I decided to read “Coco Chanel, an Intimate Life” by Lisa Chaney.
What surprised me most was just exactly how far ahead of her time Chanel was, she was so much more than just a women’s fashion designer. She lived beyond the present day boundaries and provided groundbreaking styles to accompany it.
I admire how independent she was. She played by her own rules and didn't let anyone dictate what she was going to do with her life. She was originally born into poverty, where shortly after her mother died and her father put her up for adoption, yet despite her background, she grew an amazing life for herself and became an icon. I also love that she never married, smashing the traditional gender role.
It’s not particularly that I don't admire it, however, I wouldn't emulate her suspected drug use. Everyone struggles with their own vices and that is one I wouldn't enjoy playing a part of my life.
Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel dealt with much adversity in her life. Originally being born into poverty as an orphan is a huge struggle for anyone, yet she built herself an unbelievable life from scratch. Also, breaking into the fashion industry as an unmarried woman from poverty is absolutely unheard of.
She absolutely exhibited tenacity and determination, with a glamorous and effortless sense about her. She wanted something so she went and got it with almost a “fake-it-till-you-make-it” attitude. She changed the game of women's fashion and made it look easy.
I think her involvement with WWII and the Nazis was a little confusing to me. I left that area of the book without getting a real sense of what exactly happened. However, I do understand why this is most likely the case due to the fact her involvement was secretive.
I would ask her “If you could go back in time and change anything, would you?” I would ask this because I think the best learning is done by learning from mistakes and failures. By pointing out where she went wrong I could learn what not to do in the future. I would also ask her if she could give my sister a raise, because my sister works so hard for the Chanel brand and I want the best for her!
I think she would value hard work, however, place much more importance and concentration on working smart. Hard work is something to be appreciated but if you’re not working smart it's almost wasted. I agree with this opinion very much.
Hi Samantha,
ReplyDeleteWhile I did not read Coco Chanel's story, your explanation/ summary of the book made me feel as if though i did! You did a good job summarizing the main points of the novel and expanding on some of the topics such as her taking drugs as a coping mechanism. I think people idolize famous stylists, celebrities, etc. so much to the point where we forget that they are human and that they success did not come over night.