Chanel: A Woman of Her Own

By Axel Madsen

Book Overview

Journalist Axel Madsen, the biographer of such icons as John Jacob Astor, Jacques Cousteau, and John Huston, presents the life and legend of French fashion designer Coco Chanel.

Chanel. The name alone evokes fashion and perfume, emancipation and allure. In this revealing, intimate biography, Axel Madsen brings to life Gabrielle "Coco" Chanel, who was born an illegitimate pauper and rose to become the reigning queen of fashion who revolutionized women's styles forever.

Madsen traces Chanel's extrordinary life, from her beginnings as an orphan, to the first small boutique she opened in 1910, using her lover's financial backing, to the founding of the House of Chanel where she altered the look of fashion entirely, inventing sportswear, the "little black dress," costume jewelry, and the perfume that Marilyn Monroe said was all she wore to bed. Although loved by many men, Coco remained wed only to her business, and when she died in 1971, at the age of eighty-eight, she was wealthy, an international celebrity, and utterly alone.

Lavishly illustrated with photographs of Coco Chanel and her celebrated circle of friends and lovers, Chanel: A Woman of Her Own is the story of the magnificent woman whose legend lives on.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0805016392
• ISBN13: 9780805016390
• Release Date: September 1991
• Publisher: Holt Paperbacks
• Length: 400 Pages
• Weight: 1.16 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 6.1" x 9.1"

Customer Reviews

Rec'd in very good condition

Just starting the book-will see how it is. Received in Very Good condition on time.

What a woman!

What a woman. For her times she was a trend setter. She did it her way. I greatly admire her gumption! You go girl! I only wish I had been one of her friends. Wow.

Portrait of an Icon

As an enthusiastic admirer of Coco Chanel's style and of the fashions she created, I was excited to read this book. I was surprised to find out that Chanel was an immensely complex and interesting person, even aside from her creative life. She came from very humble beginnings, lived through two world wars, survived tragedies, heartbreaks, and scandals, and through it all, she worked hard to realize her dreams of success. She is someone whom even non-fashionistas can admire. She was tenacious and clever, and her innate sense of style came through in everything she did. This book features wonderful photographs of Chanel, a handy index, and even a guide to the author's sources. For anyone who is even remotely interested in fashion, this book is a god-send. For everyone else, this book tells the story of a courageous and complicated woman who fought for her success and did things her own way. This was one of the best books I read in 2007, and I will definitely re-read it in 2008!

MUST READ IF YOU LOVE CHANEL!!

I really loved devouring this book. Miss Gabrielle Coco Chanel is one of the most fascinating women I have ever read about. She is one of the first feminist as far as I'm concerned. Thanks to her we are not wearing corsets and dresses everyday. The book opened up a whole new side of her that I didn't know, like her relationship with the Nazi German officer. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in fashion and or history because its a real page turner.