For centuries, Paris has been the epicentre of the high-fashion world. To know what makes Paris special, spend time getting to know the Coco Chanel story. Innovators and entrepreneurs discover a life story rich in inspiration. Discerning travellers find out what makes Paris tick.
Nathalie and Alexandra are experts on French fashion, style and luxury. Plus, they incarnate that unique chic Parisian style naturally. With her trademark suits and little black dress, Coco Chanel created timeless designs. She revolutionized fashion and her designs are still popular today. Her mother died early and she was raised in an orphanage. It was there she learned to sew.
Her early life was far from glamorous. She started working as a peddler. Later she sang in clubs in Vichy and Moulins in Paris. Around the age of 20, Chanel became involved with a wealthy businessman, Etienne Balsan. He offered to help her start a millinery business in Paris. In , Coco opened a clothing shop on rue Cambon in Paris. She sold hats with success. Later, she added stores in fashionable coastal towns of Deauville and Biarritz.
It all started with a little dress she fashioned out of an old jersey on a chilly day in Deauville. People were impressed by what she was wearing. They asked where she got it.
Always one to note the tide on the day, Coco seized the opportunity. That earliest design set a wave of creativity going that remains a signature of the house of Chanel today. Her earliest successes gave her the financial freedom to go further. In , she created the Chanel suit and the little black dress, the LBD, today icons of the world of fashion and the models upon which other designers conceive.
