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birth
-Gabrielle Chanel is born in Saumur France
- Her parents are Jeanne Devolle and Albert Chanel.
- She is born out of wedlock
- her mother dies from asthma at the age of 33 -
Period: to
Coco Chanel
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Early life
-Chanel and her two sisters are sent to live in an orphanage -
Early life
-Chanel moved to Moulins and stayed/ attended convent school with her aunt Adrienne who was of similar age.
- She was taugh to sew by nuns
- she soon worked as dress maker assisting m. Henri Desboutin -
Career
- Chanel was singer at La Rotonde the song qui qu'a vu coco dans le trocadero is how she acquired her nickname
- 1908 she went to live with Etienne Balsan. Here she mixed with fashionable circles.
- Others found her sense of style irresistible, often asking for copies of her hats. Soon she had set up a millinery business.
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Career
-Chanel, a professional milliner, her sister Antionette, and two assistants grew her business
- At this time her lover was Arthur "Boy" Capel who lent her money to open a shop in Rue Cambon -
Career
- Chanel Modes located at 21 Rue Cambon was opened.
- Chanel modeled many of her own designs
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Branching out
- a second shop in Rue Gontaut-Biron is opened
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First lines
- WW1 breaks out. Only wealthy and fashionable parisians shop at chanel.
- Ready to wear clothing is now being sold
- Chanel cuts her hair short and, like the trend setter she is, others follow.
- Chanel's style includes versatile and sporty designs
- Chanel was the first designer to use jersey fabric which she purchased from manufacturer Rodier
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First lines
- Chanel's designs include unstructured 3/4 length coats belted at the waist embellished at with luxurious fabrics or furs. Often they were worn with matching skirts
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First lines
- Les Eleances Parisiennes, a magazine that illustrated Chanel included jersey suits that were delicately embroidered or strictly plain
- an accesory for the strictly plain suit was a saddlery style double belt
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First lines
- tan jersy coat trimmed with brown rabbit fur, and lined with white.
- A blouse of white dotted with rose foulard.
- Matching lining to shirt soon became a Chanel trade mark
- Chanel's daywear continued to be a stylish utility but her evening wear was unashamedly romantic
- tan jersy coat trimmed with brown rabbit fur, and lined with white.
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First lines
-fragile gowns in silver lace brocade, black chantilly lace with gold spun net and jet tassels and black velvet capes with ostridge feathers were the height of fashion.
- Chanel's designs had a spanish influence -
1920's
- Boy was killed in a car accident
- Coco dates the grand duke Dmitri Pavlovitch. This results in her designs having a russian influence
- loose shift dresses, waist coats, blouses and evening coats with dark/neutral fabric.embroidered with bright russian folklore inspired designs
- Chanel became a costume designer for plays, performances, etc
- Boy was killed in a car accident
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1920's
- Signiture fragrence Chanel no.5 launched
- named "five" because it was Chanel's lucky number
- It was blended by Ernest Beaux
- Chanel designed the packaging
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1920's
- long, lean belted blouses based on russian peasent wear
- Chanel designed grecian style costumes for Anti Gone (featured in french vogue in 1923)
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1920's
- Chanel simplified the cut and used less brocaded fabrics. Embroderies of red and beige were more restrained and modern. - designs led to international trend to shorten hemlines
- La Garconne was Chanel's masculine interpretation of designs. Her line (1923-1930)was influenced by the Duke of Westminster
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1920's
- Chanel designed costumes for the ballets dancers in their production of Le Train Bleu
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The little black dress (1920's)
- The little black dress was designed as early as 913 and was constructed from vevet with a white petal collar
- On October 1st 1926 the LBD was in American Vogue
- Chanel has been credited with its creation ever since
- Cocteau's movie, Orphee, had head to toe Chanel fashions
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1920's
-Dropped hemlines in 1929 meant tough times for cinema as the fashions were seen as out-dated
- Chanel was asked to design for Samuel Goldwyn, a film producer, however, she chose to design for MGM
- Many actresses overlooked or criticized Chanel's designs for being too understated -
the Great Depression
- A new leftist french government and workers strikes meant hard times for Chanel's business
- Chanel didnt give in to workers demands, only when she needed to produce her next collection did she agree to a workers co-op (if she managed it)
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1930's
- Chanel and lover Paul Iribe presented a line of jewelery based on themes of knots, stars, and feathers
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1930's
- Late 30's were a time of simplistic daywear
- Evening wear went back to the victorian style with cinched waists, full skirts, bustle backs, shoulder length lace gloves, and floral acessories
- In 1937-1938 Chanel's trouser suit was a modern piece of art. It had a black bolero jacket, high waisted trousers, sequins, a soft cream silk chiffon lace blouse with a ruffled neck line, and pearl buttons
- In the late 30's evening wear was inspired by gypsies and peasents
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WW2
- Chanel closed her fashion house, but continued to sell perfume
- Her lover at the time was an officer of german army, Hans-Gunther Von Dincklage
- following the liberation of Paris in 1944 Chanel fled to Switzerland. She wouldn't return to Rue Cambon for almost a decade
- Chanel closed her fashion house, but continued to sell perfume
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1950's
- Chanel, at the age of 70, began working again
- She stuck to her fashion philosophy: function and comfort in dress was optimal, but the aim of making women look young and beautiful was still a priority
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1950's
- Chanel launched her first post war collection. It consisted of understated suits and dresses, however the response fell flat as people thought her style was too old and out of touch with the modern market.
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1950's
- Pierre and Paul Wertheimer, who owned parfums chanel, bought her entire business
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1950's
- Her spring-summer line featured a gray jersey suit consisting of a softly-fitted jacket complete with pockets and a full box-pleated skirt, worn with a bow-tied white blouse.
- Her navy jersey suits had school girl-style blazer jackets banded with white trim or worn with knitwear striped in navy and white.
- Her spring-summer line featured a gray jersey suit consisting of a softly-fitted jacket complete with pockets and a full box-pleated skirt, worn with a bow-tied white blouse.
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1950's
- Chanel introduced her signiture quilted handbags
- They consisted of shoulder straps made of leather, plaited with gilt chains and flattened links,
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1950's
- Chanel introduced braid trimmings to her cardigan-style jackets. - For her fall–winterline of 1957–1958 her suits had a wrap pleat that ran down the side of the skirt and concealed a trouser-style pocket
- She paid great attention to her coat and suit linings, following the trends of the season
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1950's
- Suits in nubby wools, tweeds, or jersey fabrics with multiple pockets, gilt chains, and fake pearl jewelry. As well, her distinctive handbags, sling-back shoes with contrasting toe caps became fashion staples for the affluent
- For the evening her suits had multiple varations
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1950's
- Chanel remained faithful to her love of black and white laces for dresses. For example:
- she designed a black lace dress, which dipped low at the back, molded to the hipline, was threaded with black ribbon, and flared into a full skirt
- During this time period Chanel was influenced by friends
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1960's
- Chanel is no longer the fore front of style
- She didn't believe in the miniskirt trend as she thought a woman's nees should be covered
- One of her high profile clients was Jackie Kennedy
- In the mid 60's Chanel's suit, model 37750, was purchased by London's Victoria and Albert museum
- In '62 she designed for cinema again
- Chanel is no longer the fore front of style
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1960's
- Chanel found herself the subject of a broadway musical called Coco.
- On Chanel's request Katherine Hepburn played the title role
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After death
- Gaston Berthelot was appointed to carry o the chanel tradition
- He designed classic garments between 1971-1973
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Chanel's death
- Gabrielle "Coco" Chanel dies in the midst of preparing her spring-summer collection
