Chanel: The Impossible Collection

Gabrielle Chanel, more than any other designer of her time, had the ability to predict the evolution of contemporary fashion. As an inventor extraordinaire, she revolutionized Chanel the lifestyle of her time by inventing a modern concept of luxury minimalism, elevating modest fabrics such as jersey and tweed into couture, creating a new silhouette that is both sophisticated and discreet, and making her mark on the twentieth century with her modern spirit of understated luxury.

The house Chanel stands for modern fashion. Under its founder, the style of the modern woman was invented, through the image of Gabrielle Chanel herself. She dressed women to be free, and her emancipated clothing reflected the changing landscape of society. Her designs fundamentally influenced what we wear and how we wear it. The house's work under her successor Karl Lagerfeld transformed fashion once again: He drew the template for a fashion designer who revived a dying house with elements of its own history. Just as Chanel created modern fashion, Lagerfeld in turn created the blueprint for the modern fashion house. She reshaped the clothes women wear; he reshaped the industry that makes them.

This book is a literary museum exhibition, a curated selection of 100 iconic and signature looks from the House of Chanel, from the timeless Little Black Dress to the impeccably simple tweed suit, the apothecary-style perfume bottle, two-tone pumps, lavish strands of faux pearls and stones, and the diamond-studded leather handbag, from Mademoiselle's revolutionary designs to Karl Lagerfeld's unexpected and even irreverent variations on her original codes.

The Impossible Collection
Chanel: The Impossible Collection showcases the best images from the world's leading editorial photographers, specialized museums and private collections, including rarely shown archival photographs. This handcrafted volume of the Ultimate Collection is the ultimate compendium for fashion lovers.

*Free white gloves and a signature canvas tote bag are included with every purchase of Assouline's Ultimate Collection.

Specifications
Title: Chanel: The Impossible Collection
Author: Alexander Fury
Publisher: Assouline
Size: 398 x 476 x 79 mm
Size: 232 pages
Weight: 10 kg
Language: English
Material: Handmade limited edition in a deluxe clamshell case
ISBN:  9781614288107