Coco Chanel: The Legendary Entrepreneur

原文链接: https://executive-women.com/2014/04/coco-chanel-the-legendary-entrepreneur/ 昨天欢乐颂2开播了,五美里你最喜欢谁呢? 大乐乐最喜欢安迪,因为她有点像COCO CHANEL。 独立,有主见,但是又很有女人味。有时候会脆弱,但是关键时刻从来知道自己想要什么。 今天大乐乐就带大家读一篇关于Coco的博客文章。
“In order to be irreplaceable one must always be different.”
要想不被取代,就要随时与众不同。
irreplaceable [,iri'pleisəbl] adj.不可替代的
【1】Between creativity and classical style, Coco set herself as a fashion myth. As she created “Chanel,” Coco also created the woman of the twentieth century , up-to-the minute(时髦的), liberated(自由的), and elegant(优雅的) at the same time. An à la française luxury(奢华). To Coco Chanel, lux unsurprisingly imposed itself, as an opposite not to poverty(贫穷), but to vulgarity(粗俗). Moreover, some great achievements come out of great grief. Coco Chanel’s mom died when she was 12 and her father left his children and traveled to America. At 20, Coco left the orphanage and found a job as a seller in a small baby clothes shop at Moulins… By that time, who of her customers would have ever imagined that the young Gabrielle will become a worldwide luxury brand setter(国际奢侈品牌引领者) and one of the 100 influencing women of the twentieth-century?
金词们:
classical ['klæsɪk(ə)l] adj.古典的;
classical music 古典音乐
calssic ['klæsɪk] adj.经典的
This is classic. 这太典型了(就知道你会这么干)
impose [ɪm'pəʊz] vt.施加影响
grief [griːf] n. 悲痛
luxury ['lʌkʃ(ə)rɪ] n.奢侈;奢华
vulgarity [vʌl'gærɪtɪ] n 粗野

【2】Key timeline events 1883 August 19 – Coco Channel’s birth at Saumur 1910 – First boutique opening in Deauville 1921 – Chanel N˚5 perfume
“What do I wear in bed? Why, Chanel Nº5, of course.” – Marilyn Monroe
1926 – Introducing the revolutionary ”little black dress” 1939 – Fashion house closing 1954 FEBRUARY 5 – Fashion house reopenin 1979 January 10 – Decease in Paris
“Fashion fades, only style remains the same.” – Coco Chanel *
时尚易逝,风格永存。
【3】A typical illustration of an entrepreneur: rebellious(叛逆的) and determined(坚决的) Gabrielle always thought that life must have something else to offer her; she decided to live in her own studio and did everything she could do to pay the rent; stitching(缝缝补补), cleaning, and singing at the Rotonde café. Gabrielle’s famous répertoire(全部节目) was limited to two songs: “Ko Ko Ri Ko” and “Qui qu’a vu Coco dans l’Trocadéro.” Those two songs were more acclaimed(著名的) for Gabrielle’s charms rather than for her voice. “Coco,” the name, was born.
金词们:
rebellious [rɪ'beljəs] adj. 叛逆的
determined [dɪ'tɜːmɪnd] adj.坚决的
acclaimed [ə'kleɪmd] adj.著名的
【4】Vision-oriented(有远见的)
“A girl should be two things: classy and fabulous.” – Coco Chanel
每个女孩都应该做到两件事:有品位和光彩照人。
Coco created “la petite robe noire,”(小黑裙) the tiny black dress, which reflected Chanel’s sober(素淡的) style. The American edition of Vogue(时尚) elected it in 1925 as the dress to wear for any occasions(场合). “A women who doesn’t wear perfume has no future.” Coco Chanel Creative and innovative, Coco Chanel was the first needlewoman(女裁缝) who created a perfume labelled in her name: “Chanel N˚5.” Not only did she create a new idea, but she also innovated(创新) in the perfume mixture; it included synthetic ingredients that could enhance her outfits(装备). All other perfumes were only based on natural substances(天然材质), which used to evaporate(蒸发) fast. Also, the perfume bottle shape was different from all other perfume brands’ and reflected Chanel’s sober wears(穿着). The fragrance profits went up to 15 million US dollars.
金词们:
occasion [ə'keɪʒ(ə)n] n 场合
语法点:你会用场合这个词吗?
occasion 场合。
I met that guy on an ealier occasion.我早些时候见过他。
state 状态。在特定时间点的精神、物理、感情状态。
The roads are in a terrible state after the rain.
conditions 影响人工作或者生活品质的工作生活环境
living conditions 生活条件
situation 状况;局势。
比如international situation国际局势
circumstances 某一特殊情况
under no circumstances 无论如何也不能...
【5】Passionate(充满激情的) “There is no time for cut-and-dried(老生常谈的) monotony(单调). There is time for work. And time for love. That leaves no other time!” – Coco Chanel
没有时间让你做一成不变单调的事情,因为时间是用来工作和恋爱的。

【6】Great decision maker “Women must always tell men that they are the strong ones. They are the big, the strong, and the wonderful. In truth, women are the strong ones. It is just my opinion, I am not a professor.” – Coco Chanel
【7】Team builder After Chanel’s simple yet classy hats became popular with French women, Chanel used a location at Malsherbes, then opened a saloon(沙龙) in Gabon Street and three years later another hats boutique(精品店) in Deauville’s luxurious seaside resort… After the help of her aunt and sister, Chanel tremendously increased the number of her employees.
【8】Leader “A leader knows the way, shows the way, and goes the way.” In her atelier(工作室), Coco Chanel was a worker, not an artist. She didn’t use pens and her mockups(模型) weren’t done on paper but on mannequins(模特), with real clothes. Until her death on January 10th, 1971, Coco went from needlewoman to “The Queen of the Parisian Haute Couture(高级定制时装).”
【9】Creating followers Coco Chanel set herself as the leader in fashion. At 70, after her numerous ups and downs(起起伏伏) in her personal life as well as in her national belonging(归属感) and obstacles in her career, she reinvented elegance. The Chanel suit was adopted(穿着) by Romy Schneider, Jacqueline Kennedy, and Shirley MacLaine.
【10】Innate character(内在品格) “Nature gives you the face you have at twenty; it is up to you to merit the face you have at fifty.” – Coco Chanel
二十岁的面貌是上天给你的,五十岁的面貌是你自己给自己的。
After the needlewomen in her atelier participated in the big strike of 1936, Chanel showed no mercy nor understanding to them. On the contrary. She unmasked(撕下假面) deception(欺骗) and indignation(愤怒).
【11】Enjoying every single step “A woman has the age she deserves.” – Coco Chanel
这句话应该如何翻译呢?大家可以尝试翻译一下哦。
Coco Chanel lived her life to the fullest, loving, falling in love, again and again, but mostly with her work… It happened she loved it the most… and it must have loved her in return.
live one's life to the fullest 活出精彩人生
Coco Chanel lived her life to the fullest, loving, falling in love, again and again.
现在分词在这里作为方式状语再次出现了。Coco Chanel活出了精彩人生,爱着,爱过,一次又一次。
如果在loving的前面加一个by字,是不是看起来更明白了?
He sat in the armchair, reading a newspaper. 这句话里reading也是现在分词,但是是作为伴随状语,表示动作和主句中的动作同时发生。

【12】Taking the right decisions “Don’t spend time beating on a wall, hoping to transform it into a door.” – Coco Chanel –
别浪费时间去敲墙壁,你无法把它变成一扇门。
这句话里是不是有大乐乐上节课讲的一个语法点呢?还记得spend的用法不?
这里的hoping 是现在分词作目的状语。
Coco always knew what she wanted, and still, she had a vision and knew just which road to follow in order to get to her aim.
【13】Plan everything “Luxury must be comfortable, otherwise it is not luxury.” – Coco Chanel
奢侈品必须舒适,否则那就不是奢侈品
otherwise
在这里作为连词,否则,不然的意思
You have to keep going, otherwise the effort you have put in will be useless.
Coco came up with(想出) the idea of setting women free of lace(蕾丝), pearls, nodes(蝴蝶结), and frills(虚饰). Her style was worth a thousand words; she created an all-new modern woman, liberated, self-confident, and free. She imagined her style, concretized(使具像化) it, and wore it. Her creations mirrored simplicity yet elegance.(她的创作既简单又优雅)
【14】Manage money wisely “There are people who have money and people who are rich.” – Coco Chanel
世界上有两种人:有钱的人和富有的人。
Coco’s richness was native elegance… And so, Chanel’s followers must have this inner je-nesais- quoi(难以描述的事情) that distinguishes them from all other trend followers… There are some things money can’t buy… the way to wear numerous necklaces of white pearls for instance.
【15】 Public Speaking “As long as you know men are like children, you know everything!” – Coco Chanel
只要你明白男人都是孩子,你就明白了一切。
Coco Chanel made some arrogant, not to say dangerous statements by that time… Self-confidence was her inner strength, and she said out loud what so many women kept in their hearts for long and never had the courage to divulge(泄露).
【16】Selling… with art “Fashion is not something that exists(存在) in dresses only. Fashion is in the sky, in the street, fashion has to do with ideas, the way we live, what is happening.” – Coco Chanel
【17】Managing Time and planning Finances “Elegance does not consist in putting on a new dress.” – Coco Chanel
时尚并不是血拼
It’s all well said and set… Elegance is a style… and a way of living. Instead of buying new dresses, Chanel started to cut back on time and money by changing dresses throughout adding–and mostly removing- some details… as well as embellishing(装饰) outfits with simplicity.
【18】Dealing with Criticism “The most courageous act is still to think for yourself. Aloud.” – Coco Chanel

如果想了解这位传奇女人的一生,可以去读这本英文传记
https://www.amazon.cn/Coco-Chanel-The-Legend-and-the-Life-Picardie-Justine/dp/0062074172/ref=sr14?ie=UTF8&qid=1494550244&sr=8-4&keywords=coco+chanel
关于Coco Chanel的电影作品也有几部可以参考:
个人最喜欢的是这两部:
香奈儿 Coco Chanel (2008)
https://movie.douban.com/subject/3236520/
描写Coco Chanel和俄国作曲家伊戈尔·斯特拉文斯基恋情的
香奈儿秘密情史 Coco Chanel & Igor Stravinsky
https://movie.douban.com/subject/3172300/

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原文: https://executive-women.com/2014/04/coco-chanel-the-legendary-entrepreneur/


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昨天欢乐颂2开播了,四美里你最喜欢谁呢? 大乐乐最喜欢安迪,因为她有点像COCO CHANEL。 独立,有主见,但是又很有女人味。有时候会脆弱,但是关键时刻从来知道自己想要什么。 今天大乐乐就带大家读一篇关于Coco的博客文章。

“In order to be irreplaceable one must always be different.”

[1] Between creativity and classical style, Coco set herself as a fashion myth. As she created “Chanel,” Coco also created the woman of the twentieth century century, up-to-the minute, liberated, and elegant at the same time. An à la française luxury. To Coco Chanel, lux unsurprisingly imposed itself, as an opposite not to poverty, but to vulgarity. Moreover, some great achievements come out of great grief. Coco Chanel’s mom died when she was 12 and her father left his children and traveled to America. At 20, Coco left the orphan and found a job as a seller in a small baby clothes shop at Moulins… By that time, who of her customers would have ever imagined that the young Gabrielle will become a worldwide luxury brand setter and one of the 100 influencing women of the twentieth-century?

[2] Key timeline events

• 1883 August 19 – Coco Channel’s birth at Saumur
• 1910 – First boutique opening in Deauville
• 1921 – Chanel N˚5 perfume “What do I wear in bed? Why, Chanel Nº5, of course.” – Marilyn Monroe
• 1926 – Introducing the revolutionary ”little black dress”
• 1939 – Fashion house closing
• 1954 FEBRUARY 5 – Fashion house reopening
• 1979 January 10 – Decease in Paris

“Fashion fades, only style remains the same.” – Coco Chanel

[3] A typical illustration of an entrepreneur: rebellious and determined

Gabrielle always thought that life must have something else to offer her; she decided to live in her own studio and did everything she could do to pay the rent; stitching, cleaning, and singing at the Rotonde café. Gabrielle’s famous répertoire was limited to two songs: “Ko Ko Ri Ko” and “Qui qu’a vu Coco dans l’Trocadéro.” Those two songs were more acclaimed for Gabrielle’s charms rather than for her voice. “Coco,” the name, was born.

[4] Vision-oriented

“A girl should be two things: classy and fabulous.” – Coco Chanel

Coco created “la petite robe noire,” the tiny black dress, which reflected Chanel’s sober style. The American edition of Vogue elected it in 1925 as the dress to wear for any occasions. “A women who doesn’t wear perfume has no future.” Coco Chanel Creative and innovative, Coco Chanel was the first needlewoman who created a perfume labelled in her name: “Chanel N˚5.” Not only did she create a new idea, but she also innovated in the perfume mixture; it included synthetic ingredients that could enhance her outfits. All other perfumes were only based on natural substances, which used to evaporate fast. Also, the perfume bottle shape was different from all other perfume brands’ and reflected Chanel’s sober wears. The fragrance profits went up to 15 million US dollars.

[5] Passionate

“There is no time for cut-and-dried monotony. There is time for work. And time for love. That leaves no other time!” – Coco Chanel

[6] Great decision maker

“Women must always tell men that they are the strong ones. They are the big, the strong, and the wonderful. In truth, women are the strong ones. It is just my opinion, I am not a professor.” – Coco Chanel

[7] Team builder

After Chanel’s simple yet classy hats became popular with French women, Chanel used a location at Malsherbes, then opened a saloon in Gabon Street and three years later another hats boutique in Deauville’s luxurious seaside resort… After the help of her aunt and sister, Chanel tremendously increased the number of her employees.

[8] Leader

“A leader knows the way, shows the way, and goes the way.” In her atelier, Coco Chanel was a worker, not an artist. She didn’t use pens and her mockups weren’t done on paper but on mannequins, with real clothes. Until her death on January 10th, 1971, Coco went from needlewoman to “The Queen of the Parisian Haute Couture.”

[9] Creating followers

Coco Chanel set herself as the leader in fashion. At 70, after her numerous ups and downs in her personal life as well as in her national belonging and obstacles in her career, she reinvented elegance. The Chanel suit was adopted by Romy Schneider, Jacqueline Kennedy, and Shirley MacLaine.

[10] Innate character

“Nature gives you the face you have at twenty; it is up to you to merit the face you have at fifty.” – Coco Chanel

After the needlewomen in her atelier participated in the big strike of 1936, Chanel showed no mercy nor understanding to them. On the contrary. She unmasked deception and indignation.

[11] Enjoying every single step

“A woman has the age she deserves.” – Coco Chanel

Coco Chanel lived her life to the fullest, loving, falling in love, again and again, but mostly with her work… It happened she loved it the most… and it must have loved her in return.

[12] Taking the right decisions

“Don’t spend time beating on a wall, hoping to transform it into a door.” – Coco Chanel

Coco always knew what she wanted, and still, she had a vision and knew just which road to follow in order to get to her aim.

[13] Plan everything

“Luxury must be comfortable, otherwise it is not luxury.” – Coco Chanel

Coco came up with the idea of setting women free of lace, pearls, nodes, and frills. Her style was worth a thousand words; she created an all-new modern woman, liberated, self-confident, and free. She imagined her style, concretized it, and wore it. Her creations mirrored simplicity yet elegance.

[14] Manage money wisely

“There are people who have money and people who are rich.” – Coco Chanel

Coco’s richness was native elegance… And so, Chanel’s followers must have this inner je-nesais- quoi that distinguishes them from all other trend followers… There are some things money can’t buy… the way to wear numerous necklaces of white pearls for instance.

[15] Public Speaking

“As long as you know men are like children, you know everything!” – Coco Chanel

Coco Chanel made some arrogant, not to say dangerous statements by that time… Self-confidence was her inner strength, and she said out loud what so many women kept in their hearts for long and never had the courage to divulge.

[16] Selling… with art

“Fashion is not something that exists in dresses only. Fashion is in the sky, in the street, fashion has to do with ideas, the way we live, what is happening.” – Coco Chanel

[17] Managing Time and planning Finances

“Elegance does not consist in putting on a new dress.” – Coco Chanel

It’s all well said and set… Elegance is a style… and a way of living. Instead of buying new dresses, Chanel started to cut back on time and money by changing dresses throughout adding–and mostly removing- some details… as well as embellishing outfits with simplicity.

[18] Dealing with Criticism

“The most courageous act is still to think for yourself. Aloud.” – Coco Chanel

下载PDF版