Coco Chanel
Fashion designer Coco Chanel, born August 19, 1883, in Saumur, France, is famous for her timeless designs, trademark suits and little black dresses. Chanel was raised in an orphanage and taught to sew. She had a brief career as a singer before opening her first clothes shop in 1910. In the 1920s, she launched her first perfume and eventually introduced the Chanel suite and the little black dress, with an emphasis on making clothes that were more comfortable for women. She died on January 10, 1971.
In addition to the longevity of her designs, Chanel's life story continues to captivate people's attention. Chanel's own lifestyle fueled her ideas of how modern women everywhere should look, act, and dress. Her own slim boyish figure and cropped hair became an ideal, as did her tanned skin, active lifestyle, and financial independence. Throughout her career, Chanel succeeded in packaging and marketing her own personal attitudes and style, making her a key arbiter of women's taste throughout the twentieth century.
Here are some of her favorite quotes:
"A girl should be two things; classy and fabulous."
"Elegance is when the inside is as beautiful as the outside."
"Simplicity is the keynote of all true elegance."
"Fashion changes, but style endures."
"The most courageous act is still to think for yourself. Aloud."
"You live but once, you might as well be amusing."
