Hailed as 'the most influential female designer of the twentieth century' Coco Chanel pioneered classic easy-to-wear fashion for the modern woman. She arrived on the fashion scene when feathers lace & ostentatious beads were favourites & proceeded to re-invent couture using new materials like jersey for outfits that were suitable for everyday wear yet still elegant. With original illustrations & images from celebrated photographers such as Cecil Beaton Bronwyn Cosgrave traces the story of Coco Chanel's iconic designs & glamorous racy life. In 1921 Coco opened her Chanel boutique in Paris
- still a destination store today
- & launched her first perfume Chanel No.5. Perhaps her most important contribution to the fashion world was the simple much-imitated 'little black dress' which made its debut in 1926. Other landmark creations include the Chanel suit & the quilted handbag. A testament to her lasting influence these legendary designs remain as popular today as when they first appeared. Vogue the international fashion bible has charted the careers of designers through the decades. Its unique archive of photographs taken by the leading photographers of the day from Cecil Beaton to Mario Testino & original illustrations together with its stable of highly respected fashion writers make Vogue the most authoritative & prestigious source of reference on fashion. With a circulation of over 160 000 & a readership of over 1 400 000 no brand is better positioned to present a library on the great fashion designers of the modern age.