Justine Picardie on Coco Chanel, at 5x15

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Justine Picardie on Coco Chanel, at 5x15

28 Feb 2011

Speakers: Justine Picardie

In this talk for 5x15 Justine Picardie describes the experience of researching her book Coco Chanel: The Legend and the Life. Seeking to unearth the mysteries of the style icon, Picardie experienced the ghosts of her life, writing in her Parisian apartment at night, trying on her own clothing and sleeping in the Ritz hotel room in which Chanel stayed and later died. Picardie outlines her search for places and images that inspired Chanel's later designs – uncovering the tracks that the designer throughout her life had tried to disguise. She explains the English influences in the Parisian's life: her two great loves, her friendship with Churchill and the use of English fabrics in Chanel couture.

Hunting through archives, visiting her past and meeting and living with her descendants, Picardie describes her journey as she sought for the clues to Chanel's mysterious past.