Coco Chanel - by Susan Goldman Rubin (Hardcover)

About the Book

An award-winning author of biographies for kids explores the life and legacy of the world's most celebrated fashion designer, Coco Chanel. Photos.

Book Synopsis

In this "well-designed biography of a fascinating woman" (School Library Connection) for young readers, 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: Pearls, Perfume, and the Little Black Dress 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.

"Rubin's biography is clear-sighted about Chanel's faults while extolling her fashion genius. Her source notes and bibliography are meticulous, as is the book's design . . . This will attract young fashion mavens eager to learn about design history." --Booklist

Includes color and black-and-white photographs, a bibliography, a list of where to see her work, and an index.

Review Quotes

"A well-researched primer packed with details on a significant trailblazer. Give to readers interested in fashion, business, and history."--School Library Journal

"Rubin expertly chronicles Chanel's life in this biography . . . Rubin captures the authenticity of Chanel alongside her psychological need to portray a luxurious lifestyle."--VOYA Magazine

"Rubin offers an honest account of Chanel's success as a profoundly influential couturier."--The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

"Rubin's biography is clear-sighted about Chanel's faults while extolling her fashion genius. Her source notes and bibliography are meticulous, as is the book's design . . . This will attract young fashion mavens eager to learn about design history."--Booklist

"Well-designed biography of a fascinating woman."--School Library Connection

About the Author

Susan Goldman Rubin is the author of many biographies for young people, including Diego Rivera: An Artist for the People and Hot Pink: The Life and Fashions of Elsa Schiaparelli. She lives in Malibu, California.