Ebook118 pages8 minutes
Library of Luminaries: Coco Chanel: An Illustrated Biography
By Zena Alkayat and Nina Cosford
Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars
3.5/5
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About this ebook
An illustrated biography of the French fashion designer who pioneering style defined casual elegance for the twentieth century.
Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel’s changed women’s fashion forever with her signature style and revolutionary approach to design. Featuring handwritten text paired with sweet illustrations, this e-book sheds new light on the woman behind some of the last century’s most iconic designs.
The author and illustrator vividly chronicle Chanel’s life from her impoverished childhood in an orphanage to her dreams of becoming a singer and her tumultuous love affairs with Europe’s elite. Brimming with excerpts from Chanel’s own letters and diaries, these pages reveal the passion and vision of one of the most celebrated fashion designers of all time.
Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel’s changed women’s fashion forever with her signature style and revolutionary approach to design. Featuring handwritten text paired with sweet illustrations, this e-book sheds new light on the woman behind some of the last century’s most iconic designs.
The author and illustrator vividly chronicle Chanel’s life from her impoverished childhood in an orphanage to her dreams of becoming a singer and her tumultuous love affairs with Europe’s elite. Brimming with excerpts from Chanel’s own letters and diaries, these pages reveal the passion and vision of one of the most celebrated fashion designers of all time.
Read more from Zena Alkayat
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Reviews for Library of Luminaries
Rating: 3.6590909545454546 out of 5 stars
3.5/5
22 ratings8 reviews
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Coco Chanel: An Illustrated Biography is part of Chronicle Books' Library of Luminaries series, a darling collection of illustrated gems. Understand right off that the book is little -- it's six inches square. It is really all about the illustrations, which are wonderful right down to the ground. The biography is factual, informative, and brief -- and done in a font that looks like handwriting, to compliment the illustrations. This book makes the perfect hostess, birthday, or holiday gift!
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5A tiny book with some very darling illustrations. I didn't know much about Coco Chanel before I read this, and while the book only hints at a few important moments, it does leave this reader wondering and interested about reading more of this fashion icon.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5This is a beautiful little book. The illustrations are fresh and sophisticated--not unlike Coco's style. The story that is told draws you in immediately. I could not put it down until I finished it. My only issue with the book is that it focuses on her romantic life so very much. I cannot help but ask why, when she was so successful in her revolutionary design for women's fashion, does the author choose to focus on her private life to that extent? I would have liked to see some information on her development as a designer, as a seamstress, as a business woman. Like I said, it is a beautiful little book about a beautiful, talented, successful woman. Yet the reader is left with Coco's love life overshadowing her contribution as a successful designer and business woman. Also in focusing on her love life the author gives the impression that Coco was somehow broken and unsuccessful with relationships, forcing her to find success elsewhere.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/53.5 Stars (4 Stars for artwork)A brief illustrated biography of Coco Chanel. A good intro for those readers not familiar with her story; in other words, a great way to jump-start research or interest. The illustrations are wonderful! This book is a perfect gift for any of your fashion-obsessed friends or family.LT Early Reviewer
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Early Reviewer read--This book provided a short biography of Coco Chanel in graphic novel form. The format for this book was the most interesting part. I enjoyed the hand-drawn illustrations, and the small amount of text on each facing page made it an easy read. The binding is also quite beautiful, with scenes of Paris and a red cloth detail on the spine. The book focused mainly on the life of Chanel, and her many lovers. I would have liked more detail about her fashion design and her shops, as that is what I expected in this book. The authors do give a disclaimer at the end regarding the lack of factual information about Coco. They also comment that two of the details given in the work could not be verified, and that Coco herself gave different versions of her life at different times. I also wondered at the allusion to suicide at the end of the book. Still an interesting read, not sure how appropriate this might be for younger readers.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5This charming book arrived in the mail today and immediately sat down to read it. As a fan of graphic novels I enjoyed the format as a biography very much. Given the brevity of the format, the book does a great job portraying the life of an unusual iconoclastic woman I plan to share it with my teen aged nieces..
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5A decent read, if a little uninspired. It's a little too sophisticated to be a picture book, and not quite appropriate for most young children, but it features a LOT of mediocre illustration, and very little text. This is not a book that would be good to read for an in depth look at the life of Coco Chanel, but there is enough bare bones inspiration to make it somewhat interesting if you are a fan of hers. This might also be a good read for someone who wants to know if it would be worth it to read an entire, well-researched biography, as it's very short and concise.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The Library of Luminaries is a charming series of small, illustrated biographies of artistic women including Jane Austen, Virginia Wolff and Frida Kahlo, as well as this volume on Coco Chanel. In brief and succinct prose, along with whimsical illustrations, Mlle Chanel's life is told and her accomplishments rendered. This would make a great little gift for a fashion conscious friend and can be read in less than an hour.
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Library of Luminaries - Zena Alkayat
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