Assignment 27A- Reading Reflection No. 3

Assignment 27A- Reading Reflection No. 3

Biography: Coco Chanel, Lisa Chaney

           

After reading about Coco Chanel I was surprised to learn that she came from poverty. As such an iconic and prominent fashion designer and trend setter in the 20^th century, I would’ve thought that she had connections in the industry or came from an affluent family. However, as the book alludes to, her humble beginnings is probably why so many people were able to relate with her and connect with her style. I was also surprised to learn about her many affairs with prominent figures of the time, as well as with a possible German spy. I liked how Chanel pushed boundaries and didn’t let preconceived notions about how women should dress stop her from innovating and creating new styles. In addition, I admired how Chanel pushed for progression of women through her clothing. Although Chanel experienced backlash for designing clothes that were considered not appropriate for women at the time, she stuck with her convictions and didn’t let conservatives stop her from creating. Instead, through this adversity she continued to push for progression and even rebelled against typical standards. Similar to how she overcame poverty, Chanel was able to escape from convention through her passion.

Throughout the book some competencies Chanel exhibited were resilience, hard work and networking. Chanel was conscious of her humble background, coming from an orphanage and working as a seamstress. Whenever she would face struggles later in her life and as she started expanded her business, she would rely on how she overcame hard times in the past to help her get through these struggles. The resilience she showed proved to be key as she became a cultural and fashion icon in Paris and throughout Europe. Another aspect that really helped Chanel was how she networked with prominent men of her time to achieve status and connections to help her grow her business. Whether she took them as lovers or friends, many of them Arthur Capel helped her to launch her “little business.” One part of the reading that confused me was the rumor that she potentially had a German Nazi spy as a lover late in her life. I don’t know if this was a fact or something that was circulated to discredit her and her work. From the reading, I gathered that there were many people who weren’t a fan of Chanel’s progressive attitude, so I can see why they would start this rumor. If I could ask Chanel two questions it would be how did your early life impact your designs and ideals in fashion later on? I would also be curious to know how her business was able to grow during a time when the world faced two world wars. From everything I know about Chanel through her biography, I definitely think Chanel viewed hard work was a tool to exploit. I agree with this because although many people big dreams, not everyone puts in the blood, sweat and tears required to make it a reality. Even with people that work hard, they are often required to go above and beyond to achieve their dreams.