{"title":"C. W. Gortner","description":null,"products":[{"product_id":"the-saint-laurent-muse-a-novel","title":"The Saint Laurent Muse: A Novel","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e“Between the decadence and the dazzling details, I love historical fiction books centered around fashion. And C. W. Gortner’s latest enthralled me. This story transported me to Paris. It was a perfect blend of fiction and fact.” — \u003ci\u003eFirst for Women\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eThe Paris runways of the 70s come to wild and splashy life in this novel of fashion's \"It Girl\" Loulou de la Falaise and her life partying and designing with Yves Saint Laurent, Karl Lagerfeld, and Halston. Nightlife! Gowns! Cocaine! Glamour!\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIt’s the 1970s, and from hippie London to Warhol’s Factory in New York, reluctant aristocrat Loulou de la Falaise is desperately seeking adventure. Having escaped an early, unhappy marriage, she arrives on a whim in Paris—the champagne-soaked heart of the fashion world, where the rigid old world of haute couture and the ffast-paced new world of ready-to-wear are vying for supremacy.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eGlamour, sex, and cocaine nights fuel the decadent Paris fashion scene. Its crown prince is the soulful and intensely gifted Yves Saint Laurent, whose sexy tuxedos for women and chic Rive Gauche boutiques reflect women’s desire for seductive independence, a desire Loulou knows all too well.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eLoulou’s bohemian flair immediately captures Saint Laurent’s attention, and they embark on a glorious intimate friendship as artist and muse. Together they revel in the excesses of high society, decadent parties, and the hedonistic underworld of gay nightclubs, where the young and beautiful become prey, and dangerous rivalries start to emerge. Their course collides with eccentric designer Karl Lagerfeld, intent on his own conquest. Lagerfeld’s bitter professional rivalry with Yves divides Paris even in an era when anything goes. As Yves plunges into a dangerous, secret affair with Karl’s enigmatic young companion, and Loulou finds herself falling in love with a colleague’s handsome boyfriend, this high-stakes world of illusion and savage deception will bring them to the brink of ruin.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIntoxicating and unforgettable, \u003ci\u003eThe Saint Laurent Muse\u003c\/i\u003e is a dramatic work of biographical fiction, imagining a lifelong friendship between two kindred spirits, and of a tumultuous time and place in fashion history that will never be seen again.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"C. W. 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The sisters nurture Gabrielle’s exceptional sewing skills, a talent that will propel the willful young woman into a life far removed from the drudgery of her childhood.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eTransforming herself into Coco—a seamstress and sometime torch singer—the petite brunette burns with ambition, an incandescence that draws a wealthy gentleman who will become the love of her life. She immerses herself in his world of money and luxury, discovering a freedom that sparks her creativity. But it is only when her lover takes her to Paris that Coco discovers her destiny.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eRejecting the frilly, corseted silhouette of the past, her sleek, minimalist styles reflect the youthful ease and confidence of the 1920s modern woman. As Coco’s reputation spreads, her couturier business explodes, taking her into rarefied society circles and bohemian salons. But her fame and fortune cannot save her from heartbreak as the years pass. And when Paris falls to the Nazis, Coco is forced to make choices that will haunt her.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAn enthralling novel of an extraordinary woman who created the life she desired, \u003cem\u003eMademoiselle Chanel \u003c\/em\u003eexplores the inner world of a woman of staggering ambition whose strength, passion and artistic vision would become her trademark.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"C. W. 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When a budding career as a violinist is cut short, the willful teenager vows to become a singer, trading her family’s proper, middle-class society for the free-spirited, louche world of Weimar Berlin’s cabarets and drag balls. With her sultry beauty, smoky voice, seductive silk cocktail dresses, and androgynous tailored suits, Marlene performs to packed houses and becomes entangled in a series of stormy love affairs that push the boundaries of social convention.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFor the beautiful, desirous Marlene, neither fame nor marriage and motherhood can cure her wanderlust. As Hitler and the Nazis rise to power, she sets sail for America. Rivaling the success of another European import, Greta Garbo, Marlene quickly becomes one of Hollywood’s leading ladies, starring with legends such as Gary Cooper, John Wayne, and Cary Grant. Desperate for her return, Hitler tries to lure her with dazzling promises. 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