Coco Chanel: An Intimate Life

Coco Chanel, whose real name was Gabrielle, was one fascinating broad. Born to peasants, she would be orphaned by her mother's death and father's abandonment before she was 12, when she was sent to the Aubazine convent. Such beginnings contrast starkly with her later life when she would figure among the wealthiest, most influential women in France, if not beyond - and also bed half of Europe, at least the wealthy half (men and women alike). At various times her lovers included the Duke of Westminster (then himself the richest man in England), Stravinsky, Picasso, Dali, the Grand Duke Dmitri Pavlovich, and a high ranking German official during World War II - in addition to countless others whose names are far less known or impressive (Etienne Balsan? Arthur Capel? Antoinette d'Harcourt?). Also, she had a serious morphine habit. Most impressively is not simply the way Chanel revolutionized fashion, however, but that she continued working at it and being a force within the fashion world until she the day she died at the age of 87, some 60 years after she opened her first little shop.

So, yes, Chanel is fascinating. Coco Chanel: An Intimate Life, however, is a bit dry. In fact, as I read I couldn't help but feel that it could have been written as a dissertation, something to the effect of the "The Life and Times of Coco Chanel: One Woman's Impact on a Century." It's incredibly well researched and painstakingly thorough but, unlike some books which manage to be this without the reader constantly realizing it. In this book, the research can sometimes drag down each dense paragraph, threatening to crush them under its weight. I will say, though, that when it comes to descriptions of Europe - particularly life in France in the 19th century when peasants still spoke patois, or in either of the pre-/post- war periods - the research does pay dividends.

On a separate note, the author (Lisa Chaney), had what was for me the terribly annoying habit of referring to and describing various photos of Chanel or others, sometimes in great detail, which were then not included in any of the photo insert pages. I felt cheated! If the photographs couldn't be reproduced for the book, she should have said so in the text; if they could have been and she chose not to, then shame on her.

The final verdict: Coco Chanel was almost certainly one of the most remarkable figures of the 20th century. She gets 4 stars just for surviving and thriving, let alone being a quiet revolutionary in her own way. (Also, I couldn't help but think that she should have just married Etienne Balsan when he asked - twice - but that really is beside the point.) The book, however, gets 2 stars because at the end of the day the reader often has to work to keep Chanel in focus and not be overcome by the words on the page.