13A – Reading Reflection No. 1

Coco Chanel, Lisa Chaney

1. What surprised me most while reading this book was that Mrs. Chanel's designs became a muse to the century's most well-known artists, such as Picasso, Dalí, and Stravinsky. The thing about Gabrielle Chanel that I most admired was that she was the twentieth century's most influential designer. As a woman, especially back in the day, we did not have it easy. So to see what her brand has become today is impressive. The thing I least admired was about this entrepreneur is that after the economic depression in the 1930s, she closed up shop and didn't return till the age of 70. Gabrielle Chanel encountered adversity as Chaney's book reveals controversial truths about Chanel's drug habits, her lesbian affairs, and her German lover during World War II. Including such failures throughout the fashion world critics. And the negative impact the worldwide economic depression's influence on her company.

2. The competencies I noticed that this entrepreneur exhibited courage and artist ability to create her now-legendary fashion line that paved the way for the fashion world. She created designs that portray a rebellious and progressive style.

3. One part of the reading that confused me was that after the war, she left Paris to go to Switzerland, where she lived in exile and never returned to the fashion world until the 1950s.

4. I would ask the questions:
          a. What were you doing after the war, when you moved to Paris?
          b. What made you at the age of 70, want to return to the fashion world?

5. I think this entrepreneur's opinion of hard work was all about dedication. As a woman, you must have a real passion for making it into the business world. Especially in the period that Mrs. Chanel lived in. I do agree that dedication is an essential and crucial necessity of hard work.

Comments

  1. Victoria MayFebruary 25, 2020 at 2:22 PM

    Savannah,
    Great job on this post! I was wanting to read this book, but they did not have it available at the library near me. I am glad I was able to read your summary! I had no idea her designs were so influential among artists or that she stopped working in fashion for such a long time. I chose to read the book Shoe Dog which is all about the creator of Nike, Phil Knight. Both Chanel and Knight were dedicated to the work they did - and went on to change the world.
    Sincerely,
    Victoria May

    ReplyDelete
  2. Speck's BlogFebruary 27, 2020 at 5:11 PM

    Hello Savannah,

    I really love the layout of your blog it is really cute and I can tell you put a lot of hard work into making it look so nice. I found the book you chose to do a reflection on very interesting, I'm not very familiar with designer name brand history. I think you did a really nice job of adding questions into your post also I am too curious to see why he decided to get back into the fashion game. Overall I think you did a really great job on the post keep it up look forward to reading more of your post!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Adam HusseinMarch 8, 2020 at 8:38 PM

    Hello, great post! I did not know all these things about Gabrielle Chanel. More so, I did not know that she left and returned to the fashion world at the age of 70, I had just assumed that she entered the fashion world and remained in it until she retired. Also, I found it very interesting that she was involved in all these controversies, you do not hear about them. Overall, great and very interesting post!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Katherine DalberthMarch 9, 2020 at 6:52 AM

    Hi Savannah,

    Wow, I am very into fashion yet did not know that Chanel had such a background! It is truly inspiring that she was able to work through so many difficult times to be able to build such a successful, timeless brand. I agree with you that dedication is extremely important in building a successful brand and/or company. Without it, I highly doubt Chanel would have turned out the way it did!

    ReplyDelete

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