Early Life
Chanel learned sewing in a convent-run orphanage. She was only 12 years old when her father placed her and her two sisters in the orphanage after their mother died. There in the convent, they were taught how to sew. It’s likely that the simple lines and plain black-and-white design of the nuns’ habits greatly influenced Chanel’s artistic designs. Looking at Chanel’s early designs with this new information, things are coming together!
Chanel was a singer before she became a fashion designer. At 18, she left the convent and went to live in the town of Moulins. During the day, she worked as a seamstress in a tailor’s shop and began singing with her aunt Adrienne (who was only a year older than her) in a cabaret where cavalry officers frequently hung out.
The Famous Nickname
Chanel’s nickname, Coco, comes with three speculations as to its origin. Most likely, it came from the songs she used to sing at the cabaret, “Ko Ko Ri Ko” and “Qui qu’a vu Coco dans l’Trocadro?” However, Chanel would say that her father gave this nickname to her. Coco (short for “cocotte”) is also a French term for a kept woman or mistress.
Chanel’s Untenable Love Life
Chanel had many affairs, but she never married. Her first lover was French textile heir Tienne Balsan, then Arthur “Boy” Capel, an English polo player and Balsan’s close friend. Other notable relationships included the Grand Duke Dmitri Pavlovich, French poet Pierre Reverdy, Duke Hugh Grosvenor, French illustrator Paul Iribe, artist Pablo Picasso, and composer Igor Stravinsky. Can you blame the woman? She was busy building an empire!
A Design Giant
In the early 1920s, she launched Chanel No. 5, her first perfume. Chanel also introduced collarless jackets and well-fitted skirts, known as “the Chanel suit” when paired. She pioneered the little black dress and shoulder bags. Chanel was a licensed milliner. In 1910, she opened a hat shop in Paris named Chanel Modes.
Chanel designed large hats with lots of feathers, often called “birds’ nests.” Her hat business shot to instant success when famous French actress Gabrielle Dorziat became her biggest fan in 1912. Today, Chanel products are everywhere you look in Hollywood, being a fan favorite for celebs everywhere. And to think, it all started from a sewing class in a convent.