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Gabrielle Coco Chanel

by Irene

Gabrielle Coco Chanel (http://kristenlaird.com/2011/01/06/kris-likes-the-words-of-coco-chanel/ (Kristen Laird))
Gabrielle Coco Chanel (http://kristenlaird.com/2011/01/06/kris-likes-the-words-of-coco-chanel/ (Kristen Laird))

Gabrielle Coco Chanel was born in Saumur, Southern France, on the 19th of August 1883. She was an influential French fashion designer who created the famous fashion brand CHANEL. Coco Chanel is my hero for three important reasons. Those reasons are: even though she grew up in a poor environment, she never gave up on her dream; she completely redesigned women's fashion; and she cared about the women who she was designing clothes.

Gabrielle Coco Chanel was very poor. In her childhood, she lived in a poor house in a narrow street with her parents and sisters. When she was twelve, her mother died because pregnancies had ruined her mother's health. Moreover, her father disappeared and sailed away when Chanel's mother died but it is a mystery. She and her sisters stayed in an orphanage. However, Chanel was a strong, pretty, and restless girl, and she knew that she was different from others. Even though she went through all these bad experiences, she didn't give up and never lost her dream to be a famous fashion designer.

Gabrielle Coco Chanel completely redesigned the way women dressed during the 20th century. During her time, only rich people could wear high fashion. She made it so that everyone could wear fashionable clothing. Coco Chanel was famous for popularizing practical clothes, such as pants for women.  Also, Chanel introduced jersey suits. A jersey is a soft that was used for underwear before she introduced it through her suit. Jersey became popular after she introduced the material jersey. As a research she invented modern sportswear made of jersey. The brand CHANEL's modern and practical design and expensive simplicity made its designer an important figure in 20th century fashion. She is my idol because she broke the traditional forms of women's clothes, and she help to a change in women's sense through her clothes.

Coco Chanel didn't care about what people thought or if her styles would be accepted, she just wanted women to be comfortable in what they were wearing. She rejected the idea that women should be bound in corsets and created easy, comfortable clothes. Chanel said, "I make fashion women can live in, breath in, feel comfortable in and look younger in." The concept of her fashion was the opposite of the concept of high fashion during this time. The fashion during this time was special, and ladies wore many clothes. For example: a chemise, corset, corset cover, drawers, a flannel petticoat, and one or more cotton petticoats were normal for woman to wear. She introduced simple clothes so then women didn't have to wear so much clothing. In her later years, the revolutionary said that, "to the woman going to work, I said to take off the bone corset, because women cannot work while they are imprisoned in a corset."

Coco Chanel was an only fashion designer to be named in time 100: The Most Important People of the Century.  Gabrielle Coco Chanel is my hero because I want to be a famous fashion designer when I grow up. I look up to Coco Chanel because even though she grew up in a poor environment, she never gave up on her dream, she completely redesigned women's fashion, and she cared about the women who she was designing clothes. Not only is her brand CHANEL is popular, she, as a person, is popular too. Usually people don't know the designer of the brand but everyone knows designer Coco Chanel. Neiman Marcus honored Coco Chanel as the most influential designer of the 20th century in 1971.

Page created on 5/23/2012 12:00:00 AM

Last edited 5/23/2012 12:00:00 AM

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