Been born in Saumur of unknown father, Gabrielle Bonheur Chasnel loses very young its mother, being sent to a orfelinato. Later its learning with a manufacturer of baskets of baby in Moulins begins. With a form of quite free life, its nickname decides to introduce itself in the world of the song (comes from its interpretation of the refrain “Qui to vu the Coco dans l’Trocadéro?”. At that time it knows a young official of cavalry, Étienne Balsan, and both settle in Paris.
Chanel works with Lucienne Rabaté, one of the most famous modistos of the time, and in 1909 it opens, with the name of Chanel, one sombrerería in the Malesherbes boulevard. In 1912, with the help of its companion, the Briton Alfred Capel, who aid to develop its activity to him, inaugurates a hall in number 21 of the Cambon street. The following year boutique fashionable in Deauville and 1915 opens one another one in Biarritz. The customer of these boutiques will be formed by the elegant society that had taken refuge during the I World war in these two thermal stations. At this time the Coco Chanel she begins to discover some of the elements that will constitute the originality of their style. Thus, for example, she begins to use the point (woven inarrugable limited until the moment the preparation of undergarments) to create simple and practical dresses whose aesthetic she is inspired by the marine suits.
Immediately after the war, Chanel begins little by little to create one of seam the more important houses of the time. Their masculine relations often provide the inspiration to him, thus creating, for example, suits with Slavic reasons during the time that frequents great Duke Dimitri, cousin of the last czar of Russia. Later, it adopts elements of the clothes of the Duke of Westminster, man with fame of being richest of England, such as the jersey of wool, the pelliza, the marine beret or the vest of tweed to adapt them to the feminine indumentaria conferring a modern and dynamic touch to them, combining comfort and elegance.
.jpg)
Chanel
becomes one of the first women whom the fashion of the short hair sends, being
against resolutely to the sophistication advocated by modisto Paul Poiret
(who accused it to want to transform to the women into “pequeñas
telegraphers subalimentadas”). It carefully foments a studied simplicity
with practical suits, like the first trousers, the short plisada skirt, the
suit of jacket with pockets and the famous black short dress (color until
then reserved to the mourning exclusively): a fit article, without neck, with
long sleeves and without fists, in crepé of agreed China with the masculine
style to the use. This suit, denominated “un signed Ford Chanel”
by the Vogue magazine, it was copied innumerable times and it would not take
in becoming a classic one of the feminine fashion.
Rejecting the qualifying one of poor sort, with which often it was described
to his creations, Chanel knew to distinguish the sobriety of the poverty:
the feminine indumentaria must be simple but, in return, it must go accompanied
of the suitable complements. For it it resorts, for example, to the imitation
jewellery, mixing semiprecious stones, estrás and to per them false,
bracelets with the reason de la Cruz for Malta, clasps of bizantina inspiration
or reasons animals, floral or for shells. The creation of these complements
was directed by Étienne de Beaumont, Paul Iribe and mainly, between
1929 and 1937, by Fulco I gave Vegetable, that knew to contribute an own identity
to the imitation jewellery of Chanel.
Chanel became one of the most popular personages of Paris. She was friend,
among others, of Jean Cocteau and Diáguilev, for that the clothes