| The Collection Contributor(s): Diliberto, Gioia (Author) |
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ISBN: 0743280660 ISBN-13: 9780743280662 Publisher: Scribner Book Company OUR PRICE: $18.99 Product Type: Paperback - Other Formats Published: September 2008 Annotation: From the critically acclaimed author of "I Am Madame X" comes this compulsively readable novel set in Paris in 1919 about a young woman who discovers the glamor and ruthlessness of haute couture at Coco Chanel. |
| Additional Information |
| BISAC Categories: - Fiction | Historical - General - Fiction | Literary |
| Dewey: FIC |
| Physical Information: 0.7" H x 5.5" W x 8.4" (0.80 lbs) 304 pages |
| Themes: - Chronological Period - 1900-1919 - Cultural Region - French |
| Descriptions, Reviews, Etc. |
| Publisher Description: Isabelle Varlet, charming and naïve, comes from a long line of seamstresses in a small town in France. A series of unfortunate events and her prodigious sartorial talent carry her to Paris, which in the wake of World War I is electric with new life. When Isabelle takes a job in the atelier of Coco Chanel, the rising star of haute couture, she finds herself in the heart of a glamorous and ruthless world filled with arrogant designers, handsome men, beautiful women, and fashion thieves who prowl Paris hoping to steal designs before they hit the runway. In Chanel's workshop, Isabelle thrives on the time-honored techniques of couture -- the pains-taking hand stitches, the perfect fall of fabric -- and the sleek, pared-down lines of Mademoiselle's revolutionary style. As Isabelle brings an exquisite dress to life for the fall collection -- from its embryonic origins in humble muslin to its finished form in the finest silk -- she navigates the tempestuous moods of Chanel, the cutthroat antics of her fellow workers, and her own search for love. Just as she did in her critically acclaimed novel I Am Madame X, Gioia Diliberto brings a rich historical moment to life through her vivid and compelling storytelling. Her penetrating research and imagination are gracefully woven together in this poignant story filled with larger-than-life characters embroiled in scandalous tales, passionate love affairs, and extraordinary careers. The Collection is an exuberantly entertaining read. |
Contributor Bio(s): Diliberto, Gioia: - Gioia Diliberto has written biographies of Jane Addams, Hadley Hemingway, and Brenda Frazier, as well as the critically acclaimed novel I Am Madame X, based on the life of Virginie Gautreau. She lives in Chicago with her husband and son. |