Dreaming of Chanel

by Charlotte Smith. Illustrated by Grant Cowan

Harper Collins. Australian, Adult Biographical, Adult Other. Hardback RRP $35.00

Australian Charlotte Smith inherited thousands of dresses from her American godmother. What she did with these priceless treasures was to create Dreaming of Dior, published in 2009. I fell in love with that book and was so pleased to find that Smith has created a second book, this time focusing on my favourite designer Coco Chanel.

Just like in Dreaming of Dior, the cover of the book is an attention grabber. Dreaming of Chanel is red hard covered with an illustration of a model in Chanel’s famous black suit with a puppy. But the best part is the suit, the hat, the handbag, the shoes and even the dog’s jacket are in velvet so you feel like you have just a little of that Chanel style in front of you.

Over 140 of Chanel’s designs are in this neat book and with each design there is a brief story of the outfit and when and where it was worn. Each one has been beautifully recreated by Grant Cowan and the feel of the era of the design shows through.

As I said with my earlier review for Dreaming of Dior, I am so envious of Charlotte Smith and her dresses. But I have a wonderful coffee table book that will transport many of my friends back to times when fashion was an experience.

The Reading Stack reviewed Dreaming of Dior in November 2009.