The Saint Laurent Muse: A Novel [Paperback]

Between the decadence and the dazzling details, I love historical fiction books centered around fashion. And C. W. Gortners latest enthralled me. This story transported me to Paris. It was a perfect blend of fiction and fact. First for Women

The 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!

Its the 1970s, and from hippie London to Warhols 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 Paristhe 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.

Glamour, 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 womens desire for seductive independence, a desire Loulou knows all too well.

Loulous bohemian flair immediately captures Saint Laurents 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. Lagerfelds bitter professional rivalry with Yves divides Paris even in an era when anything goes. As Yves plunges into a dangerous, secret affair with Karls enigmatic young companion, and Loulou finds herself falling in love with a colleagues handsome boyfriend, this high-stakes world of illusion and savage deception will bring them to the brinl3(