COCO Chanel was undoubtedly one of the most influential fashion designers of the 20th century.
Famous for her casual and sporty chic style, for liberating women from the constraints of the corset, for her little black dress, her famous fragrance, Chanel No. 5 perfume and such must-have accessories as handbags and jewellery, Chanel moved from a childhood of poverty to one of great glamour which would see her mix with aristocracy, political figures and stars of the stage and screen.
Author Caroline Young's illustrated biography Living with Coco Chanel explores the story of Chanel in easily accessible ways, examining how the homes and landscapes that shaped the designer relate to her work.
Born Gabrielle 'Coco' Chanel on August 19,1883, Chanel is the only fashion designer listed on Time magazine's list of the 100 most influential people of the 20th century.
Chanel kept many of the facts about her childhood secret. She only offered hints about the poverty and abandonment she suffered, and her later life was not without controversy. She died in 1971, aged 87.
Caroline Young's book features designs, drawings, archive imagery and photography to give a fascinating insight into the life, work and legacy from her childhood at the convent at Aubazine to her boutique and apartment on the Rue Cambon in Paris and her villa La Pausa on the French Riviera.
Caroline Young is an Edinburgh-based writer and fashion journalist. she is the author of Classic Hollywood Style (2012) Style Tribes (2016) and Tartan and Tweed (2017).
Living with Coco Chanel:The homes and landscapes that shaped the designer. White Lion Publishing $39.99.