The other day someone mentioned to me how funny it seemed to them how we can look at words and see places rather than definitions. The way we talk about eating at Friendly's, and think of ice cream rather than a friendly person. Or how we talk about going to "Fats" and think of a bar rather than anything to do with weight.
This is how I saw Chanel. I saw Coco Chanel as the letter 'C' on my handbag. I saw Coco Chanel as the No.5 perfume so often adorned in high fashion. Truthfully, I didn't even know Chanel was the name of the person behind the designs. It was "Chanel." That simply meant chic to me.
And so I read of Gabrielle (Coco) Chanel, and boy, could I have been wrong about her. Not only did she create an empire that reigns 100 years later, but she did it coming from nothing. Her father was a wretched man who abandoned her family as often as he could, and finally (from what Chaney believes) for good once they left to Aubazine, a commune for girls who were orphaned or could not afford to be cared for by family. According to Chaney, this fact resonated deep within Gabrielle, and caused a lot of her need to hide her past and drown her appearance in pride.
What shocked me the most about this woman, however, was the person she was before the fame. Coming from nothing was common in those days, and people generally stayed in their social class of which they were born. It shouldn't have shocked me that leaving Aubazine, Gabrielle worked lowly positions, often taking on a part time job as a prostitute of some sort. I say some sort because in that time there were various levels of prostitutes, ranging mostly in the level of respectability. And by the time Gabrielle was a young woman, she herself briefly aspired to be a courtesan, the most respectable prostitute title of all. Still, however, these occasional lovers she held did not hold a ring to the fire that burned inside of her to be powerful. And so although I was shocked at who she was, I admire it the most as well. She would be nothing today without her lowest lows to shape it. Instead of allowing those to bring her down, she used it as inspiration to rise even higher than anyone in her family before her. I also admired so much how as soon as she believed she would do something, she would set out and do it to the fullest, whether it be the most adorned prostitute, the most famous singer/performer, the best female horseback-rider or the most famous designer, she took it all the way.
Although I did admire so much about her, I least admired how she handled herself around men. It seemed that for a while, she either used them or allowed them to use her. For years she just lived with a man, unmarried and allowed for him to spoil her with riches while she accomplished almost nothing. She also allowed him to tell her she could not do so.
However, she did learn from those least admirable traits.
Coco's competencies were unlike many women I've ever encountered. She was very observant and rather quiet, but she knew the right moments to speak loud and be heard. This was especially important while she dated Arthur, because his lifestyle made women less dominant when the couple was not married. Her other greatest competency was her pride. She never allowed Arthur or any many to pay for anything without accomplishing exactly what she set out to do. When she found out a man was paying for most of her endeavors, she was furious, and paid him back. That is very noteworthy and respectable, especially in a time where promises are taken by their word.
What confused me in the plot was more of Gabrielle's personal life. Chaney describes Gabrielle's living situation for a while as almost child-like. She was fed, taken care of, and barely taught. However, she seemed to galavant around and eventually left her caretaker for his best friend, and it seemed just fine. I'm sure there was more to the story, but it was not explained very well.
I would ask Gabrielle, "What was the greatest thing you ever learned that inspired you to always find success in each endeavor?" and I would also ask, "How do you overcome your greatest fear?" Mainly because it seems as if she never had any. I have a fear of failure, and I wonder if her fear was the same.
I believe that Gabrielle saw hard work as necessary. It didn't seem like she chose between work and life, it seems that her life was her work. She always found a way to take something and turn it into something desirable and trendy. She also turned her daily life into her work designs. For instance, she loved to wear manly clothes that were flattering enough to fit her in a feminine way but still be accessible to wear on a horse. Women loved it! It's exceptional, the things she saw while looking at something else.
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