Coco Chanel (Portraits français)

No name is more synonymous with élégance à la française and haute couture than that of French fashion icon Coco Chanel. This visionary designer of the 20th century revolutionised the world of fashion with her unparalleled creativity and audacious spirit. From her humble background to her becoming the grande dame of haute couture, learn about Chanel's incredible life in our bilingual article below.


After listening to the audio, click any word for the English translation and links to related grammar lessons.

Note: The tenses in this French article and its English translation don't match! In French, we use the present tense to describe historical stories like this to evoke a sense of immediacy, whereas in English, we commonly use the past tense - learn more about historical French tenses.

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Answer in English: we're testing your understanding of the text, not your grammar or expression, so nothing you write here will be marked for accuracy. To get feedback on how you write, try one of our writing exercises.

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