for herself, that was when the trademark “little black dress” was created. Te Chanel look started then; and while even she did not know this then... Black being the colour of water was perfect for her, it being the Heavenly Stem of her Year Pillar! It was around this time Chanel adopted her stage name Coco, introducing the auspicious double O into her name. She caught the attention of a wealthy aristocratic officer named Etienne Balsan, who installed her as his mistress and took her away from life at the Cabaret. Balsan brought her to live a decadent lifestyle with him at the Chataeu Royallieu. Her relationship with Balsan opened doors into high society. With his financial support, Coco opened her first atelier in Rue Cambon, selling hats of her own creations. Soon she was making a name for herself amongst the high class circle of nobles and courtesans. When Balsan cheated on her Chanel
allowed her own eyes to stray, and before long, she began an affair with an upper class English gentleman named Captain Capel. Te English nobleman was very much in love with Chanel, so he did not hesitate to bankroll her couture shops in Deauville and Biarritz. It was then that she began making expensive, elegant clothes for the very wealthy noble ladies of France. In the 1920s, Chanel saw a future
in perfumes, and the signature scent she created has stayed popular to this day. She placed her tantalizing perfume in a delicate glass bottle, modelled after a whiskey decanter! In her own words, Chanel described perfume as “the unseen, unforgettable, ultimate accessory of fashion... that heralds your arrival and prolongs your departure...” She named her first perfume collection “Chanel No. 5”. At that time, Chanel was just entering the flying star feng shui of Period 4, and anything with number 5 had the energy of “FUTURE PROSPERITY”… A coincidence perhaps – but for Chanel, it marked the beginning of a new line that would outlast her own life! Long after her time with us, Chanel No.5 remains one of the bestselling perfumes of all time!
BECOMING A
DOUBLE AGENT… When World War II began, Chanel fell
56 FENGSHUIWORLD | MARCH / APRIL 2012
Chanel also believed strongly in the auspiciousness of Crystal Balls and jewelled Boxes.
on hard times, just like many others in the fashion industry then. Her shops closed and her life took a turn for the worse. It was around this time that Chanel became a paid secret agent of General Walter Schellenberg, Chief of Nazi Intelligence in Paris. During one of her failed missions to pass a letter to Winston Churchill, her identity was prematurely exposed. Chanel was detained by the French authorities. Evidence of her so-called spy activities suddenly “went missing” and the authorities were forced to release her under the intervention of Winston Churchill himself! It would seem that Chanel’s belief in protective symbols came to her aid that day… as
A Buddha sits on top of her shelf, while a white marble lion guards her private boudoir. Screens with good health symbols and birds bring opportunities and longevity. Chanel was definitely a big believer in the power of symbols.
Known for her passion for prosperity symbols, Chanel displayed this little frog for wealth luck… placing a crystal jewel inside his mouth!
Chanel’s dining table, adorned with Golden Lions as protectors reminiscent of her western astrological star sign Leo. She also had Pi Yaos adorn her decanters and glasses.
A pair of Deer carrying Wishfulfilling Vases – these are powerful symbols of longevity of abundance and prosperity. Deer also symbolize good health.
she was nearly imprisoned and prosecuted! After this narrow escape from capture, Chanel ended her clandestine activities and moved to Switzerland to lie low for the rest of the war… only to return to Paris ten years later to revive her fashion career! Troughout her life, Chanel engaged in
many romantic liaisons with powerful and influential men of society, among them Igor Stravinsky the Russian composer, and in her later life, the wealthy Duke of Westminster who pursued Chanel relentlessly, showering her with jewellery, art and property! Over their ten-year affair, the Duke proposed marriage several times, but Chanel was never tempted by marriage. She remained unwed until the end of her days.