Mademoiselle Chanel Summary and Analysis

First coming to the fore in 1927 when Vogue called one of her designs "the sweater of the year", Roman designer Elsa Schiaparelli presented Chanel with her first serious challenge, one that lasted throughout the 1930s. Previously, Paris had its collection of designers each with her own happily sorted collection of clients, so there was no competition for anyone else's territory. Schiap, however, vied quite distinctively for the brand of woman to whom Chanel had always appealed, and the fashion press thrilled to the rivalry. Schiapp was friends with Salvador Dali, and so became the fashion world's friend of the surrealist, while Chanel remained the friend of the cubist, and so they competed.

A part of the militia that Chanel accumulated to remain the dominant force in the world of fashion was a veritable court of photographers. Now in her...