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Coco Chanel was born Gabrielle Bonheur Chanel, although her surname was misspelled as Chasnel on her birth certificate.
Galliano lost his job as creative director of the House of Dior in 2011 after videos surfaced of him yelling anti-Semitic slurs. Despite this, he made a comeback and received glowing reviews for his show for Maison Margiela in early 2024.
Coco Chanel died in her suite at the Hotel Ritz on January 10, 1971. Her last words to her maid Celine were, "You see, this is how you die."
Sources: (BBC) (Britannica) (Business Insider)
See also: The world's most notorious spies
Chanel's collaboration may have tarnished her legacy, but she is still celebrated as one of the most influential designers of the 20th century. Even in more recent years, acclaimed designers are still making successful comebacks after outrageous scandals. John Galliano, whose career parallels Chanel's, is a perfect example.
Hal Vaughan, the author of 'Sleeping with the Enemy,' said Coco Chanel believed in putting herself first: "Chanel was, very simply put, an enormous opportunist who did what she had to do to get along."
Chanel's collection featured in the 1954 fashion show earned her place in history, ensuring her name would be remembered as a fashion icon.
In 1954, Chanel staged her first fashion show in 15 years, and the collection proved popular in the United States. By the end of the 50's, she debuted the iconic Chanel quilted purse with gold chains.
After the Nazi occupation ended in 1944, Chanel was arrested by French authorities. However, no charges were brought. Historians widely assume Prime Minister Winston Churchill, a longtime friend, intervened.
Chanel left for Switzerland to escape any retribution and stayed for nearly a decade. She continued her relationship with Hans Günther von Dincklage for years after the war and never faced any official consequences for her wartime activities.
In the early 1950s, Chanel began to consider a return to fashion. French fashion had undergone a major change, led by Christian Dior. He created the New Look, a style defined by ultrafeminine and highly sculptured clothing.
Hans Günther von Dincklage and his Nazi contacts were able to get Chanel's nephew, a member of the French army, released from a German prison camp.
Chanel was involved in Operation Modelhut, a scheme in which a Nazi general enlisted Chanel to travel to Madrid in the hopes of getting a message to her friend Winston Churchill, suggesting they negotiate an end to the war.
During her time at the Ritz Paris hotel, she began a romantic relationship with Baron Hans Günther von Dincklage, a German diplomat and Gestapo spy.
Chanel attempted to use the Nazi's Aryan laws preventing Jews from owning businesses to take control of her perfume company from her Jewish partners.
During the outbreak of World War II, Chanel was living at the Ritz Paris hotel, which became Nazi headquarters after Germany occupied France.
In 1921, with the help of Ernest Beaux, one of the most talented perfume creators in France, she developed her Chanel No. 5 perfume. Some say the name came from her choosing the fifth scent of the perfume, while others say it's because five was her lucky number.
Chanel's simple yet elegant designs offered influential, wealthy women a much-needed alternative to restrictive corsets, ultimately revolutionizing the fashion industry.
In 1926, Chanel introduced the little black dress. The color was commonly reserved for mourning or more formal attire, while Chanel's black dress was versatile and could transition from day to night with the right accessories.
Coco Chanel was born on August 19, 1883, in Saumur, France, to parents Eugénie Jeanne Devolle Chanel, a laundrywoman, and Albert Chanel, a street vendor.
Chanel had affairs with various wealthy men, notably Arthur Capel. With his financial assistance, she opened Chanel Modes, a small millinery shop in Paris, in 1910.
In 1912, Chanel established a boutique in Deauville, France. She sold sweaters made of jersey, an inexpensive fabric that she turned into practical but elegant designs.
Chanel lived in poverty with her family, which eventually included six children. After her mother died in 1895, Chanel was sent to a convent-run orphanage in Aubazine, France. It was there that she learned to sew.
In 1902, she became a seamstress and also worked as a café singer. While the origin of her nickname Coco isn't confirmed, some believe it is a reference to the songs she performed, such as “Ko Ko Ri Ko” (“Cock-a-doodle-doo”).
When Chanel turned 18, she moved to Moulins, where she attended school while living in a convent.
Coco Chanel was a French fashion designer famous for her elegantly casual designs that encouraged women to abandon the uncomfortable, complicated clothes that were prevalent in the early 20th century.
During Operation Modelhut, Chanel's code name was Westminster, a nod to her connections to Britain and her decade-long affair with the Duke of Westminster.
In 1949, Chanel was asked to appear before the war crime trial of Baron Louis de Vaufreland, a former associate who claimed that she had been involved in a Nazi operation. She denied the accusations.
Coco Chanel, born Gabrielle Bonheur Chanel, is one of the most famous fashion designers of all time. Historians ascribe the origins of the little black dress to Chanel and her unmistakable Chanel No. 5 perfume is reported to sell approximately 10 million bottles each year. While the designer revolutionized women's fashion, there's a scandalous side to her that's often overlooked: she was also an alleged Nazi sympathizer and informer.
Want to know more? Click through this gallery now to learn about Coco Chanel's controversial past.
Was Coco Chanel a spy?
Did the famous fashion designer rub shoulders with Nazis?
LIFESTYLE Controversy
Coco Chanel, born Gabrielle Bonheur Chanel, is one of the most famous fashion designers of all time. Historians ascribe the origins of the little black dress to Chanel and her unmistakable Chanel No. 5 perfume is reported to sell approximately 10 million bottles each year. While the designer revolutionized women's fashion, there's a scandalous side to her that's often overlooked: she was also an alleged Nazi sympathizer and informer.
Want to know more? Click through this gallery now to learn about Coco Chanel's controversial past.