Coco Chanel holding hat box and Arthur Capel as a centaur wearing a polo shirt. Coco Chanel (1883 - 1971) was an influential and famous French fashion designer. Arthur Capel (1881 -1919) was an English polo player and Coco Chanel's lover. Illustrated by Georges Goursat AKA Sem, 1913 (cropped and cleaned).