Essential questions: asked and answered.

How do we define the personality traits of a hero? The personality traits required of a hero vary from person to person based on our personal values. For me, determination, courage, creativity, integrity, intelligence, … which are all traits that Gabrielle “coco” Chanel possesses.

How did her childhood define her? When she was 12 years old her mother died of TB and her father sent her to live in a convent for orphans where she learned to sew (Coco Chanel- Wikipedia). When she turned 18 she went to live in a boarding house in Moulins, France where she learned the trade of a seamstress (“coco chanel- biography on bio). Throughout her childhood she found comfort in her talent as a seamstress.

How did she work her way up to the top? Coco Chanel always had the qualities that made her great, but unable to “find herself” she moved to Moulins, France to be a cabaret singer where she met Etienne Balsan, a rich Frenchman and textile heir and became his mistress. He lavished her with the perks of the rich life. It was while living with him Chanel began designing hats and opened her first shop selling them. Coco Chanel: the legend and the life by biographer Justine Picardie suggests that Chanel’s nephew, Andre Palasse, supposedly the only child of her sister Julia Berthe, was actually the result of their affair (wiki).

How was society effected by her? (how did chanel influence the 20 th century?) Women traded in their tight, uncomfortable corsets for her relaxed fashions, and short skirts. Often inspired by men’s fashions.

How did public opinion effect her career? During world war II she had an affair with a nazi officer, Winston Churchill, and supposedly helped him though she was never prosecuted. When returning home she allegedly said “Churchill had me freed.” In 1945, when facing public scrutiny, she retreated to Switzerland. In 1954 she came back to Paris to defend herself against testimony given against her. She returned to the world of fashion that same year, and reopened all of her shops.

How was my hero affected by her time period? At the beginning of world war II she closed down her shops claiming that it was no time for fashion.

In her culture, how was her ideas recognized and rewarded? Women welcomed her relaxed fashions being as they were way more comfortable that the tight corsets that they were accustomed to prior.

Why was she considered heroic? Chanel is often considered heroic because of how she used her influence in the fashion world to show women how to freely express themselves. She once said “

Why is she considered immortal? (conclusion) Even after her death the CHANEL lable still runs strong. Karl Lagerfeild joined CHANEL in 1983 and with him her name lives on in the spotlight. (Coco Chanel - Biography on Bio..).