Today, the word “Chanel” dances on the lips of every esteemed and wannabe fashion compatriot in the world, at once inspiring great respect and recognition. But the high regard in which the brand’s proprietor, Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel, is held did not come easily. In fact, it came as a result of personal and physical labor, defiance and a somewhat unwillingness to accept defeat. In the book “Coco Chanel: An Intimate Life,” Lisa Chaney chronicles, in exquisite detail, the life of the woman who has transcended time and trends, starting at her wretched beginnings.
Though there are other published biographies on Chanel, Chaney went to great lengths to unearth as much new information as possible for her effort. Taking four years to do so, the result is a systematic but engaging account of the very essence of a rags-to-riches tale.
Chanel’s life was exhaustingly perilous. Though she was eventually able to enjoy the fruits of her labor as an independent and self-made woman — during a time where this was virtually unheard of — her many romantic exploits, which often left her heartbroken and in despair, are emotionally draining to the reader. The overwhelming negativity that seemed to be a permanent part of her life, due in part to such romantic foibles, overshadows the legendary couture upon which Chanel’s reputation is built.
Chaney indelibly offers brief, descriptive glimpses into the cornerstones of Chanel’s career, an unavoidable pillar considering that her career basically became her life. But an even more in-depth discussion of her actual designs would have been welcome in “Coco Chanel.”
That said, one gets the distinct feeling that this book was meant to examine the couturier’s deeply intimate life. Her pieces have been analyzed into oblivion and indeed still are in the pages of high-fashion magazines, but her personal life has always been cloaked in some mystery, an intentional effort on Chanel’s part.
Chaney does as much as she can in the book to provide more insight into the lesser-known aspects of Chanel’s personal exploits, but she admits on some occasions that some areas are still shrouded in uncertainty. As a person with an incongruous and often contradictory personality, Chanel’s enigmatic appeal is not lost in Chaney’s latest offering, even in these moments of mystery.
Living in Paris during both World Wars gives Chanel’s story an even more palpable edge, and the way her timeline is intertwined with world history is a conscious and successful effort on Chaney’s part to further instill in the reader some sense of the great adversity always present in Chanel’s life.
To find out that the woman who created “the little black dress” and a fragrance that carries clout even in today’s choking cloud of celebrity and fashion-house perfume world (Chanel No. 5) was the same person who engaged in recreational drug use and an affair with a German spy is quite compelling. Chaney went the extra mile with “Coco Chanel,” and it shows.
Rating: W W W W
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