A girl should be two things...classy and fabulous.
Gabrielle Bonheur aka Coco Chanel was definitely both.
Bonne Anniversaire, Coco!
Chanel started her life as a poor girl born to unmarried parents in Saumur, France. Her mother died before her twelfth birthday and she grew up in an orphanage with her four siblings. Educated in a convent, she would later be inspired by the habits worn by the nuns who taught her. Coco was quite the Renaissance woman, trying her hat at an assortment of jobs including dancer, horse rider, actress, and singer. In fact, it was at a singing gig at Cafe la Rotonde where she acquired her sobriquet.
To paraphrase Sinatra, Coco Chanel was one helluva broad. She wasn't above benefiting from many lovers who helped move her career forward. She once boasted, "I was able to start a high-fashion shop because two gentlemen were outbidding each other over my hot little body." One of these men was Arthur "Boy" Capel, shipping and coal magnate who was the love of her life. He bankrolled her first boutique on rue Cambon and guided her entree into French society.
Upon his untimely death in 1919, Coco developed an appreciation for rich, powerful men. Among her consorts were Stravinsky, Etienne Balsan, and the Duke of Westminster. He inspired her love of pearls and costume jewelry. Prince Dimitri, a Russian duke, helped with the launch of her fragrance empire.
During World War II, Chanel took up with a Nazi intelligence officer ten years her junior. She was hence interrogated and arrested by the French police but managed to escape the charges, thanks to Winston Churchill.
When questioned about her affair, Chanel reportedly answered, "At my age, when a man wants to sleep with you, you don't ask to see his passport."
Chanel left an indelible mark on contemporary fashion. The little black dress, quilted handbag, yards of pearls, boucle jacket, cap toe shoe, Camelia flowers, red lipstick.
Tonight, I plan to raise a glass of Dom Perignon and toast La Doyenne of the fashion world.
Happy Birthday, Ms. Chanel!
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