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Know Your Fashion Designers: 10 Facts About Coco Chanel

“Keep your heels, your head, and your standards high!”

Last Updated on February 25, 2019 by Elisabeth - Roanoke College
This post may contain affiliate links, which means we may receive a commission if you purchase through our links. Please read our full disclosure here.

Gabrielle Bonheur “Coco” Chanel is perhaps the most well-known fashion designer of all time. Nearly 50 years after her death, her namesake fashion house is still one of the world’s most popular luxury brands, boasting legions of devoted fans worldwide, and continues to grow.

And here at CF, it’s safe to say we’re big, big fans of this woman. (We’ve even done an article on fashion inspired by Coco Chanel’s famous quotes!) We certainly count her among our top favorite designers, and we’re sure many of you agree.

So in the spirit of keeping her amazing legacy going, here are 10 facts to know about Ms. Chanel, as well as an outfit inspired by her iconic, world-famous style.

10 Fun Facts about Coco Chanel

  • She was born in France in 1883 and was part of a big family, as one of five children.
  • When Coco was 12, her mother passed away from tuberculosis and her father left the family; she spent the next six years in an orphanage.
  • She became a licensed hat-maker and owned her first shop in 1910.
  • She introduced her first perfume, Chanel No. 5, in 1922, and it was one of the first perfumes ever to mix natural and artificial essences.
  • She invented the “Little Black Dress” in 1926, which Vogue Paris dubbed “Chanel’s Ford” because of its practicality and marketability.
  • She is credited with popularizing the concept of “costume jewelry” in the 1920s, creating seasonal jewelry that mixed fake pearls with real stones.
  • She introduced the idea of using jersey fabric to create clothing, which had prior been used only for men’s undergarments.
  • She and her brand are most well-known for costume jewelry, two-tone shoes, quilted bags, and simple suits made of tweed or jersey.
  • Her classic Chanel suit became famous for its flattering cut, simple fabric, and specially weighted lining that created that perfect hang.
  • She died in 1971 at the Ritz Hotel in Paris at the age of 88.

Outfit Inspired by Chanel

outfit inspired by coco chanel

Products: Dress – LuLus, Blazer – H&M, Necklace – Old Navy, Purse – Burlington, Hat – J. Crew, Shoes – DSW

Ms. Chanel was famous for her simple, casual elegance, so pair a basic navy t-shirt dress and beige boyfriend blazer with flat shoes and layered pearls for an ensemble that gives off a very “Coco” vibe. And what Chanel girl would be caught without her quilted chain strap purse? Finally, no Chanel-inspired look would be complete without a fun hat to top it off.

One last thing – if you’re wondering why there’s no black in this look, here’s another fun fact: While she may have brought us the Little Black Dress, Coco was also very into neutrals like navy blue and beige, basing many collections around these hues. And now you know!

Extra for Experts

For more information on Coco Chanel and her world-famous fashion house, check out these books! Just don’t blame us if they’re more interesting than your accounting textbook…

  • Chanel: A Woman of Her Own by Axel Madsen
  • The Secret of Chanel No. 5: The Intimate History of the World’s Most Famous Perfume by Tilar J. Mazzeo
  • The Gospel According to Coco Chanel: Life Lessons from the World’s Most Elegant Woman by Karen Karbo and Chelsey McLaren

Thoughts on Chanel?

Do you have any other great books on Chanel you’d recommend? Or facts about Coco Chanel that you find most interesting? Please share them with a comment. Also, feel free to suggest any designers you’d like to read about next!

Editor’s note: This post was originally published in 2011; it was completely updated and revamped in 2018 by Sharon with new photos, outfit sets, and information.

Tags : Chanel, Coco Chanel, Designer Spotlight, Designers, Fashion History, Know Your Fashion Designers

19 Comments
Originally published on September 2, 2018
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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Julie says

    May 29, 2019 at 5:02 pm

    Glad to see another Roanoke College studdent on here 🙂

    love that CF is doing more articles like these!

    Reply
  2. Lynn says

    May 29, 2019 at 5:02 pm

    Wonderful! Coco Chanel really was an amazing woman, I remember writing a paper on “one of the most influential people of the 20th century” and she’s who I chose. She was incredibly influential on making pants fashionable for women to wear.

    Reply
  3. lottie says

    May 29, 2019 at 5:02 pm

    I love chanel, she was such an interesting, classy woman. My class had a lecture on her in our first year & it’s the only one i remember not wanting to fall asleep in! Hehe.
    I really want to read the book by Karen Karbo, so glad to see it recommended 🙂

    Reply
  4. Cristina says

    May 29, 2019 at 5:02 pm

    Thanks for the info. Very interesting!

    Reply
  5. Taylor Davis says

    May 29, 2019 at 5:02 pm

    great article on ms.chanel! i did an entire research paper on her form english class last mp, and you covered her beautfully. much love! <3

    Reply
  6. couturemepink says

    May 29, 2019 at 5:02 pm

    I love articles like these and I love CoCo.
    vivi- I think you might actually have to check out a Chanel boutique to get the necklace.

    Reply
  7. Kate says

    May 29, 2019 at 5:02 pm

    Great article! Coco Chanel is such an inspiring woman!

    Reply
  8. maria says

    April 15, 2019 at 10:46 am

    I really like the movie coco before chanel. She was a woman way ahead of her time!

    Reply
  9. Tairalyn says

    May 29, 2019 at 5:02 pm

    Favorite post of the week! Thank you for this… I can always count on you to teach me something new about something or someone I thought I knew inside out.

    XO
    Yours Truly

    Reply
  10. Danielle says

    May 29, 2019 at 5:02 pm

    Oh please continue this series! I love to read about designers! Can’t wait!!! 🙂

    Reply
  11. Jennifer says

    May 29, 2019 at 5:01 pm

    Adored this post. Thanks! Great read 🙂

    Reply
  12. jenny says

    May 29, 2019 at 5:12 pm

    glad that the shop is still opened,also glad the everyone still remembers her

    Reply
  13. Chantelle says

    May 29, 2019 at 5:20 pm

    I think Coco Chanel was a great, lucky girl and was very cool but I can’t believe she died at 97 years old.

    Reply
  14. KJ says

    May 17, 2019 at 7:03 pm

    Cassandra- Yes, she died in her apartment, but, her apartment was located in the Ritz Hotel.

    Wonderful article!

    Reply
  15. Anne Huynh says

    May 29, 2019 at 5:58 pm

    Her design are really well known like the chanel suit, little black dress, 2.55 quilted purse, and Chanel no.5 perfume. In the future I would like to buy her clothes, purse, cosmetic, jewelry, and perfume regardless of the expensiveness for the sake for being kind to her and to support her brand throughtout the future. I’m curious about what her no.5 perfume smell like that make it so popular.

    Reply
  16. L says

    April 15, 2019 at 10:46 am

    chanel was also a nazi sympathizer…

    Reply
  17. Blair says

    April 15, 2019 at 10:46 am

    i absolutely love coco! she was what made me fall in love with fashion!! so classic and amazing! if only she was still alive:/

    she will live on forever(:

    Reply
  18. sarah Dee says

    April 15, 2019 at 10:46 am

    I love this!!! I love learning about designers, and i feel like i have so much to learn!

    Reply
  19. georgia says

    April 15, 2019 at 11:17 am

    awsome

    Reply

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