The sweetest smell of success

Born in 1883 to an unwed laundress in a French facility for the indigent, Gabrielle's life prospects looked very bleak.  At age 12 her mother died and Gabrielle was sent to a convent where she lived until age 18, at which time she was moved to a boarding house for Catholic girls.  Owing to the sewing skills she acquired at the convent, she was able to earn a wage as a seamstress, and she augmented her salary by working at a local cabaret.  But it would be half a decade before she began living the 'good life,' to be sure, the decadent life, as a mistress to wealthy men.

At age 34 her lover of 9 years, who had never been faithful to her, died in a car crash... a blow she never fully recovered from.  2 years later she became a licensed modiste (hat maker) and worked in the fashion industry until her death in 1971 at age 87.  A bohemian friend Misia talked of  “her genius, lethal wit, sarcasm and maniacal destructiveness, which intrigued and appalled everyone.” She never married.

Thus was the life
of Gabrielle
Coco
Chanel
listed as one of Time magazine's 100 most important people of the century, and top 25 most powerful women.

From her unpromising early life until her death, when she still maintained a rigorous work schedule, Coco Chanel gave to the world its most enduring fashion icon designs.  The "Flapper" look, costume jewelry, Chanel No.5, the "little' black dress," even the concept of women having suntans and enjoying the sporting life... these all came into fashion via Coco Chanel.

To this day her products are manufactured, purchased and valued as relevant, tasteful, classy and timeless; and her legacy is unrivaled.

"A girl should be two things: classy and fabulous."
~Coco Chanel