“In order to be irreplaceable, one must always be different,” said Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel (1883-1971), one of the most singular figures of the twentieth century. A fashion icon unlike any other, Chanel invented modern clothing for women, revolutionizing the way in which women lived. At the height of the Belle Époque, Chanel stripped women of their corsets and feathers, bobbed their hair, put them in bathing suits, and sent them out to get tanned in the sun. She introduced slacks, costume jewelry, and the exquisitely comfortable suit. She made the first couture parfume, Chanel No. 5, which remains the most popular scent ever created.
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Today, more than forty years since her death, Coco Chanel has maintained her status as an icon of the feminine, the fashionable, and the creative spirit. Her energy and her power made her a tour de force throughout her life. Though we know Chanel best when she was at her height, Coco Chanel: Three Weeks/1962 by Douglas Kirkland (Glitterati Incorporated) provides a new look at the designer when she had returned to the public eye in the last decade of her life.
Sent to Paris on assignment for LOOK Magazine to photograph Chanel when she was 79 years of age (he was 27), Kirkland was at the dawn of his career, just making a name for himself working in picture magazines, which were incredibly popular at the time. Back then, magazines sent photographers on assignment for extended periods of time, allowing them the time they needed to connect with their subjects, so as to capture them in a wide array of public and private moments.
Kirkland ended up living with Chanel for three weeks, photographing her at work, as well as in repose. The photographs, many of which have never been published before, offer insight into a woman who was as disciplined as she was determined, dedicated, and bold.
In the introduction to the book, Kirkland recalls, “It is difficult to describe the excitement I felt as I watched Chanel create a new design, oblivious of everyone. She strived for perfection with scissors and pins, her hands nimbly working a sleeve or lapel: ‘I sculpt what I design.’ The atelier was the creative nerve center. Once she started working, a beehive of assistants immediately surrounded her.”
It is into this world that Kirkland brings us, a world where fashion, fantasy, and master craftsmanship take center stage. It is a world that no longer exists but continues to inspire with every turn of the page.
