Emma Baxter Wright

A compact (160p) and well illustrated look at the life of Gabrielle "Coco" Chanel and the fashion house synonymous with her name. For me the most interesting part was the first half which is a potted biography of Chanel herself with an emphasis on her fashion business. A child of peasant poverty she leveraged her love affairs with the aristocracy to provide the seed money to start her own business. I did not realise she'd taken a German lover during WWII, and had been involved in a hair-brained, and unsuccessful, scheme to negotiate with Churchill to bring the war to to a close. The second half of the book tracks the history of the House of Chanel after her death with sections on Karl Lagerfeld, accessories, jewellery, perfume and makeup. These feel more like puff pieces though again, the illustrations shine. I was delighted to discover that Chanel, despite being the last word in elegance, also demanded practicality in her clothing, clothes you could move in, with pockets (hooray), and bags with shoulder straps and compartments. Much of the evening wear from the 20s and 30s could easily be work today, as can the classic Chanel suit. A quick and enjoyable introduction to Chanel and her world.… (mere)