Women of singular beauty

A journey through the world of Chanel Haute Couture through the photographs of Cathleen Naundorf

All the magic and sophistication of haute couture by maison Chanel are contained in the book, “Women of singular beauty, Chanel Haute Couture by Cathleen Naundorf”, published by Rizzoli, with images by famous photographer Cathleen Naundorf. Theatrical sets represent an ideal background that capture the aesthetics and magnificence of very special creations, which required hours of meticulous craftsmanship. Cathleen used her cultural background, ranging from art to photojournalism, to immortalize the clothes and capture their secrets and beauty. Every image has its own life, among surrealism, imagination, and fantasy. The book represents a tribute to 15 years of collaboration. Many works by Naundorf are exhibited at Hamilton London, the Edwynn Houk Gallery in New York, and the Holden Luntz in Palm Beach. They are also present in the collections of the Musée Rodin, the Victoria & Albert Museum, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art. After studying painting and photography, Cathleen began traveling and dedicated herself to photo features on ethnic groups, working with the Yanomami tribes in the Amazon, with the Mongols and Kazakhs in the Altai mountains, and with the shamans in Yakutia, a region of Siberia. She MET the Dalai Lama and became a supporter of Amnesty International. Thanks to her friendship with Horst P. Horst, she finally approached the world of fashion photography and collaborated with famous fashion houses like Dior, Gaultier, Valentino, Saab, Lacroix, Philip Treacy and, of course, Chanel. Jérôme Neutres, who edited the preface of the book, is the director of strategy and development for the Réunion des Musées nationaux and the Grand Palais. He is also president of the Musée du Luxembourg.