Includes bibliographical references and index.

Little black dresses. Faux pearls. Jersey knits. Skirt suits. Trousers. For over a century and counting, we all continue to see some version of Gabrielle "Coco" Chanel in nearly every woman we pass on the street. But few among us realise that Chanel's role in the events of the twentieth century was as pervasive as her influence on fashion, or how deeply she absorbed and then brilliantly reimagined the historical currents around her. Here, with unprecedented detail and scope - and through fascinating, thoroughly researched portraits of Chanel's lovers and friends - Rhonda Garelick shows us the Chanel who conquered the world . . . a woman who thirsted to create others in her image, who creatively borrowed from her famous (and infamous) intimates, who understood the idea of branding and image well ahead of her time, who created, as Garelick puts it: "wearable personality." This is Chanel at the nexus of history: a woman of daring, passion, and legendary vision, in a wonderful biography that gives her her long-awaited due.