The Inspiring Coco Chanel Story

I. Please read the passage after the speaker. 

1.Coco Chanel is known as one of the most influential designers of the 20th century. ①Not only was she a revolutionary designer that wrote her own rules and changed the way that women dressed worldwide, but also a pioneer in the world of perfumery.

2.Born in poverty on August 19, 1883, she was sent to an orphanage and raised by nuns after her mother died. It was during that period of time that she learned to make clothes, a skill that would serve her well later in life.

3.When she was 18, she moved to a boarding house and made clothes to earn a living, although she was still very poor. She first began as a hat designer and sold her designs at several well-known shops around Paris.In 1913, she opened her very first boutique in the town of Deauville, France. She employed her female family members to model her clothing on the street so she could advertise her designs to shoppers in the area. After opening another small yet successful boutique in southern France, she took her talents to Paris and opened her famous flagship storefront at 31 rue Cambon in 1918, which remains a Chanel boutique to this very day.

4.②Smart and unsentimental, Chanel made the most of her hardship, gathering her experiences like fabrics for future designs. ③And everything she encountered among the very poor became material for the fashions she’d later design for the very rich. She put women into men’s jersey sweaters, created a simple dress based on a sailor’s clothes, and used in her designs a digger’s scarf, a mechanic’s blouse, a waitress’ white collar, popularized trousers, backless shoes, and cotton dresses. The very simplicity of design and use of ordinary fabrics were charm of her fashions, for they can be easily copied and cheaply mass-produced. Chanel herself said, “Some people think luxury is the contrary of being poor. No, it is the contrary of vulgarity.”

5.Coco Chanel’s success in the fashion industry did not happen overnight. It took years and years of designs and failed attempts to truly put her on the map. Her amazing achievements were once again recognized in 1999 when Time magazine released a list of the 100 most influential people of the 20th century. Chanel made the list, and she was the only fashion designer to do so. ④Her legacy is a reminder that breaking the mold, questioning social norms, and being true to your signature sense of style are the most fashionable things a woman can do.

II. Text analysis 

Test analysis

①Not only was she a revolutionary designer that wrote her own rules and changed the way that women dressed worldwide, but also a pioneer in the world of perfumery.

译文：她不仅是一位具有创新精神的设计师，制定了自己的规则，改变了全世界女性的着装方式，而且还是香水业的先驱。

②Smart and unsentimental, Chanel made the most of her hardship, gathering her experiences like fabrics for future designs.

译文：聪明而冷静的香奈儿从苦难中汲取力量，一点一滴地为未来的设计积累经验。

③And everything she encountered among the very poor became material for the fashions she’d later design for the very rich.

译文：她在穷人中偶遇的一切都成为她后来为富人设计时装的素材。

④Her legacy is a reminder that breaking the mold, questioning social norms, and being true to your signature sense of style are the most fashionable things a woman can do.

译文：她留下的成果提醒人们，打破常规，质疑社会规范以及忠于自己对风格的独特感知是一个女人所能做的最时尚的事情。

III. Test 

1.Coco Chanel is known as one of the most influential designers of the 20th century. Not only was she a revolutionary designer that wrote her own rules and changed the way that women dressed worldwide, but also a pioneer in the world of perfumery.

2.Born in poverty on August 19, 1883, she was sent to an orphanage and raised by nuns after her mother died. It was during that period of time that she learned to make clothes, a skill that would serve her well later in life.

3.When she was 18, she moved to a boarding house and made clothes to earn a living, although she was still very poor. She first began as a hat designer and sold her designs at several well-known shops around Paris.In 1913, she opened her very first boutique in the town of Deauville, France. She employed her female family members to model her clothing on the street so she could advertise her designs to shoppers in the area. After opening another small yet successful boutique in southern France, she took her talents to Paris and opened her famous flagship storefront at 31 rue Cambon in 1918, which remains a Chanel boutique to this very day.

4. Smart and unsentimental, Chanel made the most of her hardship, gathering her experiences like fabrics for future designs. And everything she encountered among the very poor became material for the fashions she’d later design for the very rich. She put women into men’s jersey sweaters, created a simple dress based on a sailor’s clothes, and used in her designs a digger’s scarf, a mechanic’s blouse, a waitress’ white collar, popularized trousers, backless shoes, and cotton dresses. The very simplicity of design and use of ordinary fabrics were charm of her fashions, for they can be easily copied and cheaply mass-produced. Chanel herself said, “Some people think luxury is the contrary of being poor. No, it is the contrary of vulgarity.”

5. Coco Chanel’s success in the fashion industry did not happen overnight. It took years and years of designs and failed attempts to truly put her on the map. Her amazing achievements were once again recognized in 1999 when Time magazine released a list of the 100 most influential people of the 20th century. Chanel made the list, and she was the only fashion designer to do so. Her legacy is a reminder that breaking the mold, questioning social norms, and being true to your signature sense of style are the most fashionable things a woman can do.