At snack time, Coco Chanel tells her classmates about her life...
But now that my mother is no longer with us and my father has gone to America to seek his fortune, I live here, in the Aubazine Institute, together with my sisters, Julia and Antoniette, among the elegant habits of the nuns and our black smocks with their white collars.
Most of the time I am on my own, or I play with my sister Julia, making dolls out of pieces of fabric.
Sometimes, I climb up the tree in the middle of the convent garden, where I design tiny clothes and daydream.
It is so nice to daydream!
Do you know what my greatest dream is? To become a fashion designer. I have so many ideas!
I would love to transform women’s hats from heavy and cumbersome to light and elegant.
After all, feathers only look good on the heads of ostriches!
But then for evenings and parties I need to create something special, something elegant but comfortable. Right, little doll? Hmm, that’s it! A short black dress finished off with long strings of white pearls.
Right, because a true lady also has to wear elegant jewelry, as charming as a starry sky, but as light as silk ribbon. And what if even the shoes were black and white?
As soon as I’m eighteen, I will look for work in a tailor shop because I want to learn all the secrets of the trade and start earning a little money.
I will use the money I save to buy textiles and fabrics suitable for my creations.
I want to open my very own shop. Or two. Or even three.
When I become a fashion designer, I will be able to wear all the clothes, hats, and bags I want…and I will also “wear” a fantastic nickname: Coco!