The film “Coco Chanel Prequel”, based on the story of Coco Chanel’s youth, focuses on the love between young Coco and Bowie Capel, creating the image of infatuated Prince Charming Boi Capel, played by Barbara Bobulova, Coco is witty, charming and independent. In the film, Capel fell in love with Coco when he first met Coco at the home of Coco’s boyfriend Basan, who thought that Basan would marry Coco, So I choose to leave in a dark mood. But when Coco left Bassanne for Paris, Capel came all the way back, and from then on, she paid for Coco to make contacts and escort her hat business. With the strong support of Capel, Chanel has gradually gained a foothold in the fashion industry. Although Capel has a deep affection for Coco, after the end of the First World War, her interest shifted from business to politics, and she married a friend’s widow with a good family. For love, Chanel has a different natural and unrestrained attitude, and she chose to quit, but still said that Capel is her “love of life”.
If Coco Chanel’s life in the film is as beautiful as a fairy tale, in reality, Coco Chanel grew up in a monastery, but took the first place in the fashion circle of Paris in the 20th century, relying on more than just good luck. Throughout Coco Chanel’s life, there are several very important factors that make her become the counterattack queen of the fashion industry — resilience, vision and opportunities of the times.
toughness
As for Chanel’s childhood and teenage years, Chanel herself has three versions, and it is said that she described each version quite “poetic”. The film chooses a version that is more widely accepted. Chanel’s mother and father never married. When her mother died, Chanel was only 12 years old. Her father was a wandering businessman. His father sent Chanel and her sister to the monastery and then disappeared. In the serious and cold monastery, Chanel lived until she was 18 years old and learned sewing skills.
No father, no mother, no love. Chanel, who grew up in the harsh environment of the monastery, has a strong desire to survive. She knows she is completely helpless in this world. Without reinforcements, there was no way out. She had to live — only on her own, only herself could save herself. With such perseverance, in the face of setbacks and oppression in her future life, this tenacity will continue to add energy to her later success.
Horizon
For most women, the shortcut to change their fate is nothing more than to marry a rich man, marry a husband and teach children, and have no worries about food and clothing. If you are lucky, you can have a few good children who are worthy of fame. The mother and son are expensive, and you can also realize the great reshuffle of life.
Chanel used to think the same way. After leaving the monastery, she worked as a female worker in a clothing store during the day and sang in the coffee shop at night. Sure enough, she met the playboy Bassan and became his lover as she wished. Young Chanel’s idea is very simple. As long as she firmly holds on to Basang, she can turn a pheasant into a phoenix.
Although beauty is a weapon, there are too many women with beauty. But when it comes to rich playboys, the weapon of beauty often fails. In addition to beauty, we also need some dexterity and intelligence to deal with those new and old lovers who dare to invade. Compared with some beautiful women who can only paint, Chanel has a lot of fantastic ideas. Her clothes and hats are very popular among Bassan’s friends, which can naturally enhance the relationship with Bassan.
Basan and Chanel have been together for almost ten years, and have a lot of love for Chanel. But the only thing Basan can’t give to Chanel is marriage, because his mother won’t accept an orphan daughter from a poor family as her daughter-in-law. When Chanel recognizes the reality, she is over half young, almost 30 years old.
A woman’s youth is a consumable, and time waits for no one. After 30, there is a threshold. Either change, or die. A woman who believes in her life can hold on to a man without merit and hard work. If a man has a conscience, even if he is not finally recognized, he can still have a meal. Some women choose to wander among men in the hope of finding someone who is willing to accept themselves, but the most terrible thing is to lose sesame seeds and watermelon, and end up from lover to lover. Finally, it is not worth the end of old age. Maybe they hide in remote alleys after middle age, just like Wang Qiyao in Wang Anyi’s works who spend the rest of her life relying on memories.
After recognizing the reality, Chanel, 30, began to think about her future. She needed a more secure and stable future than marriage – to go out and find a place to live in this world. Relying on men is just to hope that they can bring them food and clothing, but the really smart women know that the better gift than food and clothing is vision. A woman who has the ability to make money is like having a backbone. Later, Chanel talked about Basan and never complained. On the contrary, she always thanked Basan for opening her eyes and seeing a new world.
Chanel took a brave step after leaving Bassanne. She went to Paris to open a hat shop alone, and then allied with fashion.
Opportunities of the times
Chanel lived in an era of great changes in the world. Chanel’s vision and pattern gave her the courage to break the inherent customs and classes and dare to innovate. Her success is largely due to her good use of resources and compliance with the changes of the times. After the outbreak of the First World War, women’s demand for fashion and fashion has declined significantly. Men are on the battlefield, women need to work to support their families, and they have different needs for the style and material of clothing than in the past. Chanel is good at making all kinds of comfortable and simple clothes, light materials, convenient and simple styles, which liberates women from traditional complicated and stereotyped skirts.
Coco Chanel applies the elements of men’s clothing to women’s clothing. At this time, a large number of women move from family to society. They no longer like complex and uncomfortable skirts and want to wear comfortable and convenient clothes. Many women’s clothing of Chanel refer to the style of men’s clothing, such as pants, such as short suits. After the change of women’s status, they no longer regard pleasing men as their life goal. They have jobs and financial resources, With an independent personality and life, Chanel’s clothing has gradually occupied an important position in the French fashion industry in this era.
The rise of Hollywood requires Chanel to design clothes for stars, making Chanel brand more famous
Fashion passes, style remains. Fashion will pass, but style will last forever– Coco Chanel
Chanel has had countless love affairs and scandals in her life, but she never married. In her later years, she said in an interview that a woman who has no family is wasting her life. I don’t know how true this interview is. Pride like Chanel should break her teeth and swallow it in her stomach,
There is no family, no children, and the lonely old death in the hotel is Chanel’s fate, but it is coincidental that Eileen Chang also has the same bleak evening scene.
An important reason why women need a family is rooted in women’s motherhood. In addition to work and self, women improve themselves in the process of raising children. No one will discriminate against housewives. If she is a competent mother and wife, she provides a warm and warm rear area for the family.
The way of thinking of a person who can become a queen is not what ordinary women can understand. If you want to wear a crown, you must bear its weight. Chanel once joked that it is too humiliating to find a young man, and it is too annoying to find an old one.
She could not walk out of the queen’s personal setup, and could only fix herself on a high throne. After all, it is only a few people who can fight back and become queen. People record their footprints with legends. They are phoenix dancing on thorns, leaving a rare Sanskrit sound on earth.
Maybe she once envied those rich women who were born with golden keys, and envied that they could spend their lives simply and kindly, even if there was no reputation and legend of them in the world. There is very little absolute equality in the world. People have to face hierarchical differences from birth. Geography, wealth and gender can make people different from each other. People born in poverty want to climb to the top of the social class. Without resources, contacts and background, they need to pay more effort and energy than they can imagine.
Chanel may also have gone through unimaginable difficulties and tribulations before reaching the peak of the fashion industry, but we would rather believe that Coco Chanel, dressed in elegant and luxurious fashion, carried champagne in one hand and smoked cigarettes in the other hand, successfully completed the counterattack from the cold door to the queen. Whether you believe it or not, at least the Chanel brand would prefer to create such a character — she was born so, she should have been a fashion legend. We often say that history is a little girl who can be dressed up. The truth has different ways to use for different people, depending on whether you choose the fairy tale version or dig the truth.
