Annemarie van Haeringen

Living in an orphanage as a young child, Coco Chanel learned many different kinds of needlework - skills she would put to good use later in life, when she became a world famous fashion designer. Observing the wealthy clients around her, she designed chic hats and more comfortable clothing. Most of all, she worked on creating 'the Little Black Dress' that would become a fashion icon...

Originally published in the Netherlands as Coco of het kleine zwarte jurkje, this slim picture-book biography concentrates on Chanel's youth, and on the innovative contributions she made to fashion design. The narrative is engaging, and the artwork stylized and quirky. I was familiar with author/illustrator Annemarie Van Haeringen's name, largely through her work on Hanna Kraan's De boze Heks books, and was curious to see what she would do with her own story. Judged on its own merits, I found Coco and the Little Black Dress engaging, less because I am particularly interested in fashion, and more because I appreciate an "orphan makes good" story. That said, my knowledge that Chanel was a traitor - an active Nazi spy, she did far more than just take a German lover, during WWII - really prevented me from taking this story to heart. I don't deny that Chanel did something notable in the world, and that her name will long be remembered in the fashion world. But the revelations of her conduct during the Second World War made me uncomfortable with such a lighthearted, almost adulatory treatment of her life story. There's no back matter here, so there is no opportunity for any additional information to be imparted, making me even more uncomfortable. I plan to seek out Elizabeth Matthews' Different Like Coco, which is another picture-book treatment of the subject, and will hope to see the issue addressed there.

As for Coco and the Little Black Dress, although I enjoyed the illustrations and narrative enough to seek out Van Haeringen's other work, I do not recommend it very strongly, given these concerns, unless an adult reader is willing and able to explain to the child listener that there is another, far less noble aspect to Chanel's story. If the adult reader is unwilling to take that step, I suggest avoiding the subject altogether, rather than hiding the unfortunate truth.… (mais)

Coco of het kleine zwarte jurkje door Annemarie Van Haeringen

Dit is een titel in de serie kunstprentenboeken van Leopold in samenwerking met het Kunstmuseum Den Haag; wat een geweldig initiatief.

Coco is een prachtig boekje: klein (het past in je handtas), schattig, vrolijk, tof en boeiend. De tekst zit boordevol humor en is daarnaast ook een korte maar treffende samenvatting van Coco’s leven. De tekeningen zijn indrukwekkend mooi, schattig en vrolijk. De vormgeving is oogstrelend (de cover als flesje is iconisch). Een boekje om verliefd op te worden en dat ben ik ook!

Dikke dank je wel aan Annemarie, het Gemeentemuseum en uitgeverij Leopold! Jullie hebben een onmisbaar kleinood gemaakt. Of je nu jong bent of oud, kunstliefhebber of modefanaat, voorlezende geliefde of luisterend kind, je gaat dit boekje koesteren als je favoriete kleine zwarte jurkje.… (mais)