View a FREE sample

This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. In addition to Adrienne, who did Chanel recruit to wear her fashions around town?

2. What invention made the flaws of women's dress apparent?

3. After opening the shop in Biarritz, how many people did Chanel have in her employ?

4. Who did Chanel choose as her lover from the 10th Chasseurs?

5. How did Boy Capel die?

Short Essay Questions

1. In what way did Chanel's placement at a hosiery shop introduce her to high society?

2. What decision was Chanel required to make when she turned eighteen?

3. How did Chanel use her friends to find commercial success?

4. What fascinated visitors to Chanel's Rue Cambon shop when it first opened?

5. Explain how Chanel used mannequins to promote her work.

6. How did late eighteenth-century photographs of Chanel already exhibit her unique style?

7. What garment, common today, was conceived by Chanel?

8. Following her success as a hat designer, on what areas of fashion did Chanel focus her attention?

9. Why was Boy Capel an ideal match for Chanel?

10. What role did Vogue magazine play when Chanel began mass-producing dresses?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Chanel's life is the classic rags-to-riches story. Compare and contrast the poverty of her youth with the wealth and success she experienced at the height of her career.

Essay Topic 2

Discuss the photographs in the book. What impact do they have for the reader? Why were the particular photographs in the book chosen? What do the photographs tell the reader than the words do not?

Essay Topic 3

Discuss the rivalry between Chanel and Schiaparelli. Why were they in competition? How did the press handle the rivalry? What does Cubism and Surrealism have to do with their rivalry? Who won the competition?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 818 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample