The Chanel Sisters
Book Review - The Chanel Sisters by Judithe Little
I mean, how could I NOT read and review The Chanel Sisters by Judithe Little? I have a Ph.D. in fashion history…this book is perfect for me. When Judithe’s publicist reached out about this title, I’m sure she knew this would be an easy sell. What I didn’t know was that January 10, 2021 will mark the 50th year since Coco Chanel has passed away. There couldn’t be a more perfect time for this book to release.
Book Review - The Chanel Sisters by Judithe Little
The Chanel Sisters focuses primarily on Coco’s little sister, Antoinette. In grad school, they don’t really teach you about the family members of notable figures in the fashion industry…they barely talk about their personal lives, choosing to focus primarily on their contributions to the field. With Coco Chanel, however, her personal life did make it into a few of our textbooks. It is hard to learn about Coco Chanel without also discussing her controversy surrounding WWII and her feuds with other designers. But no where in those textbooks was there ever any mention of her sisters and their childhood growing up in an orphanage.
Book Review - The Chanel Sisters by Judithe Little
I adored this book. As much as I was hoping this book would center around Coco (and there is quite a bit about Coco) it was really Antoinette’s story that drew me in. She was a fascinating character and played a significant role in establishing Coco Chanel as a household name. I was intrigued that the author presented Coco Chanel in a way I’ve rarely seen her portrayed: sympathetic. The one thing I had to skim over was some rather graphic descriptions of horses being injured/killed during WWI. I’m a huge animal-lover and I just couldn’t stomach it.
Book Review - The Chanel Sisters by Judithe Little
