She had gotten the name Coco because one of her very first jobs was to sing in cabaret's in Vichy and Moulin and the name Coco was derived from one of the songs she used to sing. Chanel herself said that the name came from a shortened version of the French word "cocotte" which in English means "kept woman."
At the age of 20, Chanel got involved with French socialite, Etienne Balsan. He offered her to start a millinery or hat business in Paris. But then, Chanel left Balsan and became a mistress to Englishman Arthur "Boy" Capel. The money she got from her job as a mistress, she opened her first hat shop in Paris. She was very successful at her shop but her first fashion discovery was when she transformed a jersey into a dress. Chanel once told author Paul Morand, "My fortune is built on that old jersey that I'd put on because it was cold in Deauville."
Between 1920 and 1925, Chanel took her successful business and put it to the next level and also got into a lot of relationships. In the 1920s, she first introduced her perfume, Chanel No.5. Chanel states that perfume "is the unseen, unforgettable, ultimate accessory of fashion. . . . that heralds your arrival and prolongs your departure." Another success of hers in that year was her little black dress. She took a color used mostly for funerals and showed the world how fashionable it could be. In 1925, she introduced collared jackets and suits for women. This was a revolutionary design for her as it showed a little masculinity yet it was helping women say good bye to their corsets and restricted garments. At the time, she was also in a relationship with famous composer Igor Stravinsky.
Chanel's love life was a roller coaster! After Stravinsky, she was with the duke of Westminster. They had been together not for long yet the duke had proposed to her. Chanel, with her sassy personality, said something very interesting to turn him down. She said, "There have been several Duchesses of Westminster—but there is only one Chanel!" After this interesting association, World War 2 had begun. Many of the conflicts had led Chanel to close down her boutiques and fire her workers. But, while France was being controlled by Germany, a special someone caught her eye. It was German military officer Han von Dincklage. But, the most important thing to note is that because of this relationship, Chanel was able to stay in her apartment at Hotel Ritz. After the war, Chanel was interrogated because of her association with von Dincklage. But, in the end she was not charged for being involved in any illegal collaboration. But, because of this situation, Chanel was forced to leaved the country and to live in exile in Switzerland because people saw her relationship with von Dincklage as a "betrayal to the country". But she was not gone for long; at the age of 70, Chanel came back to the fashion world. At first, heart breaking reviews were written by fashion critics. But she succeeded in wowing the critics with her bold fashion.
In 1969, there was a play made on her life. The show was written by Alan Jay Lerner, music was composed by Andre Previn, costume and design was done by Cecil Beaton and starred Katherine Hepburn as Chanel. The show was very successful and received seven Tony Award nominations and Beaton won an award for best costume design.
Chanel died in her apartment in Hotel Ritz on tenth of January, 1971. She was single all her life because "[she] never wanted to weigh more heavily on a man than a bird." Her funeral was conducted at the Church of Madeleine. Many mourners, in honor of the fashion icon, wore her suits.
Almost a decade after her death, designer Karl Lagerfeld took charge of her company. Today, the company is going very well and is believed to be making hundreds of millions of sales each year.
RIP Coco Chanel
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