A NEW book of Coco Chanel pictures – taken over just three weeks in 1962 by photographer Douglas Kirkland – shows a new side to the formidable and brilliant “Mademoiselle”. Kirkland, who spent 21 days with Chanel in her apartment in the Ritz, at the studio preparing for a catwalk show, and on a weekend trip to Versailles, revealed that he built a friendly relationship with the designer – but never saw her remove her signature hat.
Best Coco Chanel Quotes
“I assumed, like many French people at the time, that she didn’t speak English,” Kirkland explains in the book. “Then one morning I turned a corner in a narrow hallway at the atelier and found myself face to face with her. She looked straight at me and said ‘Salut.’ I froze, not knowing how to respond. After a beat, in her low voice, she said in perfect English, ‘I just said hello to you.'”
Kirkland – who has photographed stars including Angelina Jolie and Marilyn Monroe – is releasing 100 copies of a deluxe limited-edition version of the book, complete with a signed print, priced at $250, while the standard edition will retail at $50.
Containing 118 black and white images of the iconic designer, Coco Chanel: Three Weeks/1962 is available now.