13 Things You Didn’t Know About Coco Chanel

Gabrielle Bonheur Chasnel was what what on her official birth registry (it's assumed that her surname was misspelled due to a clerical error) but she became Coco during her time as a cabaret performer in her early 20s. The nickname was either based on two popular songs at the time — "Ko Ko Ri Ko" and "Qui qu'a vu Coco," or it was an allusion to the French word "cocotte," meaning "kept woman."

Decades later, ladies everywhere are still channeling Coco Chanel's signature chic style.

She dreamed of a stage career, working in the spa resort town of Vichy, but quickly realized her singing talents weren't enough to make a life out of it.

Chanel began designing hats after moving to Paris, and in 1910, she became a licenced milliner. She opened her first shop on Paris's Rue Cambon, later adding stores in Deauville and Biarritz.

In 1913 she opened a boutique selling casual clothes but it was 12 years later when she came up with the now-iconic Chanel suit. The collarless jacket and the fit of the suit itself — designed for comfort and functionality — was revolutionary.

Coco didn't create Chanel N 5; rather, she gave her name to a perfumer. In doing so, she became the first designer to be featured on a fragrance. Why that scent? Chanel chose the fifth sample he had as five was her lucky number. And the rest is history.

Chanel launched a handbag inspired by soldiers in 1929, a design which came from her sports-loving days at the convent she was raised. The burgundy lining (from the uniforms) and the quilted outside (inspired by jockeys' jackets).

Chanel conceptualized and designed her first high-end jewellery collection in 1932, called "Bijoux de Diamants."

The concept of the little black dress is often attributed to the designer, after she popularized the typically funereal colour for evening wear.

She was the only fashion designer listed on Time magazine's list of the 100 most important people of the 20th century, joined by the fellow icons and revolutionaries in the arts and entertainment industries like The Beatles, Lucille Ball, Louis Armstrong and Charlie Chaplin.

She met Russian composer Igor Stravinsky in 1920 and housed his family in one of her homes for nine months. She also donated a small fortune (300,000 francs) to fund the Ballets Russe and designed various costumes for the Russian ballet company.

Edward of Westminster, Prince of Wales, was allegedly smitten with Chanel and is rumoured to have even proposed.

She inspired the broadway musical Coco, in which her character was portrayed by Katharine Hepburn. It garnered seven Tony nominations.

Coco Chanel passed away on January 10, 1971, at the age of 87, at the Hotel Ritz where she lived for over three decades. To this day, it's regarded as one of 20 hotel rooms where history was made. Her funeral, held at the Church of the Madeleine in Paris, was attended by numerous models and couturiers like Yves Saint Laurent and Pierre Balmain.