May 16, 2024 |
Gabrielle ‘Coco’ Chanel has always been one of the most influential figures in fashion. Whether it was designing the timeless and revolutionary LBD (little black dress), elevating jersey or tweed to couture standards or delivering an apothecary-style perfume (Chanel N°5) that’s still a best-seller 103 years on, the transformative designer fundamentally affected what women wear today, and how they wear it. She was the “self-inventor extraordinaire” of her time, with an unprecedented ability to predict the evolution of trends, setting her stamp on the landscape of twentieth century luxury and defining the modern concept of luxe minimalism.
Under her successor, the late Karl Lagerfeld, Chanel became the blueprint for the modern fashion house. Lagerfeld joined Chanel in 1983 and spent 36 years drawing inspiration from the founder’s authority while adding his own innovative ideas to its collections until his death in 2019. Every element of the atelier that he touched, turned into fashion history. A press release reads, “She (Chanel) reshaped the clothes women wear; he (Lagerfeld) reshaped the industry that makes them.”
This legacy is laid out in a brand new tome aptly titled, Chanel: The Legend of an Icon, published by Assouline. Part of the publisher’s Classics Collection, Chanel: The Legend of an Icon, revisits Assouline’s best-selling Ultimate volume Chanel: The Impossible Collection in an updated format that illustrates Chanel’s enduring impact through archival and contemporary imagery. Written and curated by Alexander Fury – the fashion features director of AnOther Magazine, men’s critic for the Financial Times, and 10 Magazine contributor – who selected 100 pieces and over 180 illustrations collating archival and contemporary imagery, the book allows readers to immerse themselves in the enduring history of the house with ease and in multitudes across 240 pages of pure Chanel magic. The result is a definitive compendium on Chanel’s rich legacy bound by a beautiful black hardcover.
Photography courtesy of Assouline. Purchase your copy of ‘Chanel: The Legend of an Icon’ here.
