“A girl should be two things: Classy and fabulous.” – Coco Chanel
The above phrase is perhaps the most famous phrase ever conveyed by the late iconic designer Coco Chanel. The designer who was born in 1883 became one of the ‘movers’ and breakers of the fashion world at that time.
Chanel’s career in fashion began when she opened a hat specialty boutique in 1909. Her hat designs were so popular that she finally released other women’s clothing and accessories.
Her work was so big for the French fashion world, especially when she introduced comfortable and practical clothes for women to wear. Her name is becoming increasingly popular because of many top French celebrities like her designs.
Now, Chanel is one of the iconic Paris brands that have a variety of iconic clothes, bags, and perfumes that are very closely related to the image of luxury.
Are you intrigued by the figure of the founder of the top brand Chanel? Check out 12 other interesting facts from Coco Chanel below.
- The name Coco Chanel is not her real name. On her birth certificate, she was born Gabrielle Chasnel. The name ‘Coco’ is the nickname of the audience when she is actively working as a singer at a cafe. At that time, she often sang Qui qu’a vu Coco dans l’Trocadéro. Meanwhile, Chasnel is a name written because of a spelling error. Even though it was written as Chasnel, she still introduced herself as Gabrielle Chanel.
- During her lifetime, Coco Chanel was indeed a successful, wealthy, and famous person. However, in fact, she grew up in a barely-sufficient family. Her mother died when she was 12 years old. After her mother’s death, her father left her and her siblings, never to return.
- Coco Chanel was accommodated in an orphanage. There, she was taught to sew and knit. A major capital that led her to become a famous fashion businesswoman and designer.
- She started her career in fashion, selling hats she designed. With the help of a man who liked her, Chanel opened her first shop in 1913 in Paris. The shop grew in popularity, and she decided to sell clothes.
- In 1920, Coco Chanel introduced the ‘Little Black Dress’ to the world of fashion. A simple black dress that is iconic until now. For some people, the Little Black Dress may be better known for the Givenchy dress that Audrey Hepburn wore in the film Breakfast at Tiffany’s. But in fact, this black dress has been present many years before, which was popularized by Coco Chanel. The black dress designed by Chanel was very simple in midi size with long sleeves. In 1926, Vogue released a sketch of the dress and called it the ‘uniform’ for the modern woman of the future. So you could say Chanel popularized the color black in the world of fashion. Previously, black was synonymous with mourning clothes.
- In 1921, Chanel released its first perfume product, which she named Chanel No. 5. The number five is not an ordinary number for Chanel. She liked the number because a fortune teller said the number five was Chanel’s lucky number.
- The hat became a ‘signature look’ for Coco Chanel. A photographer named Douglas Kirkland revealed that Chanel always wore a hat when she spent three weeks documenting the designer.
- The Chanel fashion house iconic logo with the letter ‘C’ linked is the design of Coco Chanel herself. The logo was introduced for the first time in his new perfume product and has not changed until recently.
- Chanel popularized the use of pants for women. In the 1950s, it was not uncommon for women to wear pants. However, Coco Chanel broke this stigma, citing convenience. Not only pants, but she also designs practical and comfortable women’s clothes. She was freeing French women at that time who always had to wear a corset in clothes.
- Coco Chanel is famous for having many special relationships with famous men. However, she never married until the end of her life. Famous men who are said to have filled Chanel’s life are artist Pablo Picasso, Duke of Westminster, grandson of the leader of the Russian Empire (Tsarist Russia), to composer Igor Stravinsky.
- Chanel lived in hotels for 30 years. The hotel is called the Hotel Ritz, which is located at Place Vendome, Paris. The suite was also the place where Chanel died in 1971 at the age of 71. Now, the hotel has named the suite with the name Coco Chanel suite.
- Coco Chanel was once suspected of being a Nazi spy agent during World War II. Reportedly, she once had a special relationship with a Nazi soldier named Hans Gunther von Dincklage, who was Hitler’s, right-hand man. After the war, Chanel moved to Switzerland for a few years and returned to Paris in 1954 to reopen its fashion outlets.