Gabrielle Bonheur Chanel was born on August 19, 1883 to Albert Chanel and Jeanne Devolle, a stallholder and washerwoman at the time of her birth. Gabrielle was the second daughter born to the Chanels. He had five siblings, his two sisters Julie and Antoinette and his 3 brothers Alphonse, Lucien and Augustin. “Chanel rarely spoke about the circumstances of her birth, but occasionally mentioned a train journey her mother had taken shortly before, in search of the elusive Albert.” (Picardy 15). Chanel claimed that her mother was dressed so that no one could determine whether her mother was pregnant or not. When the passengers realized that she was pregnant, they took her to their home and sent for a doctor. When the doctor arrived, they took Devolle to the hospital where Chanel was later born. At her birth she was baptized and given the name Gabrielle Bonheur. The name was given to her by a nun who worked in the hospital and also became its godmother. At the age of 5 Chanel's mother became ill and she and her sisters were taken to her uncle's house to stay. Chanel explained to too many people that her mother died of tuberculosis, but Devolle actually died of poverty, pregnancy and pneumonia. Chanel was placed in a Roman Catholic orphanage by her father who later left the family. She was raised by nuns who taught her to sew and would later lead her to her life's work. There was no future; for a poor girl who grew up in an orphanage, but her dream came true at an early age. She began working with her sister in a milliner's shop in Deauville. Throughout her glamorous and luxurious life she never mentioned to the world her upbringing and the trials life brought her. He repeatedly erased all sad traces of...... half of the paper ...... of the spring collection. She died on Sunday, January 10, at the Ritz Hotel where she had resided for more than thirty years. That afternoon she had taken a long drive and, feeling unwell, had gone to bed early. Today his elegance and confidence still live in his collections. Its elegance continues in Paris as well as in the United States. Chanel's style will forever be celebrated around the world; she was a fashion icon, lady of luxury and goddess of fashion.Works CitedNotes1. Justine Picardie, “CoCo Chanel: the legend and the life” (2010)2. Karen Karbo, “The Gospel according to Coco Chanel” (2009)3. A&E Television Networks (2008)4. Pierre Galante “Les Annees Chanel” (1972)5. Interview with Samuel Goldwyn in the New York Times (1932)6. Interview with Samuel Goldwyn in Colliers magazine (1931)7. Life magazine (1954)