The Gospel According to Coco Chanel

I really don't know what's gotten into me lately.  For some reason or another I seem to have developed a mild obsession with Coco Chanel.  It's inexplicable, really.  My closet is far from overflowing with her dresses.  I've never been a real fan of Chanel No. 5 (way too heavy and old-lady, if you want my two cents), despite the fact that Marilyn Monroe once claimed that was all she wore to bed.  I could never afford an original 2.55 handbag, sigh.  But I do like the makeup.  Although really, was Coco even still alive when the makeup line hit the department stores?  I suspect the answer is non!

I am, on the other hand, an enormous fan of Audrey Tatou, and I would watch any movie that she happened to be in.  (Although I did draw the line with The Da Vinci Code.  It's a bit of a toss-up as to what was most offensive: the reprehensible and wildly anti-Catholic nature of the book (which I did read)/movie, or Tom Hanks's hair.  Tough call.)  Anyway, I do adore her.  So the instant I heard about Coco Before Chanel , I began to anxiously await its release on dvd.  (I don't think we've actually gone to see a movie in the theater since Emilia was born.)  Anyway, I know I've said it before, but the movie is marvelous.  Beautiful from beginning to end.  Although, if you have a preference for more of the action-flicks, it may not be your cup of tea. 

Immediately on the heels of the movie, my nearest and dearest Lizzie sent me an email saying something along the lines of this: 'I've taken the liberty of choosing our new selection for book club.  When shall we plan our champagne-filled discussion?'  Considering the fact that neither of us belong to any sort of book club, I found this rather funny.  And so, me being me, I knew I would be very grumpy and rather stressed if I did not procure a copy of the book immediately.  And there you go, after a quick ride in the car with Miss Milia, I had my own shiny new copy of The Gospel According to Coco Chanel, which I placed on our coffee table to patiently await Emilia's naptime.

I am amazed how quickly I read the book.  For some reason I had assumed it would be rather dull, but it turned out to be a fabulous page-turner.  Karen Karbo did an excellent job of weaving Coco Chanel's biography, and the world in which she lived, into a very funny, highly readable, and very well researched little book.  The sub-title is Life Lessons from the World's Most Elegant Woman, and, taking this to heart, Karbo has given each chapter titles such as : On Style, On Fearlessness, On Surviving Passion, On Cultivating Arch Rivals, On Money, as so on.  It is wonderful -- part biography, part style guide, part self-help book.  And at times it is hilarious.  Whether you want to or not, you will end up loving Coco Chanel, and probably even Karbo herself.

I will refrain from spinning out quote after quote from the book, despite the fact that my copy is ridiculously dog-eared.  However, I will give you a few of my favorite Life Lessons, as it were.

'Style has always been about money, and it always will be. (KK)'  (Very loaded statement, that.  And every time I write something on it, I delete it.  So I think it best just to leave it alone and let you arrive at your own conclusion.  Just remember as you do so that, toward the end of Chanel's life, being beyond wealthy and able to have nearly anything at her fingertips, the woman (rather eccentrically) owned only two suits which she apparently rotated on an every-other-day basis.  Quality versus quantity, I suspect.)

'Elegance is refusal.'

'The mini skirt is dirty ... one already collects too much dust and mud on one's legs in Paris, must one now have it on one's thighs?'

'Hard times arouse an instinctive desire for authenticity.'  (I personally adore this one.)

'Clearly the greatest life lesson of this book is that knowing how to ride a horse will never fail to impress. (KK)'