"Life never turns out the way I want it to, so I'm going to transform it."
This quote is Coco Chanel's famous quote and her lifelong belief.
Born from poverty, Chanel witnessed the misfortune of her parents' relationship, did not experience the warmth of her family, and the hardship of her life made her feel that her childhood was filled with sadness.
Such a life, in Chanel's heart how can be as desired? She grew up with the idea of transforming it all.
For girls with big ambitions in their hearts, being rich only kills their ambition, and poverty is the best teacher.
Chanel's life, from orphan, to mistress, to the establishment of the world-renowned fashion empire, her life is destined to be full of legends.
01Poor origin and unfortunate childhood
In 1883, Chanel was born in France in a poor family.
Her father was an itinerant peddler who earned some money by selling small goods at the bazaar.
His income was not high, but he was a womanizer, hanging out with women and never coming home.
Her mother, who came from a lower class background, had a sister a year older than Chanel, but her father was not married to her and had little responsibility for the family.
Chanel was two years old when her father married her mother, but after the marriage, her father's nature remained unchanged, and he was always out on the town having a good time.
Chanel grew up in a family that lacked love and responsibility, and her insecurity and vulnerability were buried in her heart, while a stubborn rebellious will grew.
When Chanel was eleven years old, her mother contracted tuberculosis and died of bitterness and depression.
Instead of trying to support the family, her father simply sent them to a convent and disappeared from Chanel's life.
Chanel is orphaned and lives in a convent.
She learned to sew and dreamed of seizing every opportunity to get out of the darkness of her life.
Later, Chanel works in a sewing store and sings in a café.
She hoped to make more money through her own efforts.
She witnessed the misery of her mother and the thinness of men, and she once lamented:
"It is more pitiful for a woman to be a wife than a lover."
Growing up beautiful and young, in the next, really embarked on the long road of being a mistress.
02On the road to growing up dependent on men
Chanel works in a sewing store during the day and sings in a coffee shop at night.
Working stitch by stitch in the sewing store teaches her that it takes hard work and patience to finish everything.
At the coffee shop where she sings in the evenings, she sees all kinds of people, and she can't help but long for the life of the rich and famous.
Her beauty and uniqueness attracts the attention of a recently discharged officer named Bresson.
Bresson's family runs a successful textile business.
But he had no intention of taking over the family business, and preferred to have fun and be a single playboy.
With his noble status and out of the money, Chanel also on the rich man's admiration, the two soon went to bed.
The hunt and the desire to conquer are both the game of most playboys, like to chase in the bushes, but not single love a flower.
Bresson soon left Chanel and went back to his free estate by himself.
His estate is like his kingdom, there are like his mistress, often social flowers, noblewomen over to the party to have fun, men can have more than one mistress, noblewomen food and clothing also by the man who looks at her to provide.
This kind of life in the European novel, often very common.
They drank and danced, rode horses and hunted, sailed, and had all kinds of high-society entertainment.
When the café closes, Chanel goes alone to Bresson's estate and becomes one of his mistresses.
She had an eye-opening experience at the estate, not only experiencing high society, but also familiarizing herself with what the celebrities wore and wore.
When Bresson was not with her, she was lonely and left out, but instead of waiting to waste her time like a consort waiting for the emperor, she looked for a way to express her own values.
Coming from a lowly background, it is unlikely that she will be able to have equal interactions with other noblewomen or socialites at first, and discrimination is inevitable.
Chanel showed herself to be special in the way she dressed. She cut her hair short, wore shirts and hats without much decoration.
In her early 20s, she looked like a tomboy, clearly distinguishing herself from maids and noblewomen.
Instead of comparing herself to them in terms of dress, she has found a way to show off her unique personality.
The upper-class marriage is the family, Chanel knew that she was not likely to marry into the family, she was so dependent on the lover, not a permanent solution, must think of independent financial ability to do.
She found that the upper-class noblewomen's hats, too pompous and red tape inconvenient.
She turned complexity into simplicity, designed a simple and lightweight but not lose the beauty of the hat to the noblewomen, we think very much like, her handmade and design also has some fame.
Chanel and Bresson spent six years at the estate, and she went from being a young girl to a quasi-socialite.
One day at the estate, she meets Bresson's friend Capaux, and it's love at first sight.
Capaux, two years older than Chanel, is a tall, handsome man who, unlike Bresson, takes care of his family's business.
Chanel experiences true love in Capet, and she is genuinely admired and praised by him.
She follows him to Paris, where she boards a train without a second thought.
The elopement of Chanel and Capaux reminds Bresson of Chanel's goodness, and he pursues her to Paris, where he confesses to Chanel that he would like to take her as his wife.
Immersed in the sweet love of Chanel, it is clear that Capa not only her a lover, but also know will not marry her, but in the face of the promise of the previous begging, she still refused.
From her father, Bresson and Capaux, she knew that men were philanderers and rarely loyal.
She had to make another ambitious plan.
03Starting Her Own Brand
Bresson, undeterred by the fact that Chanel had left him, almost fought a duel with Capaux to get it back.
Later in Chanel's proposal, the two negotiated *** with the same funding to Chanel store, so Chanel's first hat store was born in Paris. This year she was 27 years old.
Three years later, she opened her first clothing store in France, mainly doing women's sportswear.
Two years later, she opened her first branded fashion store.
Another 3 years later, she opened her first Chanel boutique.
If a woman is married, it may be a succession of children, but Chanel as a mistress, take advantage of being favored, one after another to open different fashion stores, and try to build their own brand.
She and Capa were together for nearly 10 years, and Capa ended up marrying and having children with a woman younger and more honorable than her.
Chanel was willing to be his mistress, but she was not a woman who lived for love; she was a lover and used the resources that Capa provided to build her business.
Not only did she have the money to do so, but she also met more famous people through Capa.
With her talent for design and the celebrities' support, Chanel's hats and clothes sold well and her fame grew.
The movie stars, princesses, and high-class celebrities all loved her designs, which was invariably great publicity.
In 1919, Capa died in a car accident, leaving Chanel 50,000 pounds in her estate.
Chanel used half of this generous inheritance to buy a villa, and the rest to expand her business.
As a sign of her grief for her lover, she wore only black dresses in those days, and it was during this period that she pioneered the Little Black Dress.
The little black dress overturned the traditional taboo that black has always been a taboo color, unlucky and depressing.
But some women do not tolerate the concept of confinement, looking for a kind of rebellion and resistance, just this little black dress came into being, so that women not only the body at the same time in the spirit, are unprecedented liberation and freedom.
04From lovers to find inspiration and resources, to achieve career splendor
Chanel's fashion business reputation is getting bigger and bigger, rich and gold up her, began to arbitrarily adopt a man.
These men, there are down-and-out writers, painters, talented artists, directors, and exiled royalty.
These lovers are not only to talk about love, expanding the network, but also to provide her in the creation of more inspiration nutrients.
One of the Russian dukes, the Grand Duke of Dimitrios, let Chanel more exotic and colorful culture, but also introduced her to the perfume maker Ennis exiled to France.
It was Ennis who played a decisive role in the birth of Chanel's No. 5 perfume.
The unique bottle design of No. 5, with its strong fragrance, made it a favorite among celebrities and noblewomen as soon as it was launched.
In an interview, a reporter asked the famous Hollywood actress Marilyn Monroe, what underwear to wear to sleep at night?
Monroe said with a full of sexy and a little provocative:
"I only wear Chanel No. 5, and there is a drop is enough, I want to be charming wherever I want to drop."
The exclusive favor of famous actresses attracts countless upper-class noblewomen, and rich men can't help but throw their weight around.
Until now, Chanel's No. 5 perfume is still the favorite perfume of actresses.
Chanel is not only a pioneer, but also a classic.
By 1931, Chanel had become a trend-setting brand.
She was Hollywood directors, striving to invite to the stars exclusively developed, celebrities are to use Chanel brand for the honor and fashion.
A love affair that helped Chanel's career even more was between her and the Duke of Westminster, the richest man in Britain at the time.
The Duke of Westminster was known as the most handsome, attractive and richest bachelor in Europe at the time.
Now the domestic Wang Sicong, girls can not help but call him "national husband", the Duke of Westminster that is really a real aristocrat plus diamond bachelor.
Most women in Europe want to be in love with him, but he just likes Chanel.
Netizens know that Wang Sicong said he would never get married, but they can't help but compete to be his girlfriend.
Because to be Wang Sicong's female companion, not only can you eat well, but also improve the fame and increase more fans, these are real benefits.
Chanel can get the fame, resources can be imagined.
Chanel and the Duke of Westminster together for 14 years, and then the Duke of Westminster wanted a child, Chanel over the best childbearing age, the two only break up the end.
The Duke of Westminster to find a girl in her early 20s to get married and have children, Chanel is still for the cause of hard work, and other men to talk about love.
In the aftermath of the Second Great War, when France was occupied by Nazi Germany, Chanel fell in love with a German officer in a controversial affair.
She was suspected of collaborating with the enemy to give information to the Germans, and after the war she was taken in for interrogation, but was soon released.
It was said that she was the one who had a lot of friendship with Churchill, and it was Churchill who interceded to get her out of trouble.
She then went to Switzerland to escape the world and lived there for more than a decade.
Until, at the age of 71, she returned to Paris to restart her career.
The following year, Chanel's 2.55 handbag was launched to rave reviews.
This bag, until today, is still the most girls want to get their hands on Chanel's classic bag.
In 1966, Chanel went to the pinnacle of the cause, the president's wife, princesses and noble stars are wearing Chanel brand.
Chanel's early days of entrepreneurship, the opening of the store and the house, are Bresson, Capper, the Duke of Westminster to provide.
Brand design is also from this many lovers to find inspiration. In a society of men, Chanel did not break all kinds of concepts, it is difficult to make such a huge achievement.
Chanel has a point that all people need to learn, is that she treats the work of tireless effort and dedication, until the day before his death are working, at the age of 88.
05In her later years, she regretted not getting married and having children
The most successful people have regrets in the end.
Chanel, in her later years, not only once regretted for not getting married and having children.
"To have a husband and children, to be with the people I love, to live a simple life." This was her old ideal.
But she didn't realize it throughout her life, and she chose an extraordinary path that was both controversial and full of praise, which led to her legendary life.
Only when people struggle for their dreams and broaden their lives with a variety of landscapes can they realize the beauty of simplicity and ordinariness.
Chanel regrets not getting married and having children, it is she has never experienced the ordinary life of ordinary people and regret.
Just as Jack Ma said he regretted founding Alibaba, if he had not built Alibaba, he had not seen all sorts of accolades and by fame, he would never say such a thing.
What we regret is that life is short and we don't have the opportunity to experience what we want.
A few days ago, the Internet for "Yang Liping does not give birth to a child is a woman's life failure" topic, hot discussion for several days.
Yang Liping in order to dance, chose not to have children, and finally she has no trace of regret, this is everyone's life experience.
Just like the Dream of the Red Chamber in the straightforward and full of transparent "good song":
The world knows that the gods are good, but there is a merit can not be forgotten!
Where are the ancient and modern generals?
All of us know that the gods are good, but we can't forget the gold and silver!
The end of the day only hate poly no more, and to more eyes closed ------
While envying the immortals free and easy, ultimately still can not let go of the title, gold and silver, wife and groom, children and grandchildren of the ties, and finally are turning head empty.
Many people on Chanel's life as a mistress, and dependent on a variety of men to pave the way for career behavior is full of controversy.
But in the era of women's lack of independent economic capacity, she went from orphan to mistress, and then metamorphosed into a famous entrepreneur;
She seized the opportunity and all the available resources to create a brand named after a female designer, and finally became a world-renowned fashion empire, which is a very remarkable achievement.
She not only expanded people's aesthetics and changed the way they dress, but also advanced the liberation of women's ideas about independence and freedom.
Now so many girls take Chanel brand bags, sprinkle Chanel perfume, or wear Chanel clothing, if they know:
Women may be criticized because of the concept, but can not give up the effort for independence and freedom, then it is also a heritage of the spirit of Chanel, do not have to be married and have children and regret it!
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