Chanel: Her style and her life

by Janet Wallach

No single designer has had as tremendous a hold on style in the twentieth century as Coco Chanel. In this sumptuous, profusely illustrated book, Janet Wallach shows readers Chanel style in all its glory--from the fabulous fashions she created to the glamorous life she led.

Like a character in a fairy tale, Coco Chanel rose from being an ordinary seamstress to reigning as the queen of fashion. Chanel was stunningly independent, beautifully feminine, and irresistibly desirable to men; most important, she was never afraid to be herself. A pioneer in an industry dominated by men, she turned her style into the revolutionary chic that set her fashions apart. Borrowing copiously from the wardrobes of her illustrious lovers (among them the Duke of Westminter and Grand Duke Dimitri of Russia), Chanel took trousers, tweeds, riding clothes, cuff links, and even neckties, and cleverly transformed them into elegant women's wear. With an understanding that only a female designer could have, she eased women's formerly confining way of dressing, adapting the freedom of men's clothing without sacrificing sensuality and femininity. Since then, women who seek the look of authority and supreme taste have embraced Chanel.

Fans of her couture will devour all the delectable stories behind such Chanel trademarks as fabulous fake pearls, minimalist hats, comfortable and beautifully structured suits, and legendary perfumes, and will marvel at the 150 astonishing photographs and illustrations. A delightful feast of pictures and words as stylish and elegant as the designer herself, Chanel Style celebrates the woman, the look, and the legend.

Genres: Biography, Fashion, Biography Memoir, History, Nonfiction, Art

192 pages, Hardcover

First published October 20, 1998

Reviews

[Miss · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book was poorly written and dry as cardboard. The illustrations were in black and white- even though this is a book on fashion and colour is essential to it- and placed randomly and irregularly throughout the book, not matching at all with their surrounding text. The text conveyed no actual sense of Chanel as a person, and was actually insulting to her in several places. I hope that Janet Wallach never decides to write another biography. She presumes too much, and respects Chanel too little. And that is not a good combination for a biography.

[Karima · Rating 2 out of 5]

Disappointing. Offers little more than a chronological list of Chenel's lovers and accomplishments. No inner workings. What made little Gabrielle Chanel tick? This book won't tell you. Saving grace are the books' illustrations/photos.

[Julie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book, although i obviously had heard of Chanel, i did not know that much about her, this book did not go too much into personel detail which would have been interesting it seemed to skim over it a bit. However the book was filled with pictures of her designs and i can see why she was such a great success, the designs of the 20's would not be out of place now they are timeless and the cut and the material just fantastic, you can see the little touches that Chanel added turning up in modern day life, and the influences she has had on famous people, Madonna and the wearing of big bows in her hair in the 80's, Lady Di wearing her string of long pearls backwards all done by Chanel, who was not just a designer but a personality as well, she had tragedy in her love life and never married but took many rich lovers. After the war she fell out of favour because she took a rich German lover and obviously did not suffer with the German occupation as did the rest of the French population. she had to start again and work her way up which she did. It was fascinating to know that although she was the owner of one of the most iconic and popular perfumes to this day, she did not make any money from it and only had 10% of the profit and the name, the rest going to her partners, this was settled years later when she received a sizable sum and was recognized. The photos and sketches of her designs right up to the 70's are included in this book and she seemed to know exactly what women would like to wear and also to think of the comfort angle and wearability factor too. She died in 1971 aged 88 but her designs are timeless and you still see the " little black dress" the braided jackets and the quilted handbags and pyjama pants making regular appearances in fashion magazines

[Nell · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was closer to a profile than an in-depth biography, but it gave me as much as I wanted to know at this point. We had just seen Coco Before Chanel and I was interested in Chanel's life. The book contains many illustrations of Chanel's style and shows how it evolved.

[Shannon · Rating 2 out of 5]

One of the most poorly written and edited "biographies" I've read. Poorly laid out with uninteresting and jumbled text, only the pictures and design illustrations make this book worth picking up.

[Joanne · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was perfect for what I wanted, as I had previously read a biography and a good fictionalized bio of CoCo Chanel, and wanted some pictures and more discussion of her styles over the years. This book's narrative covers the highlights of her life chronologically but looks at it through the lens of her fashion designs and focuses on her important influence on the lives of women in the modern world. I grew up after her last reinvention of her fashion house and was aware of certain iconic Chanel designs, but never realized how she really reinvented style for women in ways that emphasized freedom and modernity. If CoCo had not existed, the women of the 20th century would have had to invent her!

[Terri · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gabrielle (Coco) Chanel intrigued me after I watched the Lifetime movie starring Shirley MacLaine. Turns out, that was only the tip of the iceberg of her life. She was much more intersting, flamboyant and determined than the movie made it seem. Her world included rich and powerful people, influence and incredible artists.

And her fashions defined simple elegance in a way that no other designer has. And above all, her clothes were FUNCTIONAL. Something many designers never seem to understand. That is why she endured.

The book is a fascinating read. And the photos and illustrations are wonderful.

[Leah · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was given to me as a gift from someone who thought I was very much into fashion. It was entertaining enough, but not very well written. I liken the experience to being unable to pass up reading the covers of the celeb rags at the grocery store check-out. I wasn't too interested in reading the book in the first place, but Chanel IS an iconic figure of fashion and I couldn't resist the temptation to dive into that world however briefly.

[Eva Siagian · Rating 2 out of 5]

after read this book, I feel disgusting about my feeling towards Coco Chanel. it's really disturbing, coz I really like her design (design is ones personality, right?). after I read review from others then I understood that Janet Wallach succeed drove my opinion into darkness :p
the positive of Chanel from this book that I've got is she was a loveable person, friendly, generous, and loyal.

[Maria del Pilar · Rating 3 out of 5]

About the different views: writing an own biography and having it written by someone else.

A person going from nothing to everything.

A woman with male reassurance to sustain her in her private life.

[carmen i. · Rating 2 out of 5]

Short, concise and easy to read. Photos compliment prose beautifully. Not my favorite biography, though. It's closer to a well researched profile than a carefully crafted biography.

Lacks overall depth.

[Liz · Rating 4 out of 5]

I can appreciate the motivation and hard work she put forth to build her empire. She transformed herself from the girl next door to a mega mougul and fought every step of the way.

[Patty · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting bio on an exceptional woman.

[Paige · Rating 4 out of 5]

Coco Chanel is one of my favorite designers and have been wanted to read more about her for awhile now. The book was good, very detailed and told the story of a talented, unforgettable woman.

[Clearym · Rating 4 out of 5]

short biography. great pictures

[DeBora Rachelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've reAd a lot of Chanel books and I actually learned a few new things from this book.. Excellent writing.

[reneeNaDaCherry · Rating 3 out of 5]

I borrowed this hardcopy from the local library. The pictures are all noteworthy in black & white which adds to the time period Gabriela Chanel was born. She worked hard, lived even harder, and loved a few rich/charming individuals.