Coco and the Little Black Dress

Product Description "Hurry up! You may only go to bed when all the sheets are ironed." Little Coco grew up in the orphanage and had to work hard for a living sewing and embroidering like an angel. Until her eighteenth birthday . . . Coco knew one thing for sure Coco. She would never, never be poor again. A beautifully illustrated picture book biography of Coco Chanel. Coco Chanel (1883-1971) was a famous French fashion designer. Born into a poor family, strictly brought up in the orphanage, influenced by the style of wealthy suitors , she remained faithful throughout her life to the simplicity. A luxurious simplicity , which has produced memorable style icons like the little black dress and perfume Chanel No. 5. From School Library Journal Gr 2–4—This modern-day fairy tale chronicles the rags-to-riches story of French fashion designer Coco Chanel. When Chanel was a child, her father sent her to live in an orphanage, where she developed marketable skills such as embroidery, sewing, knitting, mending, and crochet. As a young woman, Chanel found work as a seamstress and spent her nights singing and dancing in nightclubs. There, she befriended wealthy individuals, who often invited her to stay with them. Chanel took careful note of what activities and adornments the rich enjoyed and figured out how to improve them with her own flair, for instance, sewing her own pair of riding jodhpurs. Upon invitation to the races, Chanel bought straw boater hats from a thrift store and added her own embellishments; soon, there was enough demand that she was able to start a hat shop. Determined never to wear a corset, Chanel began designing functional dresses that included pockets. Her legacy, though, was her perfume and her Little Black Dress, which highlights the beauty of the woman wearing it. Van Haeringen's spare artwork is simply beautiful and reflects Chanel's approach to fashion. Vibrant touches of watercolor among delicate pen-and-ink drawings bring to mind Ludwig Bemelmans's Madeline. Infused with humor, this Cinderella-esque tale should appeal to readers. The book lacks back matter, however, making it more suitable for pleasure reading than for report writing. VERDICT Recommended for general purchase in school and public libraries.—Samantha Lumetta, Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County, OH Review "The point is simply this, Coco and the Little Black Dress is equally appealing to an adult with a wonderful sense of whimsy and especially to those who may not be conversant in the history of Coco Chanel. Without question, the book is a delight to read and probably will become a keepsake for those who will have this read to them as a bedtime tale." -Jeffrey Felner, New York Journal of Books "Van Haeringen's spare mixed-media illustrations throughout this tiny tribute are as alluring as her subject's timeless designs, capturing the eye with fine pen and ink detail, stark colors, warm watercolor shading, and Bemelmans-like playfulness...as a picture book, it is utterly endearing."- Kirkus Reviews "Van Haeringen’s illustrations, black line drawings with dabs of color against expanses of white, are drawn with a precise yet whimsical panache that brilliantly suits their subject."- New York Times Book Review "Van Haeringen’s spare artwork is simply beautiful and reflects Chanel’s approach to fashion. Vibrant touches of watercolor among delicate pen-and-ink drawings bring to mind Ludwig Bemelmans’s Madeline." - Samantha Lumetta, School Library Journal "The line-drawn illustrations, often resembling fashion sketches, use white space and pops of color to maximum effect...the book’s simple elegance is perfectly suited to the story of Coco and her iconic black dress." -Julia Smith, Booklist About the Author Annemarie Van Haeringen was born in 1959 in the Netherlands. She is a Dutch illustrator, having studied at the Rietveld Academy in Amsterdam. She has created a remarkable number of children's picture books and has worked