Summary
The very name Coco Chanel inspires thoughts of fashion and beauty, perfume and style, and a look of timeless elegance. But the woman behind the name, Gabrielle Chanel, survived a childhood that was anything but stylish and elegant. The daughter of an itinerant merchant whose mother died while she was still young, Chanel lived a life she later denied, raised by nuns in an orphanage as a charity case. Yet somehow, Chanel survived to become the queen of 20th-century fashion, a designer who didn't draw yet became the most influential designer of her time and beyond. This biography examines the life of Coco Chanel, her fashions, and her loves, showing how the French country girl became a fashion icon.
Famous Fashion Designers celebrates the lives of the most important designers in the history of fashion. These biographies examine the creative inspiration and career trajectory of the tastemakers who have influenced the way we dress.
Dennis Abrams is the author of many books for Chelsea House, including biographies of Hillary Rodham Clinton, H.G. Wells, Rachael Ray, Xerxes, Albert Pujols, Georgia O'Keefe, and Nicolas Sarkozy. He attended Antioch College, where he majored in English and communications. A voracious reader since the age of three, Abrams lives in Houston with his family.
