Chanel

Gabrielle "Coco" Chanel (1883and#150;1971) is a fashion icon unlike any other. She invented modern clothing for women: at the height of the Belle and#201;poque, she stripped women of their corsets and feathers, bobbed their hair, put them in bathing suits, and sent them out to get tanned in the sun. She introduced slacks, costume jewelry, and the exquisitely comfortable suit. She made the first couture perfumeand#151;No. 5and#151;which remains the most popular scent ever created. In this beautiful volume, the glorious life of the incomparable Coco Chanel shines again through hundreds of illustrations and the lively prose of Edmonde Charles-Roux, her official biographer and close friend. Chanel knew and collaborated with the likes of Picasso, Diaghilev, Stravinsky, Cocteau, Jean Renoir, and Viscontiand#151;even as she matched their modernist innovations by liberating women from the prison of 19th-century fashion and introducing a whole new concept of elegance. The staggering collection of photographs amassed by the author over decades of friendship with Chanel sheds new light on one of the great stories of the modern age.and#160;and#160;and#147;A model pictorial biography.and#8221; ~ New York Times

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and#147;This Chanel biography is as elegantly turned out as its subject.and#8221; ~ The Washington Post

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and#147;This lavish photo tome brings depth to Chaneland#8217;s sleek faand#231;ade while revealing the fascinating woman behind it.and#8221; ~ W

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and#147;Edmonde Charles-Roux (is) one of (Chaneland#8217;s) best biographers.and#8221; ~ The New Yorker

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and#147;There have been many books about Chanel, but this is the great classic.and#8221; ~ Art of the Times

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and#147;This beautiful volume contains hundreds of photographs and lively prose by its author, Edmonde Charles-Roux.and#8221; ~ American Salon

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and#147;Provides insight into the development of her sense of style and underscores the timelessness of her vision.and#8221; ~ Veranda

When Jean Leymarieand#8217;s monograph on Coco Chanel was originally published in 1989, he was known primarily as a curator and modern art historian, both in his native France and abroad. Bringing his expertise to bear on one of the most famous (and often controversial) couturiers of all time, Leymarie legitimized fashion as fine art.

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Completely redesigned by Philippe Apeloig, Leymarieand#8217;s classic volume is back in print once more. Beginning with a brief history of fashion, Leymarie takes the reader through Chaneland#8217;s early days, when she mingled with Jean Cocteau, Igor Stravinsky, and Luchino Visconti, through the development of her brand after her death by Karl Lagerfeld. A special essay on Lagerfeldand#8217;s contribution to the Chanel legacy, written by journalist Marc Lembron, brings this new edition up to date.

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When Jean Leymarie's monograph on Coco Chanel was originally published in 1989, he was known primarily as a curator and modern art historian, both in his native France and abroad. Bringing his expertise to bear on one of the most famous (and often controversial) couturiers of all time, Leymarie legitimized fashion as fine art.

Completely redesigned by Philippe Apeloig, Leymarie's classic volume is back in print once more. Beginning with a brief history of fashion, Leymarie takes the reader through Chanel's early days, when she mingled with Jean Cocteau, Igor Stravinsky, and Luchino Visconti, through the development of her brand after her death by Karl Lagerfeld. A special essay on Lagerfeld's contribution to the Chanel legacy, written by journalist Marc Lembron, brings this new edition up to date.

For almost a century, the name Chanel has been inextricably linked to elegance, modernity, and fashion innovation. It was Gabrielle and#8220;Cocoand#8221; Chanel (1883and#8211;1971) who single-handedly made striped jerseys and loose trousers chic, costume jewelry desirable, the little black dress the height of sophistication, and tweed suits a staple of every fashion-conscious womanand#8217;s wardrobe. In this beautifully illustrated book, drawing on the renowned collections of the VandA, fashion historian Amy de la Haye celebrates Chanel as the couturiand#232;re who changed the way stylish women everywhere dress, then and now. She also examines the creative output of this most famous of fashion houses, from its infancy in the 1920s to the present day as it continues to prosper under the direction of Karl Lagerfeld.

Praise for Chanel:

and#8220;This is one book about Chanel that keeps its focus just right.and#8221; and#8212;The Washington Times

Jean Leymarie (1919and#8211;2006) was a prominent art historian who devoted his life to bringing contemporary art to national museums. He was chief curator at the National Museum of Modern Art in Paris from 1968 to 1973, director of studies at the Ecole du Louvre, and director of the Villa Medicis French Academy of Art in Rome from 1977 to 1984.