Chanel: Couture and Industry

For almost a century, the name of Chanel has been inextricably linked to elegance, modernity and fashion innovation. It was Chanel who single-handedly made striped jerseys and loose trousers chic, costume jewellery desirable, the little black dress the height of sophistication, and tweed suits a staple of every stylish womans wardrobe.

In this beautifully illustrated book, dress historian Amy de la Haye celebrates Gabrielle Coco Chanel as the couturire who changed the way stylish women everywhere dress, then and now. She examines the creative output of this most famous of fashion houses, from its infancy in the 1920s to the present day as it continues to prosper under the direction of Karl Lagerfeld.

Amy de la Haye is a curator and dress historian. She holds a Readership at London College of Fashion and was formerly Curator of 20th Century Fashion at the V&A. She is the author of Lucile (V&A 2009) with Valerie Mendes, Clara Button and the Magical Hat Day (V&A 2011) and editor of the A to Z of Style (V&A 2011).