Mademoiselle Chanel's first commercial venture was a
milliners, opened in Paris in the year
1909. The fashionable ladies of the racecourse flocked to her little shop, as her hats were causing a sensation -- never before had fashion provided such elegant simplicity, which were worn in stark contrast to the "
tortes" and "
ridiculous bibis" being worn during this first decade of the twentieth century.
In the year 1913 Mme Chanel opened a dress shop in Deauville, (Normandy), where she designed, manufactured, and was celebrated for her first jersey tailored suits.
As her fame grew, she took the radical step of launching a perfume, Chanel No 5, the first ever scent designed by a couturier. In the 1920's she introduced her eternal classics, the little black dress, a perfectly elegant and versatile shift, and her now ubiquitous tweed suit.
Mme Chanel was a long-time supporter of the arts, and loved the ballet. Mme Chanel died peacefully, on a Sunday.
See also Karl Lagerfeld, who assumed the artistic directorship of the House of Chanel in 1984.
research materials include the French ministère des Affaires étrangères, and the nodist's aquired knowledge