Customer Reviews

Chanel (Universe of Fashion)

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Skip the text in this little book. Instead, read the jacket notes. There is no new information about Mademoiselle Chanel and the already well-known history of her life is so obtusely written the text seems like an outline of a romance novel.
This is a book to own only for the archival photographs and the "select chronology" of Coco's fashion house that still thrives--some 25 years after her death. Snapshots of some of the male influences in her life finally put faces to names. However, a photograph of her best friend, Madame Misia Sert, is noticeably missing and should have also been included.
Interspersed with the photographs are whimsical montage illustrations by Karl Lagerfeld, the current design director of Chanel. There are also a few photographs from modern advertising campaigns epmphasizing, even more, that this is not a must-read

To a die hard Chanel fan, this may seem a rudimentary account of Gabrielle Chanel's accomplishments. However, there is no discounting the concise yet impactful way the information is presented to the reader. Baudot is not afraid to acknowledge the evolution of the CHANEL name to the entity known today,the most viable independent fashion house of this century. She discreetly recognizes Karl Lagerfeld for breathing new life into Gabrielle Chanel's classic designs.The magnificent photos and drawings are reflective of this progression and provide the reader with a visual timeline.As with the entire "Universe of Fashion" series, this book is definitely a keeper. These books make a great addition to any fashionphile's library.