Rina Dhaka
There is no one like Madame Coco Chanel, whether we talk about the way she gave women freedom from the corset or how she simplified their lives with those fabulous, forward looking sling back shoes or the lovely tweed jacket, a predominantly men’s fabric. Coco Chanel was on the top of most things.
Chanel: Her style and her life by Janet Wallach is an honest portrayal of the life and times of my idol Coco. An orphan, she managed to touch the heights of the fashion world, without a rich father or a huge bank balance, but just seizing an opportunity and making the most of it.
She may have been unlucky in love as the coal magnate Arthur ‘Boy’ Capel wouldn’t marry Gabrielle Chanel, but all her lovers helped the lady with a magic touch.
She managed to use their money, influence and power to make a name for herself. And who can forget her best invention, the little black dress? Or her fragrance, Chanel No. 5?
But this biography touched my heart as it also showed her vulnerability. Sometimes sentimental and most often manipulative, Coco will always be remembered as a woman who knew where she wanted to go and how she would get there.
And no matter how many obstacles she faced, (failure in Hollywood and her alleged romantic liaisons with the Nazis), nothing stopped her.
As told to Asmita Aggarwal