13A- Reading Reflection No. 1
For my reading I chose Coco Chanel by Lisa Chaney. The thing that surprised me most about Coco Chanel was that she was raised by nuns. The nuns are the ones that thought her to sew which lead to her career as a fashion designer. What shocks me about this is that Coco’s designs were revolutionary because she was making clothes for women that were powerful and sexy and had elements of men’s style in them. I would have thought being raised by nuns Coco would have designed things more reserved and modest.
The thing I most admire about Coco Chanel was the fact she gave women the power to walk away from corsets and other uncomfortable things and she pushed comfort. I could not imagine having to wear a corset everyday of my life, so for that I thank Coco Chanel.
The thing I least admire about Coco Chanel was her relationship with Nazi military officer, Hans Gunther von Dincklage. While her relationship is still up in the air from her part in World War II and her personal views on the war a lot of people view her relationship as a betrayal to her country.
Coco Chanel did encounter failure in her life and her early life was very rough. At the age of 12 Coco’s mother died and her father put her in an orphanage where she would be raised by nuns. From there Coco worked as a singer in clubs but it didn’t go far and that’s when she started designing.
A competency that I noticed about Chanel was her confidence. Without her confidence she wouldn’t have become the iconic Chanel. She believed in herself and her designs and what she thought was right and put all of it out there. I think if you are starting your own business you have to trust yourself and believe that you are on the right path.
One part of the reading that was confusing to me was all the names of places and people who I didn’t know. I had to look up where these places where to understand the story.
If I could ask two things to Coco Chanel it would be: How did you mentally prepare yourself to be on your own? I would ask her this because as a young adult it is hard to find the confidence to do something all on my own. Second, I would ask her if she could do anything different why? I am also interested in learning from others mistakes and my mistakes.
I think Coco’s opinion on hard work would have been work smarter not harder. I think Chanel as a person and a brand is about luxury and simplicity. She created a legacy off of a simple black dress. I share this opinion with her. I think there is a lot of people who choose the hard road when the easy road is there you just have to look at it differently.
Olivia,
ReplyDeleteI found your blog about Coco Chanel interesting. While I do not use Chanel clothing and am quit uninformed about the company, I find it ironic that a woman who was raised by nuns became a fashion designer. I am very surprised to hear that she was in a relationship with a Nazi military officer. I would think that would put a damper on her profitability and promote bad publicity. Overall, I found your post very informative and I am glad you enjoyed your reading.
Olivia,
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading your post about Coco Chanel and found her story to be interesting from what you described. Having a rough childhood really pushed her into her business, ironic as it was being raised by nuns. I was surprised about her relationship with Nazi military officer as well. I liked your idea of working smarter, not harder, this is something that so many people don't realize and would make things easier for them.
Olivia,
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed reading your blog post. By what you mentioned, this reading seems very interesting and great. I obviously known about Coco Chanel but I am not very familiar with her background, youth, or how she came to be. It was very shocking to hear that her mother passed away when she was only 12 and that her father put her in an orphanage. I also did not know that she tried out singing before designing. Very interesting and thank you for informing me.