In 1928, Gabrielle Chanel built La Pausa, a magnificent villa in Roquebrune in the South of France. Designed and decorated by the couturiere herself, it was her refuge for decades, and where she welcomed many friends—leading artistic, cultural, and high-society figures such as the Duke of Westminster, Pablo Picasso, Salvador Dalí, and Jean Cocteau.
Plunging the reader into the bustling atmosphere of the Côte d’Azur in the ’30s, this book showcases all facets of Chanel’s Mediterranean home—its conception and construction, its unique architecture and gardens, and the artists and creatives it inspired. The luxurious tome is bound in Orient blue cloth with an inlaid portrait of the villa, seven-color printing on two paper stocks, and three facsimile inserts—Chanel’s correspondence with Picasso and Dalí, and an architectural plan of the villa. Expert essays and rare archival materials are completed with a conversation between Yana Peel and Peter Marino (who recently restored the villa) and a chronology. Reflecting the creativity and singularity of the iconic fashion designer, La Pausa is a monument to the private world of Gabrielle Chanel.
