Product Description

Coco Chanel's genius for fashion may have been distilled in simplicity, but her life was an extravaganza. A brilliant array of luminaries fell under her spell - Picasso, Churchill, Cocteau; lovers included the Grand Duke Dmitri; the English roue, Boy Capel; a French poet; and, a German spy and the Duke of Westminster, who offered to leave his wife for her permanently, if she would only bear him an heir. Paradoxically, though she might have been regarded in some lights as a pioneering feminist - sacrificing marriage to a revolutionary career in couture - Chanel was utterly baffled by the idea of women's politics. Educated women? 'A woman's education consists of two lessons: never leave the house without stockings, never go out without a hat'. Chanel's rise from penniless orphan to millionaire designer - 'inventing' sportswear, the little black dress and number 5 - makes compelling reading, not least because she was inclined to design her own life as deftly as she did her fashions. Axel Madsen negotiates Chanel's smoke screens with skill, bringing this tantalizing woman to life in all her alluring complexity.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #681 in Books
• Published on: 2009-08-03
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 400 pages

Review
'Axel Madsen's book cuts through the falsehoods. Set against the realism of historical events, it skilfully analyses the creation of the Chanel phenomenon' Vogue 'The best yet book on the big C' Elle 'A great rags to riches story and the fascination of the gorgon does come through' Irish Independent 'A lively biography of the extraordinary fashion designer whose life was from start to finish an extravaganza' Financial Times

About the Author
Axel Madsen (born May 27, 1930) was a Danish-American biographer and journalist. Born in Copenhagen and raised in Paris, Madsen turned from music to writing in the early 1950s, initially for the Paris edition of the New York Herald Tribune. In 1956 he moved to Canada and began working for United Press International. He moved to Hollywood in the early 1960s. Biographies included Billy Wilder, Barbara Stanwyck, Coco Chanel, John Jacob Astor, Jacques Cousteau, Yves St. Laurent, Andre Malraux, Jean-Paul Sartre, Simone de Beauvoir, William C. Durant, William Wyler, and John Huston.He died of cancer in Los Angeles in 2007.

Customer Reviews

Mlle Chanel
They say it is better to be born lucky than rich. After an inauspicious start, Gabrielle Bonheur Chanel (what a beautiful name) found herself in the right place at the right time. Through her strength of character - for she certainly was a survivor - and her own skill and uncompromising attitude to fashion and life generally, she made it to the top of her profession.
Names you will recognise and some you may not, trip easily from the pages. I found the description of the war years particularly interesting. The author clearly has researched this book very well. He gives 27 pages of notes on sources and another six for the bibliography. The photographs are very much an added bonus. There seem to be one or two small proof reading errors e.g. Page 290, Pierre Wertheimer's Derby winner is stated as "Lavandin" whereas the photograph caption states "Lanvin". Unless his horses won more than once (I am not a racing expert) this would seem to be an error. However, don't let this put you off as Axel Madsen has done a fabulous job and I enjoyed the book very much.

Friends Delighted
This Book was given as a Birthday Present...
The feedback from my friend was Very Positive,
Viz., Terrific Read.. Most Enjoyable, a Big Hit!!