Chanel and Her World, by Edmonde Charles-Roux
Chanel and Her World is widely considered to be the definitive biography of Coco Chanel. Read this book and you will learn that the House of Chanel empire was built by a tiny, barely educated woman descended from French peasants, and not an opportunistic German from a wealthy family. Edmonde Charles-Roux travled in the same fashion circles as Mademoiselle, and she also worked as an editor for French Vogue. Originally published in 1981, Chanel and her World was out of print until 2004, and this new edition includes hundreds of wonderful photos and illustrations. The long arc of Coco Chanel’s life is impressive; she was born 20 years before Christian Dior, and outlived him by 20 years.
Chanel died in 1971 at age 87; she outlived just about every designer from her generation, and she worked right up until the end; her designs appeared in Chanel collections until 1972. Dior was one of her arch rivals, and his designs were a frequent target of her contempt because she felt the much lauded New Look of 1947 merely put women back into the binding corsets and long skirts that she had spent the previous twenty years trying to free them from having to wear. As staid as Chanel may seem today, in the 1920’s & 30′s Gabrielle Chanel’s fashion designs were revolutionary and absolutely cutting edge. This is not a conventional biography that proceeds in a linear fashion and it has no information about how to replicate the couture techniques she used in her designs. The book is roughly chronological, and the author recreates Chanel’s life with vignettes rather than a straight retelling of her history. For the most part this works because Chanel is such an interesting person, but occasionally the book presents a long chapter that doesn’t really do much except take up space. An example is the section on Misia Sert, wife of painter Jose Maria Sert, and one of Chanel’s very few close female friends. We never really understand their friendship, and unless you have an interest in 20th century modern art, the long and windy passages about the role of Misia as artistic muse and mistress will be pages you can skip over.
Gabrielle Chanel was born in 1883, and at that time, French society was locked into a rigid class system. How did this poor seamstress from the countryside, who began her career making hats, acquire the capital start her House? Essentially, she slept her way to the top, and her wealthy and connected lovers bankrolled her businesses until the 1920’s. As distasteful as this may seem from today’s perspective, we can project neither feminist disdain nor conservative morality onto this fact, because in those in those days, a supremely talented, astute, barely educated, ambitious, smart-yet-poor woman pretty much had no other means to achieve any kind of financial independence. Chanel did whatever she had to do to achieve her dreams – and she did so with spectacular results, however, it’s a long way to top if you wanna rock ‘n roll, and she paid a price for it, as we learn in the chapters of the book that chronicle her life right after WW II.
The book has hundreds of stunning full color photos and illustrations – Chanel literally knew everyone worth knowing in mid-20th. century high society and politics. She also wore her own designs exclusively all of her life, and there are many many photos of her wearing her own work – how many designers do that these days? She really did practice the fashion she preached. If you have an interest in Coco Chanel, this book, along with Chanel the catalog from the 2005 exhibit of her designs at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and the book Chanel: A Couturiere at Work will give you a good picture of this fascinating woman who was born over 100 years ago but who still exerts a huge influence upon modern fashion.
Jacqueline Kennedy : The White House Years, by Hamish Bowles
This book is from an exhibit of Jackie Kennedy’s wardrobe from her years as First Lady that ran at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in NYC and at the Kennedy Library here in Boston (that I was lucky enough to see.) If you’re a fan of early 60′s couture and Jackie Style in general, this book is loads of fun. There are dozens full color, full page, full length shots of the gowns and wardrobe from her numerous public events along side period news photos of her actually wearing them. This is especially useful because the photos also show her fabulous jewelry, which alas, was not part of the exhibit. There are even clothes she wore during and after pregnancy, and there’s a whole chapter devoted to her hats and another to her riding clothes. Seeing her wardrobe together in one collection proves there is one law of fashion we can all benefit from. Find what works for you and stick with it – Jackie Kennedy personified this approach; she knew what worked for her and she stayed with it. There is remarkable consistency in her choice of cut, color, and detail. Most of us will never have the means to spend this kind of “time currency” on our wardrobes, but it’s still fun to pore over the fabulous clothes, hats and jewelry from an icon of American fashion.
Fashion: A History from the 18th to the 20th Century, The Kyoto Costume Institute (editor)
This weighty tome (it tips the scales at 5 lbs.!) is a 768 page romp thorough fashion from the 18th to the 20th century. Amazon has it for over $100, but I found a remaindered copy at Barnes & Noble for $19.98. This is not at all a sewing book, although there is certainly a ton of inspiration inside. It’s really a fashion history told in glorious full color with just enough text for context. No windbag fashion analysis here. The photography is stunning. The Kyoto Costume Institute is one of the worlds foremost fashion museums, and the depth of their collection is astounding. Only the Japanese would have the inclination, and the resources, to maintain a collection this vast. How many museums can show you 7 different 18th century stomachers, 9 different 19th century corsets or 14 different types of hoop skirt petticoats?
One really remarkable feature is that many of the fashions are shown alongside period paintings and photos of very similar garments, and in some cases, the exact garment, which really puts them into a historical context. All of the big fashion names are here, and also many you won’t know as well: Jacques Doucet, Callet Soeurs, Buloz – the list goes on. This book is an outstanding look at the modern history of fashion. The photos are rich and detailed, the garments featured appear to be in near perfect condition, and all are displayed on mannequins. There are many many close ups.
My only small quibble: the book does tend to overemphasize the influence of Japan on fashion, whether it’s after the opening pf Japan to the West in 18th century, the Japonaise look of the early 20th, or the avant-garde fashions of the late 20th. But since the collection is in Kyoto I suppose that’s not too surprising.
A rich and wonderful book that sewers can go back to again and again. You will never get tired of reading it.
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