Coco Chanel: The Legend and the Life

SLEEK. CHIC. NOTORIOUSLY GUARDED. WELCOME TO THE SECRET WORLD OF COCO CHANEL.Justine Picardie’s definitive biography explores the dark mysteries hidden beneath the shimmering surface of a fabled fashion icon. Unveiling remarkable details about Coco Chanel’s traumatic childhood and her flight into unconventional adulthood, this beautifully constructed portrait reveals her passionate and painful past, her turbulent loves and losses, her quest for fame and fortune, and how she transformed herself into her own most powerful creation.Feared and revered by her contemporaries, Chanel died in 1971, but her legacy lives on as an enduring global brand. Drawing on interviews with her last surviving friends and relatives, and unprecedented archival research, Justine Picardie brings Chanel out of hiding, unpicking the seams between reality and myth, and telling a timeless story that uncovers the true art and heart of fashion.This special new edition has been extensively revised and updated, and offers a uniquely authoritative account of the greatest designer in the world. Adding fresh insights and discoveries, it comes complete with a compelling array of previously unseen images from the Chanel archives.This autobiography of Coco Chanel is not just a tale of fashion and accessories, but a deep dive into the culture of the time. It's a popular choice among young adults and teens, who find inspiration in Chanel's journey from a traumatic childhood to becoming a top name in the fashion industry.For fans of Nina Stibbe (Went to London, Took the Dog), Anne Glenconner (Whatever Next?), Anna Funder (Wifedom), Joan Didion (Let Me Tell You What I Mean), and Ben Goldsmith (God Is An Octopus).HarperCollins 2023