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83rd out of 121 books
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110 voters
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The Gospel According to Coco Chanel: Life Lessons from the World's Most Elegant Woman
Delving into the long, extraordinary life of renowned French fashion designer Coco Chanel, Karen Karbo has written a new kind of book, exploring Chanel’s philosophy on a range of universal themes—from style to passion, from money and success to femininity and living life on your own terms.
Hardcover, 240 pages
Published
September 1st 2009
by skirt!
(first published 2009)
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If biographies were coffee, then Karen Karbo's book would be a mocha cafe latte. It's mostly sweet with froth on top. It does have some of the more dimensional coffee flavors underneath, but all in all, it's a social drink that you probably don't think much about.
Things I liked: Anything biographically related to Coco Chanel's history, story and rise to fame. The book gave me a peek into the fascinating personality of an influential person. I might actually try to read more on the w...more
Things I liked: Anything biographically related to Coco Chanel's history, story and rise to fame. The book gave me a peek into the fascinating personality of an influential person. I might actually try to read more on the w...more
Since the closest I will ever come to the world of couture is being addicted to Project
Runway, I really enjoyed this peek into the rise of Coco Chanel. Truly a self-made woman, it she we have to thank for freeing women from corsets and upholstery fabric dresses. It is also her fault that fashion now favors the ultra thin and boyish figure, because she looked like that and made clothes for people who looked like her. She was quite a fascinating creature, and I give you a sample of her aph...more
Runway, I really enjoyed this peek into the rise of Coco Chanel. Truly a self-made woman, it she we have to thank for freeing women from corsets and upholstery fabric dresses. It is also her fault that fashion now favors the ultra thin and boyish figure, because she looked like that and made clothes for people who looked like her. She was quite a fascinating creature, and I give you a sample of her aph...more
Interesting & easy to read book on Coco Chanel. Author expounds on Chanelore. What a life! Still don't understand why she slept with the enemy (Spatz was a Nazi). Suppose it was love. The question is: was she a spy for the Nazis, even if indirectly? Most French women who dallied or slept with Nazis were killed at war's end for fraternizing with the enemy. Coco was spared thanks to Winston Churchill and other friends. The question still lingers, though. Another recent book on Coco that c...more
This is a good one to skip unless you really don't have anything better to read. I generally enjoy these "light" books about fashion and fashion divas but I this one didn't have many redeeming qualities. Chanel is an enigma. She intentionally kept her private life obscure (mostly by lying about it!) and no amount of research is going to unearth much about her. I adore Chanel, partly because she is so unknowable. I didn't expect to find many facts in here that I didn't already know...more
I have been so interested in the history of Coco Channel ever since I saw the movie "Avant Channel." This book is so great because it combines history of Coco Channel with her ideas and successes. It compares her opinions of fashion to her rivals of the time, also to Karl Lagerfeld designs, who has been chief designer of Chanel's fashion house since 1983. The book is fascinating because Coco lived a radical, scandalous, but beautiful life.
I almost didn't pick this book up because the title was a little cliche and gave me the impression that this would be some sort of religious book. It's not. I think that if I were going to re-title it, I would go with something like Life Lessons from the World's Most Elegant Woman: Coco Chanel (though more catchy). I really felt like the subtitle did for me what the title did not. Lucky after reading the first few pages in the bookstore I felt like it would be a good book despite it's title. And...more
Really a two and a half. Three stars for the biographical info on Chanel, two stars for the writing, evens out to two and a half stars.
I read this at the same time as I was reading The Paris Wife and A Moveable Feast for book club. It was a fun little synergy, as passing references to Hemingway are made in this book and passing references to Chanel were made in both of the Hemingway-related books.
I really liked learning about Chanel and some of the "life lessons"...more
I read this at the same time as I was reading The Paris Wife and A Moveable Feast for book club. It was a fun little synergy, as passing references to Hemingway are made in this book and passing references to Chanel were made in both of the Hemingway-related books.
I really liked learning about Chanel and some of the "life lessons"...more
This book is three parts biography, one part self-help, along with a few of the author's related personal experiences on her quest to acquire a Chanel jacket. Chanel led an interesting and inspiring life, so I'm not sure it's possible to write a book about her that's not at least somewhat interesting. I particularly enjoyed the various anecdote's about Chanel and her famously sharp wit. However, I was somewhat put off by the sweeping generalizations (often relating to gender) that Karbo make...more
It feels reasonable to presume that a work called "The Gospel According to Coco Chanel: Life Lessons from the World's Most Elegant Woman" might be clearly organized into life lessons -- such as with a list -- or, at the very least, have a straightforward assessment of how Chanel became a style icon. This book is repetitive, poorly copy-edited and weakly written. Yes, author Karen Karbo did talk about how Chanel's style differed from that of her contemporaries and the fabrics she favore...more
I never cared much about Coco Chanel before. About a year ago my fiancé and I made an early night of an evening in San Francisco and caught the Lifetime movie Coco Chanel. There were mixed reviews about the movie but I enjoyed learning the life of this creature of fashion. The other day, I stumbled across this book. After reading it I am completely enamored. Her story is compelling, her achievements great and what I like best about her is her persistence. She never once gave up. She took it easy...more
Mademoiselle Chanel is a very strong, opinionated woman. I would have loved to read more details of her fashion collections or see pictures, but that is not what this book is about. It shows the story of Chanel’s life & the choices she made. It was a very good read. The thing I didn't understand is how Chanel could disregard her past so easily (in the beginning being awful, losing her parents and growing up in a orphanage then wonderful and creating beautiful works of high fashion art). The past...more
This is a biography of Coco Chanel. It seems that there was not a lot of factual information available, so there is speculation on the part of the writer. It ends up being charming, though. Ms. Karbo mixes old-fashioned elegance with modern wit. And of course there is her search for the perfect Chanel jacket. Read the book to find out if the author obtains one!
This book gave me a hankering for Chanel No. 19, but I am pretty sure they don't sell that at T.J. Maxx so I probably won...more
This book gave me a hankering for Chanel No. 19, but I am pretty sure they don't sell that at T.J. Maxx so I probably won...more
The reason why i really like the book it's that the Karen Karbo writes is very different of many biographies. In this book she shows her point of view of this amazing woman who was Chanel, including self experiences. It is amazing how she was able to put the Chanel's rules into the modern society, not only telling the story of Coco, showing as well the story of Maison Chanel, as, for example, the difference between the actual Chanel and the old one. The focus in this book is basically all the th...more
Why I read it: After reading about Steve Jobs and his obsession with the appearance of Apple’s gadgets, wanted to read about another icon who defined how things should look.
My review: If you can get past the author’s fangirl tone, this is a well researched biography with some interesting insights on the fashion business and living a full life. There were more parallels to Steve Jobs than I anticipated. For example, on using others’ ideas:
She was shameless when it came to taki...more
My review: If you can get past the author’s fangirl tone, this is a well researched biography with some interesting insights on the fashion business and living a full life. There were more parallels to Steve Jobs than I anticipated. For example, on using others’ ideas:
She was shameless when it came to taki...more
This book isn't for everyone. It really deserves a 2 1/2 stars - but for Coco - I made it 3. It was fun to hear an old college friend, Rob's, voice in my head as I read this - he loves Coco and used to make comments about her - especially about costume jewerly! I always thought of her only designing those Jackie O. square jackets - but I didn't realize the time she really lived in (born 1883) and how ahead of fashion she was. It is impressive how she was a determined worker, had vision, and ...more
Jane
added it
I learedt a lot about CoCo Chanel and for that I really enjoyed this book. It's just a bit of fun. I like her 'independent women' ways. I like how she created cloths that went with the body. She did make skinny fashionable, so saved from corsets then enslaved by the boy body mentality. I do agree with what others have said - that the author stretches and forces life lessons onto Chanel's life. She had a terrible life! Not professionally of course, but emotionally she is a cripple.
I was so excited when I started reading this book. My excitement eventually faded and I struggled to go through the end. I expected more information about Coco's life. I thought I would learn so much more about her philosophy and style but I was very disappointed. I haven't learned anything that I haven't seen in the movies about her or read about her on line and the author's style was at times pretentious and it seemed unnatural. Not sure I would read any other book by her!
I enjoyed reading this book, but it was not what I expected, nor what the cover suggested. It is a lightweight biography of Coco Chanel, her fashion, and the author's pursuit of something Classic Chanel.
I am not a fashionista by any stretch, but as I appreciate art and history, fashion has always been in my peripheral vision even if I consider it frivolous. Until reading this book, I was quite uninformed about Chanel other than I admired her label handbags at the chic boutiques. Thi...more
I am not a fashionista by any stretch, but as I appreciate art and history, fashion has always been in my peripheral vision even if I consider it frivolous. Until reading this book, I was quite uninformed about Chanel other than I admired her label handbags at the chic boutiques. Thi...more
Looking past the fact that Coco Chanel was not the most moral of persons, she really was a genius. I always admire someone who takes a life of nothing and makes something of themselves. And a woman at a time when women weren't industry leaders. The book interweaves Chanel's life story with the history of France and fashion. The early 1900's are my favorite times to read in French history.
Chanel was a true visionary and reading this had inspired me to buy a bottle of her perfume.
Chanel was a true visionary and reading this had inspired me to buy a bottle of her perfume.
Gabrielle Chanel, born poor, invented herself and left some of her history a mystery, as the author explains how Chanel often fabricated (ha) stories about herself. For that reason it was hard for me to take this book too seriously. The topical chapters, each devoted to a life lesson and some developed from Chanel’s own quotes, seem admirable yet lack a spiritual depth and accountability that left me empty. I defined Chanel a creative, shrewd, motivated yet calculating, mean woman who didn’t liv...more
“A girl should be two things: classy and fabulous.”Coco Chanel
Have to say that I was a little exceptical at first, because I've read Ms. Karbo's previous book about Katharine Hepburn and wasn't too crazy about it, but since a friend gave it to me as a present why not give it a chance? I was pleasently surprise. Ms. Karbo did such a good job introducing Coco Chanel to us, her sense of humor, personality and believes.
This book should be reminder to women to live life the way we choose,...more
Have to say that I was a little exceptical at first, because I've read Ms. Karbo's previous book about Katharine Hepburn and wasn't too crazy about it, but since a friend gave it to me as a present why not give it a chance? I was pleasently surprise. Ms. Karbo did such a good job introducing Coco Chanel to us, her sense of humor, personality and believes.
This book should be reminder to women to live life the way we choose,...more
This was a quick and entertaining read. This isn't my typical book, but I have had the opportunity as of late to fill my days with some extra reading. My closet fashionista enjoyed feeling a little more educated about the rise of a fashion superhero. I think one has to have a little bit of fashionista in them to get any sense of pleasure from this book. If you also appreciate humor, this is a good choice.
I loved learning about Coco Chanel. She was a fascinating, strong and truly modern woman. What I did not love was reading about the author. She seems to be a crass American woman who lacks any semblance of class (i.e. the moment when she takes the photo of the dog against the wishes of the shop girl). She is the very opposite of Coco Chanel! Also, clearly she lacked any fashion sense. I would rather hear about Chanel from someone with style and elegance!
Candace Burton
added it
Harmless and entertaining fun, with just enough history of Coco to make it worth reading. I'm not sure whether Karbo *meant* to paint herself as the idiot foil to Chanel's genius, but she reigned it in enough to keep me reading. Not nearly as funny or thoughtful as Mennonite in a Little Black Dress, this was a nice palate cleanser in between chunks of the most recent A.S. Byatt tome.
Much to my surprise, I loved this book. I went to the library looking for another book and picked this one up as a kitchy little book to peruse. As it turns out, I dropped the other book for this one. An interesting look into history, politics, contracts, and how it all affects/affected fashion. Coco Chanel was a character. So glad I never passed her on the street. Yikes.
I liked it. I would probably read it again. I do want to read more about Chanel. The book had some interesting biography and essay mixes. I am not sure that I remember the outcome of the attempt at a handmade Chanel version of the jacket turned out. Was the author happy with the handmade version? How did it make her feel? I might have read it but it did not make a huge impression on my.
I liked this book a lot. I started smiling on page 50 and am still smiling. Karbo combines self-aware criticism with fashion history, weaving her search for genuine Chanel (original) with Coco's own inventive quest for fashion premierdom. Not sure about the life lessons stuff, but if you were raised in an orphanage, change your story with each telling, and proclaim yourself queen loudly and often, than Chanel has something to teach you.
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Miss Clark
rated it
Recommends it for:
Anyone interested in knowing more about Coco Chanel
Shelves:
biography-letters,
historical
I enjoyed this book, esp. learning more about how Chanel got into business, but it was also very sad to see a life with so little happiness. And I had expected the book to focus more on Chanel's fashions. Ah, well.
Style is what works for you, what you prefer, what you know to look good on you, being both comfortable and practical.
Style is what works for you, what you prefer, what you know to look good on you, being both comfortable and practical.
A funny glimpse into the life of Mademoiselle Gabrielle. I've always admired the House of Chanel, and now I love the woman behind it even more. My favorite excerpt: "Chanel was not just a straight talker, she was a back talker, a woman who embraced her own churlishness. One of the cares she lost when she decided to be someone and not something was that of talking around her real thoughts and feelings, so as not to offend. Really, she could give a damn. Bring it on."
A mix of light biography and inspirational pep talk, along the lines of books like What Would Audrey Do? and A Touch of Grace. Nothing deep or earth-shattering, but it made for good airplane reading during a recent trip. I liked getting to know a little bit about Coco Chanel's life and career.
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