"He was more than handsome, he was magnificent." – Coco Chanel about Boy Capel. In southern France lies the city of Pau, which was a favorite stomping ground for the horse racing set in the early 20th Century, and it was in Pau that Coco first met Arthur "Boy" Capel in 1912. His thick, black hair and mustache were much like her father's, and his penetrating eyes and chiseled profile resembled Clark Gable. This charismatic man had made a fortune in shipping and coal, and had built up a long list of lovers to rival that of Etienne Balsan. Coco Chanel quickly added her name to this list, and the threesome very often went out together as the men vied for her affections. But unlike Balsan, Capel took an interest in Coco and her personal desire to create fashion. He moved her to his apartment in Paris where they lived, and he convinced Balsan to loan her his Parisian flat near the fashionable Boulevard Malesherbes to use as her atelier. She mused later in life, "I was able to start a high fashion shop because two gentlemen were outbidding each other over my hot little body." Chanel and Capel did not go out much in Paris, since she lacked the manners and refinement of the high end social set. Yet she made quite a stir at the racetrack in her sparse hats and distinctive dresses. She may not have been given a second thought had she not been on the arms of the wealthy and attractive Capel. Women started to gossip about her, and then went to her atelier to learn more from the source herself. At first she was timid and reluctant to speak to them, but then she realized this to be a tremendous opportunity for sales. She scrutinized their ornate hats and proffered a new, sleeker chapeau while commenting, "How can the brain function in those things?" She gained further notoriety when the famous French artist, Sem, depicted Boy Capel as a Centaur in polo gear embracing Chanel who held a hat box bearing the name Coco. Sem later used her as an example of elegance in his illustrated book on fashion "Le Vrai et le Faux Chic". In 1913, the new periodical Femina featured an illustration of Coco in her atelier showing new hats to clients. With more frequency the paparazzi shot famous actresses and opera stars in her creations. She was able to earn enough money to move out of Balsan's flat and into her own space on the first floor of the Rue Cambon. Capel then gave her financial backing to open a second shop in Dauville, a popular vacation spot for the racing and gaming crowd on the English Channel. She repeatedly appeared in gossip columns and social sheets of newspapers, as the fashion designer courtesan to Boy Capel, and the free press helped solidify her popularity with fashionable ladies in both English and French society who visited her shop in Dauville.
This color coordinated collection of fashion fabrics was first featured in our Vogue Fabrics By Mail Early Spring 2011 catalog of swatches. Subscribe to receive home delivery of these catalogs every other month.
This color coordinated collection of fashion fabrics was first featured in our Vogue Fabrics By Mail Early Spring 2011 catalog of swatches. Subscribe to receive home delivery of these catalogs every other month.
