Coco Before Chanel

I find it rather amazing that the same stimulus could elicit a myriad of responses in different individuals.

You and I may smell the aroma emanating from the wooden furniture in our bedroom or the woods by our house and thought nothing much of it.  Perhaps we would feel relaxed to breathe in those scents? But who would have thought to capture and transfer that smell to a perfume bottle?  That was one of the interesting facts I acquired from my recent invite to a perfume exhibition courtesy of Chanel.

Being an astrologer, I couldn't help but wonder the astrological factors possessed by Coco Chanel.

Using my Solar Fire Gold program, I discovered that Chanel was a Leo with a Pisces Moon and Sagittarius rising.  This interesting fire-water mixture is likely to create an individual with an urge to express one's individuality and put oneself under the spotlight (one of her quotes being 'In order to be irreplaceable one must always be different.').  Life is like one big adventure, waiting for brave souls to explore ('Success is often achieved by those who don't know that failure is inevitable').  There is a conflict between asserting one's identity and striving for personal recognition, and wanting to be gentle, feminine and selfless.  Her Sun conjunct Venus is also another factor which allowed her to stitch her name into the bible of fashion.

Liberating women from tight corsets by introducing 'comfort' into garments for ladies, Chanel made her mark with her signature 'little black dress' and 'Chanel suit', bringing out beauty without discomforts.  Being the first perfume to bear the name of the designer, the olfactory creation 'Chanel No. 5' perfume endowed Chanel with timeless fame.  These achievements certainly had satisfied her Leo Sun.  Her Pisces Moon could also be glimpsed by the fact that her textile products allowed women to show-off their femininity without physical discomfort and restriction.

Chanel remained unmarried in her 87 years of mortal life but had numerous affairs with influential and powerful men (Sun conjunct Venus in Leo in 8th; Jupiter in 7th).  When asked why she did not marry the Duke of Westminster, her replied was 'There have been several Duchesses of Westminster, but there is only one Chanel!'