Try as it might, this recollection of the Chanel exhibit at Manhattan's Metropolitan Museum of Art doesn't exactly capture the essence of Coco, a young, free-spirited couturier who epitomized the New Woman of her day. And still does. The details and icons associated with Coco Chanel, from the quilted bag and #5 perfume to stars and the ubiquitous double-C logo, are well represented; even the contributors (designer Karl Lagerfeld, for one) and the stark layout and typography suggest le style de Chanel, that "elegantly conceptual modernism." In one sense, the catalog is far superior to the go-live viewing; every piece of her work, whether in the 1920s or today via Lagerfeld's interpretation, reveals the attention to the many hidden points of dress. Yet, despite seven-plus essays and a wondrous parade of photographs accompanied by historical captions, the spirit of Chanel is less than evident. For those who can't make the pilgrimage in person. Barbara Jacobs

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