This book was published on March 13, 2018. I got my hands on an advanced reader's copy; there will undoubtedly be some differences between the version I read, and the published version.
I've been dabbling more into nonfiction since there have been quite a few rewarding nonfiction stories I've read, and some not that great nonfiction stories I've read. Just like fictional books. Haaaa
Anyways, an amazon summary, "Award-winning author Susan Goldman Rubin introduces readers to the most well-known fashion designer in the world, Coco Chanel. Beginning with the difficult years Chanel spent in an orphanage, Goldman Rubin traces Coco’s development as a designer and demonstrates how her determination to be independent helped her gain worldwide recognition. Coco Chanel focuses on the obstacles Chanel faced as a financially independent woman in an era when women were expected to marry; as well as her fierce competition with the Italian fashion designer Elsa Schiaparelli; and some of her most memorable firsts for the fashion industry, including the little black dress, the quilted purse with gold chain, and the perfume Chanel No. 5. The book includes a bibliography, a list of where to see her work, and an index." AMAZON LINK OF JUSTICE
Coco Chanel is a fashion icon known for the costume pearls, the little black cocktail dress, and her classic perfume. This story charts her life from it's beginning in an orphanage through the end. I'm not going to recount the story of Coco Chanel, but I will discuss what worked about the book for me.
I liked how the book discussed the different social circles and famous people Coco Chanel knew, and I also liked how there were some rather famous men who commented that Coco Chanel's style was simply taking men's clothes and reinventing them so women could wear them. She was one of the ones who made trousers for women a movement of sorts.
However, I really disliked how at one point it came up that Coco Chanel had a worker's strike on her hands. They didn't explain the working conditions of her employees at the time and instead concentrated on their wages.
The little black dress was introduced within the timeline of the book, and kind of discussed the societal impact of it, but I don't think it really hit the whole point. The little black dress was basically THE dress to be seen out on the town in and I just don't think the book expressed enough of how Coco Chanel's work impacted the people.
I think in general, when biographies about famous and influential people are written, there should be a distinguishing factor of kind of WHY they are such a big deal. It should articulate the different set backs they were constantly dealing with, and also, the people's response to them as it is usually the people who make them famous. ...anyways.
I wish there had been more emphasis on any set backs Coco Chanel faced. From how the book portrays her life, there really didn't seem to be many. She seemed to be able to procure any funding she needed, and maybe her biggest set back was just herself. She seemed to work constantly and be very meticulous about her work.
There just seemed to be more that could be said about Chanel, and the book I read was only 107 pages long. For a woman with such a lingering affect on the fashion world today, I just think there's more that could have been written.
Happy reading!
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