Gabrielle Chanel was the most enigmatic and mysterious of women. Justine Picardie a well known biographer had always wanted to write about Ms. Chanel ever since she discovered her as young women. A number of books have been written about Coco Chanel, but as a biographer Mrs. Picardie had been granted this extraordinary access, Mrs. Picardie was allowed to write in Chanel’s apartment. Justine Picardie has spent the last decade puzzling over the truth about Coco Chanel, attempting to peel away the accretions of romance and lies. People tend to associate Chanel with diamonds, pearls, and all the glitter of fashion, but there was darkness at her heart as well; in which is chronologically developed throughout the biography. She was an elusive designer, who introduced simplicity into women’s wardrobes, changed the fashion industry and understood the true power of a trademark look. “Coco Chanel: The legend and the life” is written for those who have a hunger for fashion, love discovering deep secrets and strive for a good read. I believe a great strength throughout the book were the illustrations, they allowed me to really connect with Chanel and get a sense of what stood for. Readability wise, it's sometimes hard work as the typeset is small and entire pages of text can appear overwhelming. My advice - persevere because the depth of detail is staggering. With Mrs. Picardie basically growing up on Chanel and being noted as almost transforming into Chanel throughout the book, Mrs. Picardie had became a tad bias however; building an argument that Chanel did not live up to her standards is highly unlikely. When you think this was just a little girl in an orphanage, left with nothing it’s really extraordinary, and Chanel was non-the-less. All the major aspects are explored in terms of her style, her muse's, her brand 'development' if you like - how did an abandoned little girl turn into one of the World’s greatest style icons? Essentially, she was a fascinating woman and a legend. I loved the way Mrs. Picardie humanized her and brought her back down to Earth, by highlighting her foibles as well as her achievement. This biography really brought her to life for me.
Coco Chanel, the iconic French designer, revolutionized women’s fashion. She defied convention, abandoning the typical baroque evening gown, lined with whalebone corsets, topped off with a bird’s nest hat and defined the modern woman, introducing a signature look, comprised of a little black dress and an elegant string of pearls. Justine Picardie, the author, begins the first page of her biography on Chanel with a quote pertaining to one of the many contributions of Chanel to fashion, “ I imposed black: It’s still going strong today, for black wipes out everything else around” – Coco Chanel. This quote, in my opinion sets the tone for the reader of the book. Picardie’s placement of this quote was indeed clever, for at the beginning of the book; such a statement allows one to realize how monumental Chanel’s contribution to fashion and to a female’s image was. She then leaps into the story of a little girl named Gabrielle raised by nuns in an orphanage who would become Coco Chanel, one of the most widely recognized names in history. As a young woman Justine Picardie was fascinated by Chanel, describing her as the most “enigmatic and mysterious” of women. In gaining access to write in Chanel’s personal apartment, she had the opportunity to uncover the real Gabrielle Chanel beneath a veil of lies and scandalous relationships. Picardie conveys this darker myth to the reader in an elegant and chronological order. In exploring all major conventions in this book, including Chanel’s dark childhood, Picardie illuminates the romances and tragedies, fashions and iconic trademark looks, that created a strong and determined pioneering woman, as well as providing insight into the social lives of royalty, world leaders and the aristocracy during the last century. The book itself makes the use of headings, photographs and illustrations. These text features prove to be a major strength in the book with regards to Picardie’s abilities to give the reader insight into the life of Coco Chanel. The headings serve as the particular events and relationships in Gabrielle Chanel’s life, shaping her as the icon we remember today. Picardie indeed does paint the life of Coco Chanel very well, but in my opinion, the book was not necessarily a “page turner,” – it was factual and interesting. The pages at times became somewhat overwhelming. The depth of detail was incredible, but as new individuals were introduced there was little background information on them, which occasionally made it difficult to understand the context. One of the major struggles I found in reading this book was Picardie’s use of French words, a footnote would have been very useful for someone who does not speak the language. It becomes apparent in the book that Chanel was an excessive liar and Picardie seems to justify it by condoning the lying Chanel told of her childhood, and relationships, proclaiming that she was somewhat forced to lie of her past foibles in the upscale society she was trying to fit into. This thoroughly researched biography certainly does explain the life of Coco Chanel very well, the key words to this success being “thoroughly researched," as it would have been very difficult for Picardie to uncover the truth through her research. “Coco Chanel: the legend and the life” is a biography not only written for those who enjoy fashion, but is an eminently enjoyable fling covering the life of a historical icon from her dark childhood to her entire career. This highly anticipated biography is in my opinion the definitive story of Coco Chanel, reminding its readers that Coco Chanel is and forever will be, a legend.
Gabrielle Chanel was the most enigmatic and mysterious of women. Justine Picardie a well known biographer had always wanted to write about Ms. Chanel ever since she discovered her as young women. A number of books have been written about Coco Chanel, but as a biographer Mrs. Picardie had been granted this extraordinary access, Mrs. Picardie was allowed to write in Chanel’s apartment. Justine Picardie has spent the last decade puzzling over the truth about Coco Chanel, attempting to peel away the accretions of romance and lies. People tend to associate Chanel with diamonds, pearls, and all the glitter of fashion, but there was darkness at her heart as well; in which is chronologically developed throughout the biography.
ReplyDeleteShe was an elusive designer, who introduced simplicity into women’s wardrobes, changed the fashion industry and understood the true power of a trademark look. “Coco Chanel: The legend and the life” is written for those who have a hunger for fashion, love discovering deep secrets and strive for a good read. I believe a great strength throughout the book were the illustrations, they allowed me to really connect with Chanel and get a sense of what stood for. Readability wise, it's sometimes hard work as the typeset is small and entire pages of text can appear overwhelming. My advice - persevere because the depth of detail is staggering. With Mrs. Picardie basically growing up on Chanel and being noted as almost transforming into Chanel throughout the book, Mrs. Picardie had became a tad bias however; building an argument that Chanel did not live up to her standards is highly unlikely.
When you think this was just a little girl in an orphanage, left with nothing it’s really extraordinary, and Chanel was non-the-less. All the major aspects are explored in terms of her style, her muse's, her brand 'development' if you like - how did an abandoned little girl turn into one of the World’s greatest style icons? Essentially, she was a fascinating woman and a legend. I loved the way Mrs. Picardie humanized her and brought her back down to Earth, by highlighting her foibles as well as her achievement. This biography really brought her to life for me.
Coco Chanel, the iconic French designer, revolutionized women’s fashion. She defied convention, abandoning the typical baroque evening gown, lined with whalebone corsets, topped off with a bird’s nest hat and defined the modern woman, introducing a signature look, comprised of a little black dress and an elegant string of pearls.
ReplyDeleteJustine Picardie, the author, begins the first page of her biography on Chanel with a quote pertaining to one of the many contributions of Chanel to fashion, “ I imposed black: It’s still going strong today, for black wipes out everything else around” – Coco Chanel. This quote, in my opinion sets the tone for the reader of the book. Picardie’s placement of this quote was indeed clever, for at the beginning of the book; such a statement allows one to realize how monumental Chanel’s contribution to fashion and to a female’s image was. She then leaps into the story of a little girl named Gabrielle raised by nuns in an orphanage who would become Coco Chanel, one of the most widely recognized names in history.
As a young woman Justine Picardie was fascinated by Chanel, describing her as the most “enigmatic and mysterious” of women. In gaining access to write in Chanel’s personal apartment, she had the opportunity to uncover the real Gabrielle Chanel beneath a veil of lies and scandalous relationships. Picardie conveys this darker myth to the reader in an elegant and chronological order. In exploring all major conventions in this book, including Chanel’s dark childhood, Picardie illuminates the romances and tragedies, fashions and iconic trademark looks, that created a strong and determined pioneering woman, as well as providing insight into the social lives of royalty, world leaders and the aristocracy during the last century.
The book itself makes the use of headings, photographs and illustrations. These text features prove to be a major strength in the book with regards to Picardie’s abilities to give the reader insight into the life of Coco Chanel. The headings serve as the particular events and relationships in Gabrielle Chanel’s life, shaping her as the icon we remember today. Picardie indeed does paint the life of Coco Chanel very well, but in my opinion, the book was not necessarily a “page turner,” – it was factual and interesting. The pages at times became somewhat overwhelming. The depth of detail was incredible, but as new individuals were introduced there was little background information on them, which occasionally made it difficult to understand the context. One of the major struggles I found in reading this book was Picardie’s use of French words, a footnote would have been very useful for someone who does not speak the language.
It becomes apparent in the book that Chanel was an excessive liar and Picardie seems to justify it by condoning the lying Chanel told of her childhood, and relationships, proclaiming that she was somewhat forced to lie of her past foibles in the upscale society she was trying to fit into. This thoroughly researched biography certainly does explain the life of Coco Chanel very well, the key words to this success being “thoroughly researched," as it would have been very difficult for Picardie to uncover the truth through her research.
“Coco Chanel: the legend and the life” is a biography not only written for those who enjoy fashion, but is an eminently enjoyable fling covering the life of a historical icon from her dark childhood to her entire career. This highly anticipated biography is in my opinion the definitive story of Coco Chanel, reminding its readers that Coco Chanel is and forever will be, a legend.