by Shadia

Chanel

/ Shopping / Fashion Designers /

Born in 1883, orphaned at age 6, and raised by aunts in the province of Auvergne, France, Gabrielle Bonheur Chanel triumphed as one of history's great designers and creator of casual elegance.

After the death of her mother, Chanel's father gave his five children to the care of relatives. With her aunts, Chanel learned how to sow.

Her designs were found liberating by women who were tired of wearing constrictive clothing and who desired to dress comfortably and casually elegant. The introduction of one such casually elegant fashion stapple was the "little black dress" in 1926. Chanel is also accredited for one of the boldest moves in fashion for her time; the introduction of pants for women. Among her many accomplishments in the world of couture, Chanel released one of the most famous scents in the world, Chanel No. 5. The perfume was the first to bear a designer's name.

During World War II, the fashion business was closed off in Paris, hence the date of her comeback was in the 1950's. She initally had trouble making a comeback in Europe due to her affiliation with a Nazi lover during the war. However in America, her designs did reach an immediate level of popularity seen in the pre-war years, especially once Jackie Kennedy began to dress in Chanel's impeccable suit designs. It didn't take long before her comeback revitalized women's fashion once again, as Chanel introduced the bell-bottomed pant, the pea jacket and the turtleneck. Some of the most famous, best dressed women were on the Chanel clientele list; Princess Grace, Marlene Dietrich, and the Rockefellers, to name a few. Coco Chanel died on January 10, 1971 and at the time of her death, her empire brought in over $160 million per year.