Gabrielle Bonheur Chanel
Born	August 19, 1883(1883-08-19) Saumur, France
Died	January 10, 1971 (aged 87) Paris, France
Nationality	French
Labels	Chanel

Gabrielle Bonheur "Coco" Chanel (August 19, 1883 – January 10, 1971)^[1] was a pioneering French fashion designer whose modernist philosophy, menswear-inspired fashions, and pursuit of expensive simplicity made her arguably the most important figure in the history of 20th-century fashion. Her influence on haute couture was such that she was the only person in the field to be named on TIME Magazine's 100 most influential people of the 20th century.^[2] Image File history File links CocoChanel. ... is the 231st day of the year (232nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1883 (MDCCCLXXXIII) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Saturday of the 12-day slower Julian calendar). ... Saumur is a small city and commune in the Maine-et-Loire département of France on the Loire River, with an approximate population of 30,000 (in 2001). ... is the 10th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1971 (MCMLXXI) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display full calendar) of the 1971 Gregorian calendar, known as the year of cyclohexanol. ... This article is about the capital of France. ... The House of Chanel, more commonly known as Chanel, is a Parisian fashion house in France founded by Coco Chanel (b. ... is the 231st day of the year (232nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1883 (MDCCCLXXXIII) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Saturday of the 12-day slower Julian calendar). ... is the 10th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1971 (MCMLXXI) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display full calendar) of the 1971 Gregorian calendar, known as the year of cyclohexanol. ... Brief introduction on the history of fashion design and designers Fashion design is the art dedicated to the creation of wearing apparel and lifestyle. ... Wikimedia Commons has media related to: 20th century For other uses, see 20th century (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Fashion (disambiguation). ... Haute couture (French for high sewing or high dressmaking; IPA: ) refers to the creation of exclusive custom-fitted fashions. ... TIME Magazines 100 most influential people of the 20th century (called the TIME 100 for short) is a list of the 20th centurys most influential politicians, artists, innovators, scientists and icons, compiled by TIME Magazine. ...

The Chanel empire

Gabrielle "Coco" Chanel's stylish, elegant designs revolutionized fashion during the 1910s, freeing women from the uncomfortable and stiff apparel worn at the end of the 19th century. Whether by chance or by design, Chanel furthered her own image: the woman of the 20th century, embodying independence, success, personality, style, and confidence. Coco made sure women would love her products.

The influential Chanel suit, launched in 1924, was an elegant outfit composed of a knee-length skirt paired with a trim, boxy jacket, traditionally made of woven wool with black trim and gold buttons and worn with large costume-pearl necklaces. The House of Chanel, more commonly known as Chanel, is a Parisian fashion house in France founded by Coco Chanel (b. ...

Chanel also popularized the little black dress, whose blank-slate versatility allowed it to be worn for both day and night. The black Chanel dress was strapless, backless and more than a little risque. It shocked the general public at large but quickly became a fashion sensation. The Chanel dress premiered in the third ever edition of Playboy. This added to the controversy surrounding the Chanel. Audrey Hepburn wore a little black dress in the 1954 movie Sabrina. ...

Much imitated over the years, Chanel's designs were manufactured across more price categories than any other in the high-fashion world. It was Chanel who also introduced 'costume' jewellery to the world of fashion, using a variety of accessories such as necklaces, chains or pearls of several strands. A bag with golden handles, an elegant pearl necklace, a tailleur dressed in black are the symbols of elegance and status that marked forever the history of fashion. But it was Chanel No. 5 - considered the number-one selling perfume in the world - which helped her become a millionaire. The perfume was created in 1921 by Ernest Beaux at the request of Chanel, who said about the perfume that it was "a woman's perfume with the scent of woman." Its Art Deco bottle was incorporated into the permanent collection at the Museum of Modern Art in New York in 1959. Chanel No. 5 was the first synthetic perfume to take the name of a designer. One of Coco Chanel's most famous quotes is 'This perfume is not just beautiful and fragrant. It contains my blood and sweat and a million broken dreams'

All of her clothes were emblazoned with the famous Chanel symbol; this, however, was not of her own design. The symbol was given to her by the owner of the Chateau de Cremat (a Chateau on the outskirts of Nice in the south of France). In 1923, she told Harper's Bazaar that "simplicity is the keynote of all true elegance." Chanel always kept the clothing she designed simple and comfortable and revealing. She took what were considered poor fabrics like jersey and upgraded them. She was instrumental in helping to design the image of the 1920's flapper (The term flapper in the 1920s referred to a "new breed" of young women who wore short skirts, bobbed their hair, listened to new Jazz music, and flaunted their disdain for what was then considered acceptable behavior. The flappers were seen as brash for wearing excessive makeup, drinking, treating sex in a casual manner, smoking, driving automobiles,showing a lot of skin, and otherwise flouting conventional social and sexual norms). Her loose-fitting clothes and shortened hemlines were to become trademarks of the flapper look. Over the many years that the Chanel couture line has been around, Chanel has become one of the trademarks in fashion for elegance and beauty. Her style has lived on through the many years and is very popular among the young and older crowds. As Chanel said,"Simplicity is elegance." For the 1960s musical group, see Harpers Bizarre. ... For other uses, see Flapper (disambiguation). ...

The German designer Karl Lagerfeld is, since 1983, the art director of Chanel, both for the haute couture and prêt-à-porter collections. The classic style created by the Mademoiselle, revitalized by Lagerfeld, crossed into the 20th century and exhibits the timelessness of Coco Chanel's vision. Karl Lagerfeld (born Karl Otto Lagerfeldt on September 10, 1933) is widely recognized as one of the most influential fashion designers of the late 20th century He has collaborated with a variety of different fashion labels, with Chloé, Fendi and Chanel the most notable. ...

Later years

In 1939, at the beginning of the Second War, the designer decided to close her shops. She believed that it was not a time for fashion. She took up residence in the Hôtel Ritz Paris and for more than 30 years, Gabrielle Chanel made this hotel her home, even during the Nazi occupation of Paris. During that time she was criticized for having an affair with Hans Gunther von Dincklage, a German officer and spy who arranged for her to remain in the hotel.^[2] She also maintained an apartment above her Rue Cambon couture house and built Villa La Pausa in the town of Roquebrune on the French Riviera. In 1945, she moved to England, eventually returning to Paris in 1954, the year in which she also returned to the world of fashion. Her new collection did not have much success with the Parisians, as a result of her relationship with the Nazi spy, but was much applauded by the Americans, who had become her most popular buyers. Hôtel Ritz at Place Vendôme The Hôtel Ritz is a hotel located at 15 Place Vendôme, in the heart of Paris, France. ... There are communes that have the name Roquebrune in France: Roquebrune, in the Gers département Roquebrune, in the Gironde département , the old name for Roquebrune-Cap Martin in the Alpes-Maritimes département Related Roquebrune-Cap-Martin, in the Alpes-Maritimes département Roquebrune-sur-Argens, in the Var département This is... The French Riviera (French: , Occitan: Còsta Azzura) is one of the most famous resort areas in the world, extending along the Mediterranean Sea west from Menton near the Italian border, including the cities and towns of Monaco, Nice, Antibes, and Cannes. ... Year 1945 (MCMXLV) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar). ... For other uses, see England (disambiguation). ... Year 1954 (MCMLIV) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display full 1954 Gregorian calendar). ...

Coco Chanel died in Paris on January 10, 1971, 87 years old, in her private suite at the Hotel Ritz, and she was buried in Switzerland. Her tombstone is carved with stone lion heads representing her birth sign, Leo.^[3] is the 10th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1971 (MCMLXXI) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display full calendar) of the 1971 Gregorian calendar, known as the year of cyclohexanol. ...

Film depictions

As of February 2008, film biographies of Chanel are in production, with news reports of Barbara Bobulova as the young Chanel, with Shirley McLaine portraying her in later life. There is also a film project said to star Audrey Tautou as the young Coco. Three more projects are said to be in the works: one directed by William Friedkin; one directed by Daniele Thompson; and one to star Demi Moore.^{[citation needed]} Audrey Tautou (IPA: ; , born August 9, 1976) is a French film actress, known to worldwide audiences for playing the title character in the award-winning French film Amélie (2001, Le Fabuleux Destin dAmélie Poulain) and also Sophie Neveu in The Da Vinci Code (2006). ... William Friedkin (born August 29, 1935 in Chicago, Illinois) is an Academy Award-winning American movie and television director, producer and screenwriter best known for directing The Exorcist and The French Connection in the early 1970s. ... Danièle Thompson (born January 3, 1942 in Monaco) is a French film director and screenwriter. ... Demi Kutcher (born Demetria Gene Guynes on November 11, 1962) is an American actress. ...

Broadway

Chanel was portrayed by Katharine Hepburn in the 1969 musical Coco. Music by André Previn; Lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner; Book by Alan Jay Lerner; Musical Director: Robert Emmett Dolan; Music orchestrated by Hershy Kay; Dance arrangements by Harold Wheeler. After 40 previews, the Broadway production opened on December 18, 1969 at the Mark Hellinger Theatre, where it ran for 329 performances. Hepburn was nominated for a Tony, but did not win. Katharine Houghton Hepburn (May 12, 1907 – June 29, 2003) was an American actress of film, television and stage. ... The Mark Hellinger Theatre, at 1655 Broadway and 237 West 51st Street in New York City, was built in 1930 and operated as a theatre (under various names) until 1989. ...

External links

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to:

Coco Chanel

• Official Site of Chanel
• History/Biography (www.fashionxonline.co.nz)
• Biography (fashion-forum.org)
• Biography (www.designersunglasses.co.nz)
• Coco Chanel profile in Harper's Bazaar
• Coco Chanel, dead on Second Life
• Interactive timeline of couture houses and couturier biographies. Victoria and Albert Museum.