ze ; ▁ 1 8 8 8 J anu ary ▁ 2 1 , ▁ 1 9 8 6 ) ▁was ▁a ▁prominent ▁Georg ian ▁arist ocrat , ▁fashion ▁icon , ▁and ▁one ▁of ▁the ▁earliest ▁models ▁of ▁C oco ▁Ch anel . ▁She ▁held ▁a ▁respect able ▁position ▁in ▁Georg ian ▁high ▁society , ▁as ▁well ▁as ▁the ▁Russian ▁Imperial ▁court ▁for ▁the ▁last ▁few ▁dec ades ▁of ▁its ▁existence . ▁Mary ▁is ▁sometimes ▁believed ▁to ▁be ▁the ▁hop eless ▁inf atu ation ▁of ▁Gal akt ion ▁Tab id ze , ▁one ▁of ▁the ▁leading ▁Georg ian ▁po ets ▁of ▁the ▁time . ▁ ▁Biography ▁ ▁Family ▁and ▁early ▁life ▁ ▁Mary ▁was ▁born ▁in ▁Bat umi , ▁Georgia , ▁into ▁the ▁family ▁of ▁prominent ▁Georg ian ▁General ▁Major ▁Prince ▁Pro k of ▁Sh erv ash id ze . ▁She ▁was ▁popular ▁in ▁Georgia ▁for ▁her ▁beauty ▁and ▁gentle ▁complex ion ▁and ▁even ▁drew ▁compl iments ▁from ▁Emperor ▁Nicholas ▁II ▁of ▁Russia ▁when ▁he ▁met ▁her ▁during ▁his ▁ 1 9 1 2 ▁visit ▁to ▁T if lis . ▁ ▁Because ▁her ▁father ▁became ▁a ▁member ▁of ▁the ▁Imperial ▁D uma , ▁the ▁family ▁soon ▁had ▁to ▁move ▁to ▁Saint ▁Petersburg ▁where ▁Mary ▁became ▁a ▁lady - in - wait ing ▁to ▁Em press ▁Alex andra ▁Fe odor ov na . ▁After ▁her ▁father ' s ▁death , ▁Mary ▁moved ▁back ▁to ▁her ▁native ▁Georgia ▁and ▁spent ▁the ▁rest ▁of ▁her ▁youth ▁in ▁the ▁west ▁of ▁the ▁country ▁with ▁her ▁mother ▁and