Guess whose birthday is August 19?¹

Guess how this person’s birthday can be a bonanza of great publicity and social media buzz for your designer shop?²

Or even if you aren’t into designers and don’t want a peg to hang a promo on, explore her quotes… there’s sure to be several that inspire you personally.³

Okay, ’nuff guessing. Answers:

¹Coco Chanel was born on this date in 1883. Click the photo for the Wikipedia run-down of her life.

² She invented, or at least popularized, so many parts of our everyday life. Any of these concepts can become a press release or blog entry for your business.: The first perfume named after the designer (Chanel No. 5). Women wearing “menswear”, from simple hats to bell bottoms.  Sun tans. The idea that women don’t have to depend on men. The little black dress. But most of all: She declared that women’s styles must be comfortable. (After all, when is a style more comfortable than when the price tag is comfortable... in resale! That’s true whether you sell clothing, kids’ gear or furniture!)

³ My favorites include:

Fashion is not something that exists in dresses only. Fashion is in the sky, in the street, fashion has to do with ideas, the way we live, what is happening.

and

How many cares one loses when one decides not to be something but to be someone.

Choose your favorite quotes from Coco Chanel.