More Coco ?

To say that The Allure of Chanel

attributes authorship to Paul Morand is of course true, but is probably also true that is it written by Coco Chanel.

This book, beautifully illustrated by Karl Lagerfeld, is the result of Coco Chanel’s invitation to Morand to visit her in St. Moritz at the end of World War II.

He notes their conversations, which were brought to light only after Chanel’s death in January 1971. In this book, Chanel tells of her life from her very lonely childhood, through her career and her relationships with some of the men in her life.

Some of several delightful sketches by Karl Lagerfeld

It is apparent that Morand attempted to make himself invisible between the reader and Coco’s raw, sharply written accounts of her life. Written in the first person as if transcribed from Chanel’s own words, I have a feeling that I was experiencing Chanel’s world through her own eyes.

If you have read any other accounts of Chanel’s life, or seen some of the films that depict it, you know that she was a woman who forged her way forward in business using determination great natural talent, and that her journey was not an easiest one. Miss Chanel’s life was a process of amazing revelation, a deep interest in uncovering the genuine, and in defining beauty as truth. Evenso, Coco at times seems to have not a lot of patience for other woman–she had very few female friends during her adult life, and some of her harshest words are reserved for her description of others of the same sex.

A life born and lived so many generations ago, readers are duely warned that some of Chanel’s writing contains certain personal prejudices that are at times direct and a can be offensive. Also the controversial period of Chanel’s life during World War II seems neither fully depicted or, as far as I could tell, . The text is very well written, quite frankly honest, and as I mentioned beautifully illustrated perfectly by Karl Lagerfeld.

To be completely honest, you maybe would buy this book for the wonderful illustrations alone. This is not an easy read due to Chanel’s blinding perceptions, as some are quite scathing. But finaly, I found that most of the book provided a clear look inside the voice of Chanel from her self, and so a worthy read for those interested in piecing together an understanding of Chanel’s great style and empire.

Coco Chanel Quotes