent n.5. Which would became today’s famous Chanel n.5, the number one selling perfume in the world. This move contributed a lot to the fashion industry, as Chanel n.5 was the first perfume carrying a designer’s name. Another interesting feature of the perfume is seeing in the design of the bottle. Differently from perfumes at the time, that were put in ornate bottles, Chanel’ n. 5 had a very simple designed bottle. According to Bond “the simple, unadorned cube, and clean-cut, eye-catching graphics on the label made the Chanel bottle a classic design”. Indeed till this day the bottle it is taken as a modern design, fit for the 21st century. Also today not only designers but celebrities have their perfumes. It is almost a requirement, if you have a brand to have – also – your own (or more than one) perfume.
References
Picardie, Justine, and Karl Lagerfeld. Chanel: Her Life. Göttingen: Steidl, 2011. Print.
Gabrielle Chanel: Early years
It is impossible to talk about Coco Chanel’s success without mentioning her early life. Born in 1883 and named Gabrielle Chanel, Coco as she would be known later came from another century where a lot of things were happening in the world. In that year, President Chester Alan Arthur inaugurated a work of engineering (the Brooklyn Bridge); in Paris, news arrived that the French flag had been raised over the citadel of Hanoi. And in a small French Province called Saumur a girl named Gabrielle Chanel was born to a poor unmarried couple. Chanel’s mom Eugenie “Jeanne” Devolle was 20 years old and had already a first daughter Julia from the same father Henri-Albert - to whom she was not married yet (Picardie). The father was a small-wares peddler from Cevennes, the …show more content…
mother a peasant of stock native to Auvergne, and the newborn a little girl named Gabrielle Bonheur Chanel (a tribute to the nun in the hospice were Chanel was born also made her godmother).
In 1884 after family pressures, Chanel’s mom finally married Henri-Albert, with whom she had been living for three years. When Chanel was only twelve in 1895, her mom died. Not long after the death, Chanel’s father abandoned her and her sister to the regions largest orphanage (Edmonde Charles-Roux). When Chanel was turning 17 she had to choose between leaving the orphanage or staying and becoming a nun. Since she didn’t see a future as a nun, Coco left the orphanage.
The Notre Dame School
At age eighteen she was sent to another garrison town, Moulins, where she attended the Notre Dame School, a religious institution run by canonesses, with her aunt of same age, Adrienne. There, Coco learned self-discipline, good manners, neat housekeeping and a careful approach to money. Her fear of becoming poor again made her a very confidant and eager for success woman. The convent played an important role as Chanel’s first introduction to the fashion industry. While there, Chanel and Adrienne went to work as assistant seamstress in a shop in Moulins. She also learned the importance of immaculate sewing (Bond). More sewing took place during Gabrielle’s holidays with her aunt Louise, from whom she learned how to trim and embellish hats, to add to the practical needlework skills she had acquired from the nuns. The girls also fashioned new collars and cuffs out of remnants of white linen to trim their sober black convent uniforms (Picardie). Clearly this was the introduction to Chanel’s career in fashion, and of very importance for her success.
Who would imagine that this girl, born in this humble family would one day rule the fashion industry and become the first woman to do so? 'Those on whom legends are built are their legends, ' declared Coco Chanel to her friend Paul Morand, one of several writers to whom she tried, and failed, to tell the story of her life. 'People 's lives are an enigma, ' she said to another friend, Claude Delay, not long before her death. Her life is indeed a mystery and several books/biographies have different aspects of her life but one thing they all have in common is the portrait of a strong, vivid and outspoken woman. (Charles-Roux)
Chanel’s move to Paris and her first Financial Support Always eager to overcome the humble life she’s had, Chanel was working her way to success. At first, Chanel had a dream of becoming a singer as she worked at a café frequented by high-spirited, competitive young officers, where she would sing popular songs. Although the singer career didn’t go through, her job at the café gave Chanel her famous nickname: Coco. It was there also that Coco realized of her interest in cavalry officers (who would always frequent the café). In Moulins, Chanel was 25 years old when she met a cavalry officer called Etienne Balsan, who would become a lover and take her to his state, near Paris, with him. Her relationship with Balsan introduced her to equestrian world, which would become a great influence in her designs. (Charles-Roux 6). Chanel also used Balsan as a way to move from Moulins to Paris and it was while still with Balsan that Chanel met Arthur “Boy” Capel.
Chanel was only 26 years old and two years younger than him. According to Charles-Roux, Capel was a “brilliantly intelligent Englishman and greatest love”. He had a great impact in her life as he gave her financial support for her first shop. Coco had a very unique style as she dressed much more simpler than the women at her time. She would design, make and sell hats in a small way from her own apartment. But 1910 with the help of Boy Capel, Coco started selling harts and haute couture in the rue Cambon in Paris. Her clientele was growing and so the success of her designs. By 1913, with the financial help of Boy Capel, the aspiring designer opened her first shop. Located in Deauville the shop was well locate, near hotels and casinos and had a simple white awning for shade and on it her name was spelled in simple black letters. This was the beginning of the Chanel logo. (Haedrich 74, Bond
14).
A New Idea for Women’s Clothing and Appearance Chanel’s designs were influenced by her life experiences. Thus, most of her clothing were simple and not related to what was known as luxury. At that time women were dressed in complicated garments and corsets. In his book “Coco Chanel and Chanel” Bond gives credit to Paul Poiret, a Parisian designer, for freeing woman from the corset, but Coco made the casual looks acceptable and famous. Coco Chanel became a legend, not Paul Poiret. In 1914 there was the World War I and it may sound unusual, but the war actually helped Chanel’s business. In the later months of 1914, society women and their families took refuge in Deauville. This move guaranteed clientele for Chanel’s shop. Also during war, women were start taking nursing positions and others war work, which required practical clothing (Bond 14). In 1915 she opened her third, and most ambitious store, in Biarritz. Also with the financial help of Boy Capel, the store was a success in by 1916 there were over 100 employees. Again, Chanel was very keen at doing business as she realized that Biarritz had the clientele for her new business (an elegant resort town crowded with newly rich war profiteers, soldiers, and Spanish visitors). Chanel used her own style for her designs as she saw the need for relaxed practical clothing. Some of her items included pullover tops, cardigans, buttons down shirts, sailor-type jackets and lose dresses. That was a very smart move and undoubtedly made her name even more famous and Chanel started branding herself with that unique style, usually inspired in men’s looks. To her surprise she was able to reimburse “Boy” Capel.
The Introduction of a New Fabric In 1916 with fabrics at a high price, due to war, and more difficult to get, Chanel set out to find a machine-made fabric as close to knitting as possible, and she did. Chanel found Jersey. She styled jersey material, which until then had only been made into men’s underwear. After finding the fabric that could give her what she wanted, Chanel believed that this fabric would take over the market (Charles-Roux 100). Chanel always reflected her own style to her designs and this go the other way around as well. Since she was investing in the jersey fabric, she did what any business person would do: she market the fabric. Gabrielle immediately adopted the fabric for herself. Her first design with jersey was an unbelted, three-quarter length over-coat free of all ornament and almost masculine. The jersey fabric became a huge part of her designs and soon was accepted. According to a WWD, the jersey fabric was accepted and became a “must” among women at the time. Chanel 's "Rapid Rise Result of Jersey Vogue" proclaimed WWD 's front-page headline on November 14, 1918. According to the paper, she had close friend Geneviève Vix of the Opéra Comique to thank for this boom. It seems the designer had whipped up a collection of jersey coats before World War I, only to send it off to storage at her house in Monte Carlo once the hostilities hit in 1914. One afternoon Genevieve wore a jersey blue sport coat and that was what Chanel needed to promote her jersey collection.
Chanel n.5 By the early 20’s Chanel was already a recognized brand. Her style strongly influenced the women’s clothing of the 20’s. She imposed her own style and life experiences as a creative method for her designs. The new idea, popularized by Chanel herself, was slim, elegant, and youthful. (Bond 19). With her reputation already established and her name recognized throughout France and beyond, Chanel decided it was time to innovate and expand the business. It was when she decided to launch a perfume with her name on it. So in 1924 Chanel met with a chemist, Ernest Beaux, to create the perfect scent for the women of the time. Coco wanted a perfume that it was fresh, like a woman waking up in the morning and represented her fashion. Chanel said “a woman who doesn’t wear perfume has no future”. With this quote, once again the smart businesswoman is selling her product. (Bond 22)
At the time all perfumes were made with natural substances, usually flowers and fruits but Chanel made history again by introducing a perfume that had artificial substances. She told Beaux what she wanted for the scent and he came up with 10 different scents numbered 21,22,23,24,25 and 1,2,3,4,5. After smelling all of them, Chanel chose the scent n.5. Which would became today’s famous Chanel n.5, the number one selling perfume in the world. This move contributed a lot to the fashion industry, as Chanel n.5 was the first perfume carrying a designer’s name. Another interesting feature of the perfume is seeing in the design of the bottle. Differently from perfumes at the time, that were put in ornate bottles, Chanel’ n. 5 had a very simple designed bottle. According to Bond “the simple, unadorned cube, and clean-cut, eye-catching graphics on the label made the Chanel bottle a classic design”. Indeed till this day the bottle it is taken as a modern design, fit for the 21st century. Also today not only designers but celebrities have their perfumes. It is almost a requirement, if you have a brand to have – also – your own (or more than one) perfume.
References
Picardie, Justine, and Karl Lagerfeld. Chanel: Her Life. Göttingen: Steidl, 2011. Print.