The Allure of Chanel

"They were both in exile just after World War Two, having had rather too much contact with the Germans during the Paris occupation. Morand had known Chanel since the 20s. He inhabited the same cultural milieu, which included Picasso , Stravinsky, Diaghilev and Cocteau. Morand had a number of conversations with her in St Moritz in the winter of 1946. He made notes but didn’t transcribe them until after her death in 1971. Yes. She was a great storyteller – not that all the stories that appear in the book are true. There’s a description of her and an aunt, whom she claims brought her up. She was, in fact, raised by nuns in an orphanage. I think these fictions are as interesting as the truth. They show how she wanted to reinvent herself and find a narrative that was bearable to live with. The great loves of her life were both English. She had intriguing links with the English aristocracy and Winston Churchill. She was one of five children, a fact she covered up, like so much else in her conversations with Morand. His book remains a wonderfully compelling account of her stories."