The Chanel Sisters

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Gabrielle "Coco" Chanel has humble beginnings as a charity student in a Catholic church.

Normally it takes a while for a book to be set up as the author introduces the scene and the characters. This novel starts immediately and the reader is instantly attached to the girls in the story. Julia-Berthe, Gabrielle, and Antoinette Chanel are living as orphans in a convent after their mother's death. Their father is still alive, but lives a nomadic life as a peddler and does not want to travel with the girls.

The girls are allowed to visit their grandparents and Aunt Adrienne on holidays, who is around their age. The aunt introduces the girls to the elegant, fashionable world of the upper class in town, and the girls collect magazines with photos of the women. This is how Gabrielle, later known as Coco, is introduced to the world of high fashion. Adrienne becomes an honorary Chanel sister due to her closeness in age to Gabrielle.

The story is told from Antoinette's perspective, and she notices Gabrielle's penchant for making up stories to make her life seem more glamorous. This tendency stays with Coco for the rest of her life.

The girls experience their share of tragedy and triumph over the years. Gabrielle begins making hats for fashionable ladies and uses Antionette's experience in a milliner's shop to help her produce better hats. Gabrielle's lover finances her startup boutique in Paris.

It's clear to the reader that Gabrielle is ashamed of her humble beginnings and her disdain for everything that is overdone as "gauche" is simply because she cannot afford over the top designs. This influences her fashion sense, as when she is creating a hat she says to always remove, never add.

Gabrielle's ability to shift her focus is what keeps her relevant leading up to and during World War I. She begins making clothes for others before the war, and her devotion to comfortable yet fashionable clothing appeals to vacationers and war volunteers.

Recommended for fans of historical fiction or haute couture.

Judithe Little is a practicing lawyer who graduated from the University of Virginia School of Law. She is a native Virginian and currently lives in Houston, Texas.

Publisher: Graydon House

Length: 400 pages

Release Date: December 29, 2020

I received an electronic galley copy of this title from the publisher through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.