March 2015

I started my career at a fashion magazine, so Chanel was a name I came to know well as an iconic brand, but I knew little about the woman when I worked there. A few years ago, I watched Coco Before Chanel and learned a tad more about Coco Chanel and her legendary career, but there still were holes. Thus I scooped up an advance copy of C. W. Gortner’s MADEMOISELLE CHANEL as soon as it was available and happily found it to be a wonderfully enjoyable book that rounded out my Chanel experience.

It is beautifully written and full of lots of details that I did not know, but is never over-muddled with facts, which is something I loathe. It flows from the start as we see Chanel in her studio creating hats as well as drawing on places like Deauville around her for inspiration. It picks up more steam as she grows her business with line extensions to perfume and jewelry. She changed how women wore clothes and how they thought about appearance and style along the way, building a brand that endures. Her relationships --- with men, as well as with other fashion legends and the scandal-ridden ones of association with the Nazis --- show the complexity of this multi-faceted woman. Gortner notes that he is a lifelong admirer of Chanel, but he is not so dazzled that he cannot show warts along with beauty.

For those who enjoy biographical historic fiction, this is another for your collection!