Pablo Picasso once said that Gabrielle 'Coco' Chanel had more sense than any woman in Europe.
Among the many astute, sometimes absurd, quotes attributed to the designer during her 87 years was the line that the legend has a harder life than the subject itself. 'May my legend gain ground,' she mused. 'I wish it a long and happy life.' Since her death in 1971, both the legend and the legacy have become a testament to longevity. Each is currently in reasonable shape despite the character of the age. Presently, the history that relates to the many is re-written to accommodate the fantasies of the few, with the past defined entirely by the crimes it committed. The triumphs that have brought about progress are overlooked, while the modish beneficiaries of these developments rail against the privileges they've inherited. Frequently they call out consumption and consumerism while being slaves to each. They pick their version of the past as easily as they choose …