Coco Chanel: An Essence of Mystery

An updated authorized edition of Isabelle Fiemeyer's literary biography of Coco Chanel, which demystifies the legendary designer's life.

Featuring unpublished and exclusive content based on first-hand interviews with Chanel's great-niece and confidante, Gabrielle 'Tiny' Labrunie, this beautifully imagined biography tells the true story of the fashion enigma Coco Chanel.

Chanel was raised in an orphanage run by nuns, her mother having died, and her father - an itinerant peddlar of clothing - unable to take care of her. She became a singer in cafes, and was courted by the glamorous cavalry officers who frequented the clubs. Eventually one of her lovers set her up as a milliner, beginning a career in fashion that is now the stuff of legend.

Isabelle Fiemeyer tells this story in lyrical style without shying away from difficult subjects. Much has been written about Chanel's activities during the war, when she consorted with senior German officers: Fiemeyer maintains that she was recruited as a German informer without her knowledge. She also acknowledges that Chanel's beloved nephew, whom she persuaded her contacts in Germany to release from a prison camp, was probably her son.

By sharing Chanel's life in the style of a novel, Fiemeyer offers us the chance to discover an amazing story - a story of rags to riches, certainly, but also that of a tough, intelligent, emancipated woman, one who overcame huge odds to become a household name and a byword for stylish elegance.