27A – Reading Reflection No. 3

Coco Chanel: An Intimate Life

By: Lisa Chaney

About Coco Chanel

What surprised you the most?

What surprised me the most was that Gabrielle (Coco) didn’t like being in front of customers. Such as when a customer wanted to talk directly to Gabrielle, she would prefer hiding in a cupboard than talking to the customer. She was in no way a good sales person. I relate to that, the notion of having amazing ideas, but getting timid (or just not be good at) talking to customers. That is why she hired her sister, who is a great talker and has a natural charisma. 

What about Coco Chanel did you most admire?

She was a truly modern woman. She was a trendsetter. Her designs, her thoughts, her way of life was truly modern for the time, and challenged the persuading traditional lifestyle that still existed. She changed fashion. Women were still trapped in their garments, corsets existed and overly designed elaborate heavy outfits were in trend. She used materials that people thought was not good enough even for underwear, and she made it fashionable. She also lived alone, at a time where a woman was still “defined” by her husband. She lived alone and had the life many men had at the time. She had many lovers, took care of large sums of finances, and worked full-time. But she still defined herself as a woman, she never lost that trait, though others couldn’t agree. She was incredibly intelligent.

What about Coco Chanel did you least admire?

She is rumored to have worked as a Nazi spy, or at least had some relations with some Nazi's. This probably stems from her need of power. She did not connect with them to outwit the Nazi's, as many women did at the time. So I don't admire that she will do almost anything to have power or influence or a name to her. 

Did Coco Chanel encounter adversity and failure? If so, what did they do about it?

Yes, Coco encountered a lot of adversity, especially in the beginning of her career start. She was self-taught. She came from a background where people from the upper social class (which was very prominent)

Coco Chanel’s Competencies

Opportunism - her ability to look at something with an entrepreneurial mindset. Such as in the first world war, her designs became a place she could take advantage of the opportunity of women needing simple designs, not the old style limiting wardrobe they wore.

Focus/Intelligence/Drive/Energy - there’s a quote from the book that kind of shows her intelligence; “I was self-taught; I learned badly, haphazardly. And yet, when life put me in touch with those who were the most delightful and brilliant people of my age, a Stravinsky, or a Picasso, I neither felt stupid, nor embarrassed”. It shows how she had the drive to learn new things, especially because she wanted to run away and live differently than her past. Things in the world awed her, and she learned new things (such as horseback riding) not because it was her biggest interest, but because she wanted to learn. She applied this to everything she did. 

One part of the reading that was confusing

One part of the reading that left me with more questions is how she actually went about her day. What exactly about her was alluring to the people. Also was she the first one that created her actual outfits, or did she have others do it for her since the start? Another question left open is how exactly did she design the logo?

Questions I want to ask Coco Chanel

• Why did you want to hide from your past so much? Do you think it influenced the way you designed
• What part of your life had the largest impact on your work?

Coco Chanel’s opinion was of hard work. Do you share that opinion?

She stated, “I had worked out on my own that which cannot be taught. It is with this that one succeeds”. I agree with this statement. For an individual to learn and achieve great things, you have to go out and try it out. You will fail, and that will teach you so much greater things than only easy success.