The Allure of Chanel, By Paul Morand: Book review

This handsome edition will make the perfect Christmas gift for the fashionista if only for the sexy illustrations by Karl Lagerfeld.

Should the recipient deign to read Coco's self-portrait, she is in for a treat.

Along with a little couture wisdom ("if a dress doesn't fit on the shoulder, it will never fit"), there is much cranky opinion on topics ranging from Picasso's impenetrable art ("for me, like a logarithm table") to couples ("inhuman, an artificial creation") and, of course, Coco Chanel: "I would make a very bad dead person… I would grow restless."