POSTED: 26 SEPTEMBER 2010

An intimate glimpse into a magical wardrobe*

After the success of Dreaming of Dior, Charlotte Smith offers Dreaming of Chanel, another intimate glimpse inside the wardrobe every women would love to own.

Inheriting a priceless vintage collection sounds like every woman’s dream come true. But when Charlotte Smith discovered that her American godmother, Doris Darnell, had made her custodian of more than 3000 pieces dating from 1790 to 1995, including originals by Chanel and Dior, she was more than a little daunted.

From the moment Charlotte uncovered her first treasure, an exquisite 1920s evening dress, she was enchanted. But when she found her godmother’s book of stories, the true value of her inheritance hit home.

This wasn’t a mere collection of beautiful things, it was a precious collection of women’s lives. Tiny glimpses of joys and disappointments, entrances and exits, triumphant and tragic.

In Dreaming of Dior, Charlotte shared some of her treasures and the stories of the women who wore them for the first time. Now, in Dreaming of Chanel, with special appearances by Chanel, Vivienne Westwood, Zandra Rhodes, Pucci, Akira and many more, Charlotte offers another unforgettable look inside the magic wardrobe every woman would love to have.

Charlotte Smith is the custodian of a priceless vintage clothing collection, The Darnell Collection, which she inherited from her Quaker godmother, Doris Darnell. Born in Hong Kong and raised in the US, Charlotte has a degree in art history and has lived and worked in the US, England and France. She now lives in Australia.

After studying fashion design, Grant Cowan moved to London to further his career and has worked as a fashion illustrator, lecturer and commercial illustrator for magazines such as Harper's Bazaar, Elle, Glamour, Teen Vogue and Red Magazine.

*Based on media release issued by Harper Collins.

PUBLISHING DETAILS

Dreaming of chanel, by Charlotte Smith, illustrated by Grant Cowan | 304pp hardback | $35 | To be ublished 1 November by HarperCollins.