Saint Laurent Muse

C. W. Gortner is the author of many bestselling historical novels—including Mademoiselle Chanel—which have been published in more than twenty countries. He lives in San Francisco.

“Sucked me in by the pearls and never let go. Gortner’s imagining of the ultimate fashion icon is equal parts grit and glamour, painting a portrait of a woman who was hugely inspiring but by no means perfect. Oh, and if you can’t afford to visit Paris in peak springtime season, reading this book with a glass of wine is a decent substitute.” — Glamour on Mademoiselle Chanel“Absorbing, heartbreaking and salacious—like Chanel’s life story . . . a vivid, heartbreaking portrait of Coco Chanel’s meteoric rise to fame and her complicated personal life.” — Shelf Awareness on Mademoiselle Chanel“In this deliciously satisfying novel, C.W. Gortner tells the epic, rags-to-riches story of how this brilliant, mercurial, self-created woman became a legend.” — Christina Baker Kline, New York Times bestselling author of Orphan Train, on Mademoiselle Chanel“Enticing . . . a well-researched and well-crafted historical novel that leaves the reader satisfied on many levels.” — New York Journal of Books on Mademoiselle Chanel“In a novel as brilliant and complicated as Coco Chanel herself, C. W. Gortner’s prose is so electric and luminous it could be a film, and not just any film, but one of the grandest biopics of our time. Divine!” — Erika Robuck, bestselling author of Hemingway’s Girl, on Mademoiselle Chanel“Between the decadence and the dazzling details, I love historical fiction books centered around fashion,” says Carissa Mosness, FIRST Assistant Digital Editor. “And C.W. Gortner’s latest enthralled me.” After leaving her marriage, Loulou de la Falaise flees to Paris during the 1970s to make it in the fashion industry. Then she meets Yves Saint Laurent and they form a friendship that changes the world of fashion forever. “This story transported me to Paris,” says Carissa. “It was a perfect blend of fiction and fact.” — First for WomenThis frothy tale offers maximum 1970s high-fashion zeitgeist at its zenith, right before AIDS brought the party to a screeching halt. It’s an endless round of hedonistic decadence—constant drug use, casual sex, emotional dysregulation, and eccentricity—peppered with all the notable names of the day, including Halston, Warhol, Nureyev, and Paloma Picasso"." — Booklist“A sequin-drenched ’70s excess wrapped around the beating heart of friendship.” — KATE QUINN, New York Times Bestselling Author of The Alice Network