This splendid book examines the legacy of Gabrielle “Coco€ Chanel, one of the twentieth century's great icons of style. While Chanel mythologized her glamorous life through relentless self-invention, the bare facts of her biography are no less worthy than her legend: born of a poor family in the provinces and raised in a convent, she was an entertainer and the mistress of men of impeccable social standing, and she began her career not as a dressmaker but as a milliner.Chanel's enduring influence is necessarily based on the long shadow cast over fashion by her maison couture. Chanel examines the history of the House of Chanel both thematically and chronologically, introducing ideas and elements of biography as they were expressed in her collections. Period examples are juxtaposed with the work of Karl Lagerfeld, who, beginning in 1983, just over ten years after Chanel's death, reinvented and revolutionized the House's identity. It is in Lagerfeld's masterfu Try as it might, this recollection of the Chanel exhibit at Manhattan's Metropolitan Museum of Art doesn't exactly capture the essence of Coco, a young, free-spirited couturier who epitomized the New Woman of her day. And still does. The details and icons associated with Coco Chanel, from the quilted bag and #5 perfume to stars and the ubiquitous double-C logo, are well represented; even the contributors (designer Karl Lagerfeld, for one) and the stark layout and typography suggest le style de Chanel , that "elegantly conceptual modernism." In one sense, the catalog is far superior to the go-live viewing; every piece of her work, whether in the 1920s or today via Lagerfeld's interpretation, reveals the attention to the many hidden points of dress. Yet, despite seven-plus essays and a wondrous parade of photographs accompanied by historical captions, the spirit of Chanel is less than evident. For those who can't make the pilgrimage in person. Barbara Jacobs Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved "...a luxuriously pristine example of the printer s art, thanks...to Lagerfeld, who hand-tinted the cover...." -- Judith Thurman, The New Yorker "The show's accompanying book lets you linger lovingly at home over all the sartorial details." -- Town & Country Magazine This splendid book celebrates the legacy of Gabrielle (“Coco”) Chanel, one of the twentieth century’s great icons of fashion. Beautifully illustrated with more than 150 new photographs of costumes, the book examines the history and influence of the Chanel style from its beginnings through its reinvention for today’s world under the masterful leadership of Karl Lagerfeld. Harold Koda is Curator in Charge and Andrew Bolton is Associate Curator of the Costume Institute at The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Olivier Saillard, of the Musée de la Mode et du Textil, Paris, is a Creative Consultant to The Metropolitan Museum of Art.