Coco Chanel – 4 Facts You Probably Did Not Know

4 Facts You Did not Know about Coco Chanel

Gabrielle Chanel is one of the most polarising figures in fashion. Her personal life fascinates but also provokes – but irrespective of our view on Chanel the person, she was one of the most influential people in fashion of the 20^th century, especially in women’s fashion. Her legacy lasts until today and this success is based on her character, values and her experiences as a young woman and entrepreneur.^[1]

It is challenging to pin down Chanel’s personal story, even though there have been countless biographies about the designer. She was a master at covering up certain facts about her past, or embellishing some of them. Similar to her successor Karl Lagerfeld, there is no “one” story about Chanel – her past has been mythologized and she often contradicted herself. But there are a few facts which tell us more about Gabrielle Chanel’s life, her personality and how she built her business.^[2]

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Chanel Was a “Hustler” from a Poor Background

Despite the many contradictions and obscure parts, one thing is a fact: Gabrielle Chanel, born in Saumur in 1183, grew up poor. The hard times of her early years, the abandonment by her father, the early death of her mother and the childhood with her two sisters in an orphanage in Aubazine without a doubt shaped her character, determination to succeed and effort.^[3]

When she left school, she and her aunt Adrienne (who was only a year older) worked as seamstresses for a tailor and as sales assistants at a lingerie shop in Moulins. This was also the time when the two visited the local cabarets and eventually became performers themselves at the music café “La Rotonde”. In 1906 she moved to Vichy where she first worked at the Théatre de l’alcazar but then joined the estate of Étienne Balsan, a textile heir, at Royallieu where she led the life of a “lady of leisure”: She read, rode horses and spent time with Balsan’s high society friends. And this was also the time when she first met the love of her life, the English businessman Arthur “Boy” Capel.^[4]

It All Started with Hats – The Early Days of the Chanel Business

After Chanel met Arthur Capel, she soon wanted to found her own business – being a “lady of leisure” had probably never really been her aspiration in life. Chanel started to design women’s hats which she sold to Balsan’s friends. She officially established her business in Paris in 1909 at 160 boulevard Malesherbes, in an apartment which Balsan lent to her. Chanel had a good eye but she knew that compared to Jeanne Lanvin and Madame Grès she lacked the training in fashion. Hence, she hired Lucienne Rabaté, an established milliner who also brought customers to Chanel. Chanel’s younger sister Antoinette also joined the business as an assistant.^[5]

A year later, she opened Chanel Modes, a boutique at 21 rue Cambon. Boy Capel supported her financially for this venture. Soon her hats became more and more popular and they were also featured in fashion and theatre magazines. These hats were very different from the hats of the Belle Époque – they were much simpler, less decorated. Chanel rejected excessive, impractical and overly feminine fashion – later on, this attitude became clear when she designed rather simple fashion. But she already applied it when she started out with hats. While hats of the time usually were decorated with lots of accessories, feathers or silk flowers, Chanel’s reflected a new lifestyle: Even though many of them still incorporated elements like feathers and reflected the fashionable silhouettes of the time, they were more reduced and more masculine. They were a statement. Similar to Yves Saint Laurent, throughout her career, Chanel was inspired by menswear and adapted it to the needs of women. Her hats, and later clothing, reflected her own style and she herself was not only her best customer but also what we would call today a “brand ambassador”. She wore her chic and simple creations to events like the races where the fashionable crowd soon noticed her. This may look like she “just” socialized a lot, but, without a doubt, she used every opportunity to network and promote her products. She knew that cultivating her own image – and later on, creating a public persona – was crucial for her business. She soon became a recognizable figure of (fashion) society. Her celebrity friends soon publicized her creations, for example Gabrielle Dorziat, Lucienne Roger and Geneviève Vix wore her hats on and off stage.^[6]

Menswear would be a major source of inspiration for her designs, as were sporting clothes which were the basis for her interest in jersey. At the time, jersey was considered a material solely for sporting shirts or underwear. In 1912, Chanel expanded to Deauville – a perfect destination where affluent Parisians and the international high society went to the beach, the racecourse and the casino. Every summer, Parisians left the city and Chanel could capture this market while Paris fell into the summer slumber. In Paris, Chanel was restricted to her millinery business – due to her rental contract, she was not allowed to sell any garments as there was another dressmaker in the building. In Deauville, she finally had the opportunity to experiment with clothing. Her garments were perfect for the seaside resort and the outdoor and sports activities.^[7]

Like many other fashion businesses, Chanel was affected by the First World War. However, she kept her operations in Deauville open and was able to capture the business from those Parisians who moved to the countryside in those years. She expanded again and opened her first couture house in Biarritz – this allowed her not only a longer holiday season but also to tap into the Spanish market. Spain was neutral during the war and many Spanish holidaymakers visited the nearby seaside resort. Her fashion was perfect for the activities in Biarritz – loose fitting and jersey sweaters were ideal for golf, tennis and other activities by the seaside. Furthermore, Chanel saw the opportunity of eveningwear: The casinos and hotels had a certain dress code and Chanel successfully expanded into this market segment as well.^[8]

At the end of the war, her business prospered and in 1918, she opened her first Paris couture house at 31 rue Cambon and her premises occupied the whole building. Within the next ten years, Chanel would grow further and would move into five buildings of the street. These were the heart of her company also in the 1920s in addition to her boutiques in Deauville, Biarritz and Cannes.^[9]

Chanel Was a Great Networker

In the 1920s, Chanel met the Duke of Westminster, Hugh Grosvenor. She was introduced by her friend Vera Bate Lombardi and agreed to dine with him on his yacht. Lombardi was very well connected – she was friends with the Prince of Wales, amongst others – and together with her, Chanel attended hunting and shooting days and other events in England. Lombardi also worked for Chanel as a press officer in the 1920s. Chanel’s relationship with the Duke of Westminster allowed her to expand her network in England, also among the local aristocracy. She became friends with Winston Churchill – a friendship which should last for a lifetime. For the hunting and shooting expeditions, Chanel purchased the typical horse-riding trousers and boots but paired them with her own jackets. This was also when she discovered her passion for tweed. Tweed for womenswear was not Chanel’s invention but she definitely contributed to popularizing this textile. Similarly, her friend Vera Lombardi also wore her designs and was also featured in magazines such as Tatler. Britain offered Chanel not only a new market but also access to fabric, especially, tweed mills. Many of her iconic suits were made from British tweed.^[10]

Chanel was a Female Version of the Dandy

The basic definition of a dandy is somebody who has their own, distinct sartorial style. Dandies go beyond being interested in fashion or following trends; they use fashion as a vehicle to express themselves and their points of view. Fashion reflects their lifestyle: Certain outfit choices may express certain opinions. Very often, these outfits are considered outrageous. Dandies definitely turn heads. When thinking of a dandy, most people probably think of a man. But there are also female dandies – and Gabrielle Chanel was one of them.

Mademoiselle definitely turned heads. By dressing the way she did, she pushed boundaries in fashion – male garments became female. This also showed her view on women’s rights. In many ways, Gabrielle Chanel was a trailblazer, not only when it comes to fashion but also when it comes to women’s rights – she famously detested the corset, she wanted to free women. She herself wore comfortable clothes and that was what she wanted for other women as well. She famously was an early adopter of pants – at a time when it was considered inappropriate for women to do so. The pants themselves could make Chanel a dandy already. But it was not only the pants, it was her overall style – she took male garments (think about the stripes of the fishermen in France) and made them hers. This was probably seen as outrageous by many people around her. But it started a discussion, which, in the long-run, led to a movement and change. This development, of course is not only due to Gabrielle Chanel, but because she was an opinion leader, as dandies are so often, she pushed for it.

Disclaimer

This article is based on the personal, views, experiences and research of the author, no fees were received by the organisations and people mentioned above. All information as of the date of publishing/updating.

Footnotes

[1] Cullen & Burks 2023, p. 11.

[2] ibid.

[3-4] Cullen & Burks 2023, p. 11-12., Picardie 2017, 15-19.

[5] Cullen & Burks 2023, p. 12-14, Picardie 2017, p. 69-73.

[6] Cullen & Burks 2023, p. 14-16, Picardie 2017, p. 69-73.

[7] Cullen & Burks 2023, p. 17.

[8] ibid., p. 17-19.

[9] ibid., p. 19-25.

[10] ibid., p. 26-29.

Sources

Oriole Cullen & Connie Karol Burks, Gabrielle Chanel, exhibition catalog accompanying Gabrielle Chanel, Fashion Manifesto at the V&A London in 2023, London 2023.

Justine Picardie, Coco chanel, The Legend and the Life, updated edition, London 2017.

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