Gabrielle Bonheur "Coco" Chanel
August 19, 1883 – January 10, 1971
Life:
- Born in Saumur, France
- Learned the seamstress trade at a monastery
- Chanel left her first seamstress job to become a cabaret singer, which is where she got the nickname "Coco"
- Chanel's first shop was a millinery boutique
- Chanel was the first designer to develop a synthetic perfume. Named after herself, Chanel No.5 is the best selling perfume of all time
Important Designs:
- A belted oversized sweater worn over trousers or a skirt
- The Chanel Suit - a wool boucle suit with a boxy, collarless jacket and knee length skirt
- Costume jewelry was popularized and became a staple in women's fashion thanks to Chanel
- The Chanel quilted handbag - an often copied leather handbag with a quilted pattern and gold chain strap interlaced with leather
- The Little Black Dress - the original little black dress was strapless and backless, which was very risque at the time. It was featured in the 3rd issue of Playboy magazine.
- The first designer to use jersey knit as a serious, fashionable material
Famous Friends and Collaborators:
- Jean Cocteau
- Pablo Picasso
- Salvador Dali
- Colette
- Sergei Diaghilev
Clients:
- Grace Kelly
- Audrey Hepburn
- Liz Taylor
- Marlene Dietrich
- Ingrid Bergman
- Queen Fabiola