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JOMC-50
Gabrielle "Coco" Chanel
Section I | Section II | Section III | Section IV | Section V

Section I: Topic and Keywords

Born in France, Gabrielle "Coco" Chanel created the Chanel line in the early 1900's revolutionizing women's fashion. Her designs were feminine, yet liberating, and her name is still one of the top designers in haute couture today. She began by designing hats, later including ready-to-wear and haute couture lines.

Questions related to topic:
1. What events in "Coco" Chanel's life inspired her to design clothing that redesigned women's fashion?
2. How quickly did the name Chanel become synonymous with haute couture?
3. What type of woman was "Coco" Chanel?
4. Does the label represent something different today than it did when Coco Chanel started?

My intended audience is young to middle aged women with a passion for fashion and design. I think women who adore fashion would find my topic interesting because Coco Chanel is famous for her clothing lines and her label is still one of the most recognized names in the fashion industry. Although many may recognize her clothes, learning more about the woman behind the label would be of interest to fashion conscious women.

Section Ib: Keywords

UNC Library Catalog:
Coco Chanel AND fashion
France AND fashion

Academic Universe Lexis-Nexis:
(Coco Chanel) biography
(Coco Chanel) advertising

Search Engine on Web <http:/www.google.com>
Coco Chanel AND fashion industry
Coco Chanel AND history

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Section II: Books and Videotape from the UNC-CH Libraries

Isabelle Fiemeyer, Coco Chanel: Un parfum de mystere, (Paris: Payot, 1999). TT505.C45.F54.

Amy De La Haye, Chanel: The Couturiere at work, (London: Victoria and Albert Museum, 1994). TT505.C45D4.

United Film Distribution Company, produced by Larry G. Spangler, Chanel Solitaire, 124 min., (New York, NY, 1994). 65-V4963.

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Section III: Electronic Indexes and Databases Sources

Bower, Brock. (2001, July). Chez Chanel. Smithsonian [Online], 60. Available: Expanded Academic ASAP [2002, September 14].

Bruban, Holly. (1984, January). Quoting Chanel. The Atlantic [Online], v253, 87. Available: Expanded Academic ASAP [2002, September 15].

Frankel, Susannah. (2002, July 25). The Name of Coco Chanel, God Rest Her Skinny Old Soul. The Independent [Online], 612 words. Available: LEXIS-NEXIS Academic Universe [2002, September 14].

Heary, Monica. (2002, May 8). Scent of a Woman. The Daily Telegraph [Online], 990 words. Available: LEXIS-NEXIS Academic Universe [2002, September 14].

Liberman, Rhonda. (1992, November). The Chanel Superego. Artforum International [Online], v31, 5. Available: Expanded Academic ASAP [2002, September 16].

Simpson, Anne. (2002, July 12). The Legacy of Chanel's Tunnel Vision. The Herald [Online], 846 words. Available: LEXIS-NEXIS Academic Universe [2002, September 15].

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Section IV: Web Sources

Coco Chanel: Innovator and Icon
http://www.coololdstuff.com/coco.html
This site details a biography of Coco Chanel's life. It also indicates what factors in her life influenced her designs and how her designs revolutionized women's fashion. The site then identifies the classic "Chanel Suit," highlighting its characteristics and uniqueness. Several links are also listed.
Cool Old Stuff

Coco Chanel: Fashion Designer
http://womenshistory.about.com/cs/chanelcooc
This site also includes a biography of Coco Chanel, as well as links to other biographies written about her, photographs and quotations.
About, Inc

Chanel
http://www.unibw-muenchen.de/campus/WOW/v1041/hyper/chanel.html
The history of Chanel and the company's present day activities are described on this site. The awards Chanel has received are listed, as well as economic information and addresses of the Parisian stores. Several links are attached to this site.
Jost Krebs

Coco Chanel
http://www.artandculture.com/cgi-bin/WebObjects/ACLive.woa/wa/artist?id=356
The page gives a brief biography of Coco Chanel, highlighting separate information not found on other sites. Recommended sites, related artists, movements, and keywords are also identified.
Art and Culture

Chanel
http://www.chanel.com
This site not only highlights the fashion, but also Chanel's vision, inside events, fragrances and makeup, and fine jewelry. Stores can also be found and contact information is given. Coco Chanel's "audacity, uniqueness, and perfection" is also described.

Chanel

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Section V: Internet Mini-Essay

A Short Profile of Bill Gates

Born in 1955, William Henry Gates III dropped out of Harvard and founded the world's first microcomputer software company, Microsoft, along with his longtime friend, Paul Allen, when he was only 19. (3) Fueled by an obsession with computers and a strong business mind, Gates agreed to produce his operating system, MS-DOS, for personal computers being developed by IBM in 1980. (1)

Gates, who grew up in Seattle, was fascinated by computer programming at an early age. At 14, he created a computer program, Traf-O-Data, that "analyzed traffic patterns for city and county governments." By the end of his senior year in high school, the school gave Gates permission to work for TRW as a computer programmer earning $30,000 a year instead of taking classes. (3) At Harvard, Gates met other students who had the same knowledge of computers, including Steve Ballmer, who is currently Microsoft's Chief Executive Officer.

Gates has become the "Edison and Ford of our age," wrote Issacc Walterson in his biography. His success stems from his personality: "an awesome and at times frightening blend of brilliance, drive, competitiveness and personal intensity." (2) In 1994, Gates founded the William H. Gates Foundation, which focuses on health issues in developing countries. In the same year, Gates turned to family life and married Melinda French on January 1. In 1999, the couple renamed the charity the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, now worth over 17 billion. (1)

Gates has also written several books on his experiences and success. In 1995, he wrote The Road Ahead and in 1999, Business @ the Speed of Thought.

NOTES:
(1) No Author. (2000) Bill Gates. Columbia Encyclopedia [Online], 6th ed. 260 words. Available: Infotrac Student Edition [2002, September 15].
(2) Isaacson, Walter. (1997, January 13) In Search of the Real Bill Gates. Time [Online], 44. Available: Infotrac Student Edition [2002, September 15].
(3) Zuckerman, Ed. (1990, August 20) William Gates III. People Weekly [Online], 91. Available: Infotrac Student Edition [2002, September 15].

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Three Additional Web Sites:

Bill Gates: Microsoft Chairman and Chief Software Architect
http://www.microsoft.com/billgates/default.asp
This site gives a biography of Gates. It also lists speeches, information about Microsoft, and The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation
Microsoft Corporation

Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation
http://www.gatesfoundation.org/
This is the official site of the foundation Bill Gates created to "bring innovations in health and learning to the global community."
Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation

William H. Gates III: Before Microsoft
http://ei.cs.vt.edu/~history/Gates.Mirick.html
This site gives detailed information about the life of Bill Gates before Microsoft including his early childhood, his first computer experience, the beginnings of his business career, and the creation of Microsoft.
John Mirick

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