Today it is difficult to name a fashion designer who had the same huge impact on world fashion as Coco Chanel. This woman, who fell to live in an era of great historical upheaval, was able to become famous by creating a new silhouette of women's clothing, as well as several original accessories and fragrances that continue to remain relevant to this day.
The article below will help you to find out how the real name of Coco Chanel sounds, and about some of the most dramatic events that happened with this great woman.
Gabriel Chanel
In 1883, a girl was born in the small French town of Saumur, who was later recognized as the queen of world fashion. The baby, who was given the name Gabrielle, had a difficult fate, as she was the second illegitimate daughter of Albert Chanel and Jeanne Devol. Although subsequently her mother gave birth to her common-law husband two more sons, he did not want to form a relationship with her, therefore, initially, the names of the girl, her sister and two brothers were branded with shame.
When Gabriel was only 14 years old, her mother died of asthma, hunger and cold. The father got rid of four children, giving older girls to the monastery shelter, and his sons in the care of relatives.
Gabriel learns to sew
Although for any child, getting into an orphanage is a tragedy, it was there that young Gabrielle received a profession that allowed her to become one of the most famous women of the 20th century.
Girls in the care of the nuns were taught sewing as well as good manners. Both of them were very useful to Gabriel when, at the age of 18, she left the shelter.
The girl, along with her aunt Adrienne Chanel, with whom they were almost the same age, was hired by the maternity underwear store in Moulins. The owners were pleased with the work of young seamstresses. However, having saved some money, Gabriela and Adrienne decided to open their own business.
"Rotunda"
Now that you know the real name of Coco Chanel, it's time to tell you where her nickname came from. So, two young seamstresses worked tirelessly in the town of Moulins. They were left without adult custody early, and no one indicated to them how a “decent girl” should behave.
Soon, a niece and aunt made close acquaintance with the officers of the regiment, stationed in Moulins, and began to often visit the local Rotunda cabaret with young people in uniform. Once, during a noisy party, Gabriela performed two songs Qui qua vu Coco and Ko Ko Ri Ko. Although she did not have a special voice or stage talent, the cabaret visitors liked the performance of the beauty, and each time the girl visited this place, the officers chanted “Coco, Coco!”, Inviting him to once again sing a song about chicken. Soon, a new nickname was firmly entrenched in her, which weighed her until the end of her life. Be that as it may, it made everyone forget what the real name of Coco Chanel is.
First novel
For many years, the name Coco Chanel has been associated with the word "kept woman." Despite the fact that the fashion queen of the 20th century has always worked hard, it cannot be denied that she received money from the very young years from the men she chose based on the contents of their wallet to implement her projects.
The first lover of the seamstress Coco was Officer Etienne Balsan. He was about to resign and decided to settle in the recently acquired castle in Royo, where he planned to breed horses and organize a riding school. Koko herself asked him to “as a student” and settled with him, forever ruining her reputation.
It was in Royo that she created her first revolutionary women's outfit. The fact that doing horseback riding in an Amazon skirt seemed extremely uncomfortable to her, and she went against all traditions, ordering men's breeches for herself. She also refused the hat with the veil, which was supposed to be in such cases, replacing it with a ribbon that bound her head.
Novel number two
When the girl realized that she was just a toy for Etienne, with whom he would part without regret as soon as she got tired of her, she decided to accept the offer of the English industrialist Arthur Capel. Unlike the first lover, he did not even know what the real name of Coco Chanel was, and she could tell him various tales about the ruined loving father, nicknamed her a chicken, and about his vineyards.
Thanks to Arthur, who was known in the world as Fight, Gabriela opened her first store in Paris in 1910. A year later, he moved to Cambon Street to house number 20, where he still operates today.
Initially, Coco sold the original hats that made her place trendy. Wearing the hats she invented became prestigious, and she expanded her business by renaming the store to Atelier Chanel. Gabriela summoned Aunt Adrienne and her older sister to Paris as assistants. In addition, she woke up real feelings for Arthur Capel, so the young woman considered herself absolutely happy.
Deauville
Soon in Paris, Gabriel became crowded, and she decided to open a fashion store in one of the most famous resorts in France. Her choice fell on the super prestigious Deauville. By this time, only a few used the real name Coco Chanel, and she herself was not going to tell her respectable clients that she was the illegitimate daughter of a wandering fair merchant. Things went uphill. Moreover, from well-known clients, among whom was Madame Rothschild, there was no end. For some time, Coco even hoped that the adored Arthur would appreciate her business acumen and legitimize their relationship. However, Capel was not going to make an offer to his longtime lover.
War
In 1914, Europe became the scene of the struggle of the leading powers of the planet. The French resorts were empty, and panic began in the capital. Coco decided to wind down her business. She was dissuaded by Arthur, who was known for his gift of foresight and business scent.
He was right, and soon Deauville was filled with family members of aristocrats, bankers and entrepreneurs who fled from their estates and wanted to forget about the horrors of war. The only existing store in the city turned out to be Coco's boutique, so there was no end to the visitors.
In addition, the war was not conducive to cheating, and everyone quickly appreciated the advantage of Chanel clothing models, among which short skirts and loose cut blouses predominated. Coco made money in the war tirelessly. So, when many ladies became sisters of mercy in hospitals, she began to sell elegant white robes. She owns the main merit in promoting short haircuts. After all, many hairdressers were taken to the front, respectively, there was no one to do complex hairstyles, so girls and women began to cut braids and cut their hair like Madame Coco.
Towards the end of the war, foreigners who returned to Paris did not recognize the French women who looked and were dressed quite differently than the female half of the inhabitants of the rest of Europe. Soon, such emancipated fashion spread around the world. However, the real name of Coco Chanel was not known to anyone, although she was already considered one of the most famous women on the planet.
Between wars
Even at the peak of her fame, only a few knew the full name of Coco Chanel. However, it was enough to see two intersecting letters "C" to make it clear that this was the creation of the most famous Parisian woman of the first half of the 20th century.
Unfortunately, Gabriel wasn’t happy anymore, as Arthur first got married, and a bit later he got into a car accident. So Coco lost her beloved.
An affair with the enemy
In the fall of 1939, Chanel closed her fashion house and boutiques. She hoped to calmly wait out the occupation. However, in June 1940, the Germans captured her nephew Andre Palase. Gabrielle was forced to turn to the attache of the German embassy von Dinklage. As a result, the young man was released. However, the diplomat, fascinated by the 56-year-old Chanel, demanded that she pay for her services.
