Bloomsbury The Beautiful Fall: Fashion, Genius and Glorious Excess in 1970s Paris

This is an amazingly reliable and well researched book by Alicia Drake, herself an experienced fashion journalist. Here she gives us a social commentary, while telling the twin stories of the French haute couture worlds last great super stars, Karl Lagerfeld and Yves Saint Laurent; focusing on their privileged but difficult backgrounds, glittering rise, and in the case of YSL, fall, in the highly cut throat, competitive, superficial Paris fashion world.I did struggle to keep up with all the entourages (The Fashion Pack) with whom Lagerfeld and Saint Laurent surrounded themselves, partly because there are so many of them, but mainly because they are so utterly vile and unattractive as people. Not in a physical sense of course, because beauty, originality and glamour are the essential order of the day to be part of these very exclusive jet set groups. However, they are all so full of intense superficiality, cruelty, snobbery and lack interest in anything other than themselves and their own self promotion, being seen in the 'right' place with the 'right' person, partying until dawn and being visibly connected to the latest trend, fashion magazine, designer, artist, fashion photographer or super rich person(s). The entourages reminded me of a sort off modern day court of Louis xiv. And I think you can guess the two individuals playing King Louis xiv, the Sun King!Saint Laurent certainly comes across as a very talented but deeply fragile, superficial, passive aggressive, self-involved manic depressive living in his own world, deluded about his own importance and great talent. While his lifelong partner and most devoted defender and advocate, Pierre Bergé appears very astute but highly controlling and a very divisive megalomaniac. That said, as the story unfolds you begin to feel that maybe Pierre is unfairly cast as the villain, living his life in a world of endless drama and hysteria with YSL. Karl Lagerfeld equally appears very astute and highly intelligent, always positioning himself well, he is generous while feeding of numerous people like a vampire and then discarding them to move himself forward and onto the next big thing. This is a creative process he becomes very adept at, so he can always stay one step ahead in the fast paced, ever changing high end fashion world. He also becomes very adept at re-inventing and grandly embellishing his past rather like the great Coco Chanel.The book discusses how Lagerfeld and Saint Laurent helped to shift the fashion world away from the fustiness of Paris haute couture to prêt a porter. But it also focuses far more on both their and their entourages very hedonistic lifestyle, with money no object, leading to the pursuit of endless pleasure, and for many heavy drug and alcohol use in the 1970's. This then of course moves on to the advent of Aids on the entourages, a group of people who saw the flaunting of casual sex and hard drugs as part of their essential and invincible power, allure and glamour. This is described with clear-eyed, be careful what you wish for compassion by Drake.Both Lagerfeld and Saint Laurent refused to speak to Drake for the book, but allowed their many intimate acquaintances/friends to do so. The truth creeps through like a powerful thunder bolt, and ultimately what one is left with is a rather disturbing image of a closed, exclusive world, with a group of highly narcissistic people who created their own reality, but who were then burned by their own arrogant self-obsession and desperate desire to be noticed and in with the 'in' crowd. Lagerfeld of course survives and still shines as a tour de force in the high end fashion world. This speaks volumes about the astute forward thinking man he is. Ultimately this book is a fascinating insight into an esoteric world, a world of the super rich, but for many readers of this book like myself, it will be the pinnacle of a fashion dream. Yet the cruel 'exclusive club' superficial, narcissistic reality of it, left me cold and very happy to be on the outside looking in. I couldn't help thinking about Hans Christian Andersen's, 'The Emperor's New Clothes'.

A very well written book that will appeal if you love fashion, art, social history and learning about the highs ands low of creative life.

This was bought as a present and was well received.

I have only read the first 50 pages or so but it's great and I am really enjoying it.I saw the Yves Saint Laurent film the other day which inspired me to learn more about the era and the people and it's very good for that. It's all quite factual and not the usual breathless, fawning drivel that's written about this subject so I recommend it.

Brilliantly conjures up the images already locked in my mind. I love being transported to 70's Paris with the flick of a page! The fact that it covers both Yves and Karl is fantastique!