The story behind Chanel?

On August 19, 1883, Gabrielle Chanel was born into a humble family in Saumur, France. After experiencing the loss of her mother in 1895, Chanel's father sent her and her sisters to the Aubazin Abbey near Brive in central France, and she never saw her biological father again.

In 1910, Chanel opened the millinery shop "Chanel Fashion" at 21 rue Cambon in Paris. Her designs were favored by the most famous French actresses of the time, which also brought her a good reputation. Chanel's simple and elegant dressing style caused a sensation and quickly became popular throughout Paris.

In 1913, she opened her first clothing store in Duvier, France, and launched a sportswear series. The jersey knitted clothing she designed was of revolutionary significance, giving women a new awareness of their bodies and changing their lifestyles, and was therefore a great success.

In 1914, Chanel met Misia, a Polish-Russian female pianist, and the two became close friends. Misia was Chanel's leader in entering the artistic social circle.

Subsequently, the prestigious Chanel opened its first personal brand fashion house in Biarritz, France in 1915; and opened a boutique at 31 rue Cambon in Paris in 1918.

In 1921, she published N°5, the epoch-making perfume created by the former Tsarist court perfumer Ennis Bow. A trip to Scotland with the Duke inspired Ms. Chanel to design her first tweed suit.

In 1924, Chanel reached an agreement with the then-industrial giants the Wittmer brothers to jointly establish the Chanel Perfumes and Cosmetics Company to market perfumes and beauty products. Today, the Wettemer family runs the Chanel brand. The little black dress she launched in 1926 was praised by American "Vogue" magazine as "the new uniform of modern women."

In 1931, at the invitation of production tycoon Samuel Goldwyn, Chanel went to Hollywood to create costumes for screen stars. Against the background of the stock market crash and the Great Depression in 1932, Chanel bucked the trend and held the "Bijoux de Diamants" diamond jewelry exhibition. This dazzling high jewelry show, held at Chanel's private residence in Paris, celebrates the pure beauty of diamonds.

In 1954, at the age of 71, Chanel returned to the world of haute couture. She was very disgusted with the fashion trends of the time, and started the second fashion revolution with her creative and unique designs.

In 1955, the "Chanel Suit" was launched. In February of the same year, the iconic 2.55 diamond pattern handbag was released, named after the year and month when the handbag was born. She combined leather with chains and invented a new style of flexible leather chain shoulder straps that are both strong and lightweight while also freeing up women's hands.

In 1957, Chanel was invited to Dallas, Texas, USA to receive the "Neiman Marcus" award, known as the "Oscar of the fashion industry"; the organizer called Ms. Chanel "the most influential woman of the 20th century" fashion designer". In the same year, classic two-tone shoes were launched.

On January 10, 1971, Chanel passed away at the age of 88.

Extended information

Because Chanel's life was quite legendary, her life story has been adapted into stage plays and movies many times.

In 1969, the story of Chanel was put on the Broadway stage by Katharine Hepburn, with music composed by Andre Previn and Alan Jay Lerner. French actress Marie-France Pisier also played the role on screen.

"Coco Chanel" released in 2008, starring Sally MacLean, Malcolm McDowell and Barbara Bobrova.

On April 22, 2009, the film "Young Chanel", directed by French director Anne Fountaine, tells the story of her struggle, played by Audrey Dodo (the heroine of "Angel Emily") Actress Coco Chanel.

Baidu Encyclopedia - Gabrielle Chanel

People's Daily Online - Chanel: Legendary Life, Eternal Classic