When Coco Chanel met the love of her life
You don’t need to be a dedicated follower of fashion to know who Coco Chanel was or the industry circles she moved in.
She became an icon in the early to mid-1920s and during this time she founded the luxury fashion brand, Chanel. Her signature scent, Chanel No. 5, became an iconic product which helped her to design the famed interlocked-CC monogram for her brand.
Born in 1883, Gabrielle Bonheur Chanel lived until the outstanding age of 87. During her extraordinary life as a fashion designer and businesswoman she managed to build several relationships, but she took a particular fancy to the well-known Arthur “Boy” Capel.
How Coco met the “love of her life”
They initially met in 1908 and Arthur, who was an English aristocrat, could be given the credit for helping Chanel to venture into the world of clothing. By 1909, Chanel apparently started her affair with Arthur who was a friend of her current partner, Etienne Balsan. With his support, she was able to open boutiques in Deauville and Biarritz in 1913 and 1915 respectively. While he might have initially bankrolled her venture, she was then able to repay him his initial investment.
He became really important in her life and could be considered one of the key people who were instrumental in her raging success. It is believed that her affair with Arthur also prompted her to create many of her iconic designs, which include the CC logo and the design of her No. 5 perfume bottle. He also influenced her choice of unique fabrics. Essentially, he could be given credit for helping Coco to get her fashion empire off the ground, turning it into the success it is today.
Despite Capel never being faithful to Chanel, their relationship lasted nine years. Even after Capel married, he still continued his affair with Chanel until his death in late 1919.
What happened next?
Once Arthur Capel passed away, Coco Chanel focused on her work, although love and romance was never far away. She never truly settled down, preferring to keep her options open. Never short of lovers, she got together with Igor Stravinsky, a Russian composer; Salvador Dali, a Spanish Painter; and Dimitri Pavlovich who was a Russian Grand Duke. It was the latter who actually helped her to create her signature scent, Chanel No. 5.
Controversy seemed to follow her: Coco also got together with Hans Gunther von Dincklage. After meeting during the Second World War, when it looked as though Germany was about to rise to victory; Von Dincklage was part of the occupying Nazi forces and integral to the German High Command. When events turned against Germany and von Dincklage returned home, Chanel famously made the move of offering free perfume to every American G.I.
Life has a habit of bringing people together but if you are looking to hold a meeting in a comfortable setting then why not hire a room and ensure that your meeting takes place in a professional environment?
