In style Coco Chanel. Megan Hess's Elegance Revolution

Coco Chanel's story is marked by creativity, style, glamour, strength, enthusiasm and determination. From her childhood in an orphanage in rural France to her death in the room at the Ritz that served as her home, this book traces her personal and professional career, first as an actress, then as a milliner, and finally as one of the designers most influential fashion trends of all time.

Founder of the House of Chanel empire, Coco revolutionized women's wardrobes, giving them the opportunity to dress comfortably without losing an iota of elegance. Her creations, such as the little black dress, the two-tone ballerinas or the quilted bag, are still worn today, converted into a symbol of everyday sophistication.

Megan Hess, prominent fashion illustrator, presents us in these pages the many facets of the Chanel universe: the woman, the brand and the legend.

In the world of fashion, few people can claim to have exerted the influence of Coco Chanel. The designer's story, from her humble beginnings to the many difficult times she lived through, is marked by her strength, her determination and her creative vision.

For me, as a fashion illustrator, this little French orphan, who single-handedly revolutionized women's wardrobes and created iconic garments that are still worn today, has been a source of continual fascination and inspiration.

Her originality and her iron will to let nothing separate her from the vision she believed in so much set Coco Chanel apart from other designers. She designed, lived and loved with enthusiasm. She refused to take no for an answer, and no matter what obstacles were put in her way, she moved forward through belief in herself.

Looking at the pictures of her, I wonder what she would think during her last years when reflecting on her past: from her earliest childhood, full of difficulties; from the emotion and drama that she aroused in her small atelier, to the success of House of Chanel, which she set up. I think she would be very proud. I wonder if she ever understood what a true inspiration she has been to so many people, myself included.

Every season, when Chanel presents her show at the Grand Palais in Paris, I like to imagine Coco looking down from the famous mirrored staircase, watching the multiple recreations of her classic designs on a world stage.

This book is the illustrated story of Chanel's life: an immersion into the artist's magical world, the iconic designs she created, and the House of Chanel empire.

The Woman Gabrielle Coco Chanel's life is surrounded by mystery. Perhaps because of the discomfort caused by her humble origins, she had a reputation for making up her past by downplaying certain details and ignoring transgressions and painful memories. Just as she reinvented fashion, cutting up to forty times the same sleeve, she did the same with her past. Although there are few testimonies about her youth, it is clear that Chanel had a difficult beginning: she grew up in poverty after the loss of her mother and the abandonment of her father. Without the support of her parents at a young age, she had a lonely childhood in an orphanage in Aubazine, in rural France.

Perhaps these difficulties in her early years prompted her to follow a very different path, first as an actress, then as a ladies' milliner, and finally as the iconic fashion designer she became. Chanel overcame her circumstances and forever revolutionized women's fashion in the modern age.

With her beauty and her talent she attracted numerous friends and admirers: the most famous personalities of the century (Cocteau, Diaghilev, Picasso, Dalí, Stravinsky and Churchill) sought her company. The creative vision of her designs endured as the hallmark of an iconic fashion brand.

#ACTPrep: Review how to use Punnett squares! You may need to work with this diagram to solve a problem on the science section. #MurrayTips

— Murray Test Prep Fri Nov 08 21:19:11 +0000 2013

The Coco Chanel brand never produced prêt à-porter collections and yet it revolutionized this concept and forever changed the way women dress. Her designs were inspiring and courageous: she was one of the first to design trousers for women, she transformed black into an evening color and incorporated the use of jersey knit, typical of the sports field, into luxury clothing. This comfortable and elegant aesthetic has endured for decades.

The first half of the 20th century was a time of marked change in gender roles. Chanel's androgynous silhouette and shorter hemlines, now symbols of the brand, allowed women to ditch corsets and embrace modernism.

Chanel was a woman who made clothes for other women, designing garments that reflected her changing role in society.

Its distinctive elements – tweed fabric, monochrome palette, gold chains, quilted leather and interlocking C logo – have survived to this day. She is a pioneering force, whose genius and impact on the world of fashion are undeniable.

The Legend Although the designer passed away in 1971, the name of Coco Chanel lives on. Under the direction of Philippe Guibourgé, the house continued to produce haute couture, launching its first prêt-à-porter collection in 1978. Today, Chanel is a luxury empire making menswear, womenswear, perfumes, cosmetics and jewelry. ; a global brand that has stores all over the globe. However, you can still make a pilgrimage to 31 Rue Cambon in Paris to see the place where it all began.

Since he took over in 1983, Karl Lagerfeld has revolutionized the brand and kept House of Chanel at the forefront of the fashion industry. The creative director has rummaged through the archives countless times to bring to life the classics the dressmaker pioneered. The brand's iconic garments—from the tweed jacket to the little black dress—remain staples that, along with signature accessories like the pearl necklace and quilted bag, have become a status symbol in a new generation. . Coco Chanel continues to be considered an influential figure in fashion, with constant references being made to her unerring style. Chanel has come to embody the essence of the modern woman, as she rightly said: "Fashion passes, only style remains."

Author Megan Hess was born to draw. After training in graphic design and specializing in art direction, she has worked for some of the world's leading design agencies. In 2008 she illustrated the bestseller Sex and the City, written by Candace Bushnell.

Since then, she has illustrated portraits for Vanity Fair and Time magazines; she has created iconic illustrations for Cartier in Paris and animations for Prada in Milan, and has illustrated the windows of Bergdorf Goodman in New York. Hess's distinctive style can also be found on limited-edition prints and homewares sold around the world. Some of her prestigious clients include Chanel, Dior, Tiffany & Co., Yves Saint Laurent, Vogue, Harper's Bazaar, Cartier, Balmain, Montblanc, Wedgewood and Prada.

When she's not working in her studio, she can be found in a cozy Manhattan cafe secretly drawing all the chic New York people around her. More about the author at meganhess.com

Technical SheetTitle: Coco Chanerl. The revolution of elegance Author: Megan Hess Publisher: Lunwerg. 2018 Pages: 208 RRP: €17.95

On sale January 30, 2018