Thursday, January 28, 2010

Chanel as Inspiration

I got a copy of The Gospel According to Coco Chanel this last Christmas. It's a cute biography of Coco Chanel, packaged up as a style guide. (You can read exerpts of it at Deep Glamour - parts 1, 2, and 3.)

I'm not so sure about the style lessons, but I found it completely inspiring vis a vis running my own business. It's taken me forever to figure out why, but as I was re-reading it today it finally struck me: Her sheer determination and workaholism are inspiring. She came from less than nothing and was on her way to being a kept woman when she decided to open a hat shop (which grew and later became her fashion house). Chanel had a clear vision about what she should wear - slightly underdressed and easy to move in clothing with lots of accessories - and what, therefore, everyone else would like. She stuck to that style her whole life, worked incredibly hard, had a few lucky breaks, and was ultimately incredibly successful.

I can only strive to be so hardworking, determined, and lucky.

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