Chanel (English)

While Coco Chanel is perhaps best known today for her enduring (and alluring) fragrance Chanel No. 5, Axel Madsen's engaging biography shows that her influence on 20th century life extends far past an aroma. Chanel learned to sew in a Catholic orphanage, and worked as a shop girl before finding success as a designer. She pioneered simple, elegant style and wardrobe, such as the "little black dress," which she is credited with popularizing. Chanel became one of the most significant figures in "haute couture," but her extraordinary life was not untouched by controversy. During World War II, she had an affair with a Nazi spy and was charged in an alleged attempt to spy on Winston Churchill. Madsen's account is filled with fascinating details from Chanel's public and professional life, and will likely be the definitive biography of one of the defining figures of her age. minimize