Captain Arthur Edward 'Boy' Capel, CBE (d. 21 December 1919 in a motor accident) was an English polo player best remembered for his affair with Coco Chanel, and influence on the style of, Gabrielle "Coco" Chanel. He was wealthy and supplied her with resources she needed to open her first shop. His blazers inspired her to put a squared, masculine touch on classic suit designs. Supposedly Capel proposed to Chanel and she refused, wanting instead to...
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Captain Arthur Edward 'Boy' Capel, CBE (d. 21 December 1919 in a motor accident) was an English polo player best remembered for his affair with Coco Chanel, and influence on the style of, Gabrielle "Coco" Chanel. He was wealthy and supplied her with resources she needed to open her first shop. His blazers inspired her to put a squared, masculine touch on classic suit designs. Supposedly Capel proposed to Chanel and she refused, wanting instead to wait until she was financially independent. Capel was killed in an auto accident in 1919, supposedly on his way to a secret Christmas rendez-vous with Chanel.
In his daughter's obituary, Capel was described as "an intellectual, politician, tycoon, polo-player and the dashing lover and sponsor of the fashion designer Coco Chanel.". Nothing else is known of his earlier life; there are hints in biographies of Chanel about his (illegitimate) connections with the Capel earls of Essex but no connection has been established. He was already a rich...
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