How appropriate is the subtitle of this book “fashion, genius and glorious excess in 1970s Paris”. It is not new – published 2006 and I’m not a follower of fashion – but the cliche “I couldn’t put it down” certainly applied to me when I read this book recently. I couldn’t wait to see what happened to the whole unlovely cast of characters Alicia Drake assembles in her book The Beautiful Fall.
The story follows the lives and careers of fashion giants Karl Lagerfeld and Yves Saint Laurent as well as their various hangers on (boyfriends, muses, business partners, court jesters, employees) and the changing directions and fortunes of French haute couture. It is a story of amazing talents, vaunting ambitions and the siren lure of escaping the provinces to reinvent yourself and become famous (even for a short time) in Parisienne society. Throw in an industry that allows successful designers to make huge amounts of money, the heady days of disco and gay excess followed by the spectres of heroin, cocaine and AIDS and you have conflict and tragedy a plenty.
