13A- Reading Reflection

Coco Chanel 

Lisa Chaney

1.     I was surprised by Coco Chanel’s boldness in her fashion designs during the 20^th century. She introduced a more progressive style and influenced women to feel more liberating in the clothes they wore. Chanel’s rebellious approach contributed to the idea that women were more than just housewives and were just as capable as men to be assimilated into a working society.

I really admired Coco Chanel’s fearlessness in introducing fashion as a unique empowerment for women and men. She defied the generally accepted clothing of the 20^th century by making designs that were wearable for both genders. During that time, women were expected to look pretty and delicate while men were intended to appear to be masculine and strong. However, Chanel wanted to change this fashion concept in society by creating designs that would highlight the elegance and powerfulness of women.

The thing I least admired about the famed designer was the fact that she had an alliance with the Nazi party during World War II and used that for her own personal benefit. During the war, she was the lover of a Nazi officer and would even travel around Europe to recruit agents for the German army. She had a very comfortable life living in the Ritz Hotel of Paris because she was well taken care of by her German officer.

Since a very young age, Coco Chanel faced adversity when her mother died and she was put into an orphanage. While she was living in the orphanage, the nuns taught her how to sew which contributed a lot to her success in her career. Her unfortunate circumstance motivated her to become an influential designer.

2.     Coco Chanel’s competencies were mainly figures of royalty such as duchesses and princesses. She wanted to exchange their dainty dresses for more powerful and sophisticated looks through trench coats and her infamous “little black dresses”.

3.     A part of the reading that I found to be confusing was her decision to fall in love with a German officer and help the enemy even though she was a Frenchwoman. I understand she cannot really control who she loves but siding with the Nazi party seemed as if she were defying her country. It was not her duty or business to recruit agents for the Third Reich army. She may or may not have truly loved him, but I think she did it more to live a high society lifestyle.

4.     Two questions I would ask Coco Chanel are: When did you realize you had a passion for fashion and were you ever worried about the reaction you would receive from the fashion industry for being more progressive and rebellious in your work?

5.     I think Coco Chanel’s opinion of hard work is to not let your circumstance hinder your drive in achieving your passion in life. She wasn’t afraid of being more rebellious with her designs or allow others to discourage her from creating something different. She continued to work hard because she loved what she was doing and wanted to bring progressive change to the fashion industry.

I share this opinion because I have gone through moments where I doubted myself but I continued to push through because I still loved what I was doing and did not let that fear overcome my hard work. It is important for one to have faith and passion in the anything that they do because there will be no true purpose for them to continue what they are doing.