Coco Chanel seems to be a bit of a theme lately. There are movies and books coming out about Mademoiselle's life seemingly every hour, on the hour, and for good reason -- the woman led an incredibly interesting life, wholly deserving of being chronicled. We recently had a chance to review one of the more unique books about Coco Chanel -- Coco Chanel: Three Weeks/1962.

Rather than retell the story of how Chanel became a success, this book is filled with pictures (and a few select phrases) taken when the icon was 79 years old, when Douglas Kirkland (a very young-looking 27-year-old American photographer at the time) had the opportunity to spend three weeks taking pictures of Paris, Chanel fashion, and, of course, Chanel herself.

Kirkland built an unlikely friendship with Chanel, through which he gained access to not only her work, but her life. His photography captures all aspects of her personality, showing her hard at work, gossiping with the models, relaxing like a young woman, and looking like the tiny old woman she was, albeit with a defiant air, walking through the rain.

Pictures are worth a thousand words, and when we're talking about pictures of Coco Chanel and her work, they're worth far more. To see for yourself, you can purchase Coco Chanel: Three Weeks/1962 by Douglas Kirkland, copyright © 2008, published by Glitterati Incorporated here.