Dressful

I picked up Coco Chanel: The Legend and the Life by Justine Picardie in Paris during fashion week after the secluded Chanel store at Place Vendôme instilled me with a nagging feeling that I dared tread the holy soil without having done my homework.

Before Paris, it was New York where years of fascination with the house of Chanel culminated in my first major Chanel purchase. When you want to absorb the essence of the brand, I believe it is necessary to feel the garments, merge with them and most importantly make them your own (I would never understand the brilliant structure of Chanel jackets without wearing one; just reading about clever tailoring doesn't give you a genuine idea). Yet you can also do this with complete disregard of what I call "homework" – learning about the history and principles behind the garments.

In October, I realized that like most fashion lovers (I prefer to think of myself as "fashion lover" instead of "fashion person"; it's more romantic. Besides, "fashion people" are a group, not individualized, and I like to think of fashion as the one place where you're still encouraged to stand out), I have soaked up a myriad of Chanel myths and legends, so it was time to start discovering facts behind them.

At the very beginning of Coco Chanel: The Legend and the Life, Picardie acknowledges that due to Mademoiselle Chanel giving different recollections of the same events to different people throughout her life – often getting entangled in the labyrinthine web of what was and what could (not) have been – it is impossible to reconstruct her life story with one hundred percent accuracy.

The beauty of this Chanel biography is that Picardie has collected these conflicting stories and presented all of them with equal importance – rightfully so, as the only person who really knew what had happened in her life was Chanel herself.

While the book suggests that trying to dissect the myth of Chanel only leads to more mystery, Picardie has done an awe-inspiring research, traveling to places from Chanel's youth and linking pieces of her past with her later work (she writes about how Chanel's stay at Aubazine monastery when she was 18 influenced her design aesthetic, the double C logo, her use of number 5 …).

I have read many biographies, but this is the one where the author displays the most profound connection with her subject. How much closer to Chanel can you get?

P.S. Justine Picardie also writes a wonderful blog.

Stella Tennant in Chanel

Just as everyone wants to be French or British at some point in their lives, every fashionista is fascinated by Chanel. The tweed jacket, the Chanel 2.55, the cap-toe pumps, Chanel no. 5.  So many Tumblr photos reblogged thousands of times, so many Christmas presents, so many unfulfilled wish lists. The only explanation I have is that we all grew up with the enigma of Coco. I also suppose she has remained the epitome of elegance, albeit a bit rebellious (her contribution to fashion was revolutionary - she was one of the first to introduce modern, practical clothing).

I think a (fashion) brand is successful once it convinces its (potential) customers that it alone can give them style and class. Coincidentally, this is probably the biggest fashion illusion. For brands, one of the most important things is to have such respect and loyalty. Chanel is a prime example of this because its famous pieces suit most women. They are tried and true, they will never stick out in a negative way, you think you can't go wrong if you wear something Chanel. In a way, it's the easiest of choices. Isn't this exactly what Coco wanted?

My story with make-up is that I wore exactly zero until I was 18, and even then the first year it was only soft smudged brown eyeliner. I'm much more into make-up today, it's especially useful when I go through bouts of lack sartorial inspiration and wear lazy clothes - I compensate by doing more innovative and detailed make-up (lifts your spirits immensely too).

Here are some of my current make-up favorites:

Mascaras: ArtDeco All in One (blue), Diorshow Iconic and Blackout, Maybelline Falsies Black Drama. Iconic is my everyday "I'm-not-wearing-make-up" brown mascara. When I want really intense eyelashes, I apply one layer of Blackout and two layers of Black Drama.

Collistar eye shadow and violet eyeliner. They're from their current "Italian Look" collection, which I raved about extensively on Twitter. The colors are so wonderful.

MAC Aquadisiac eye shadow, Collection 2000 Glam Crystals gel liner, Chanel eyeliner. The brand Collection 2000 was completely unknown to me until I found this gel liner in a duty free shop when I was waiting at Gatwick airport in London alone on a Sunday evening and my flight got delayed for 2 hours. Oh, fate.

Lip glosses: Maybelline, MAC, Maybelline. I used to ignore lip glosses completely because my hair stuck to lip gloss in windy weather. Now I know better and choose lipstick for such uncanny occasions instead. In the meantime I've also learned lip glosses are much more practical to apply than lipstick; during warmer months you'll always find one in my bag.

1. Urban Decay Naked palette. I haven't been using any other eyeshadows since I got this palette. Although it's mostly neutrals, it's miles away from boring and super versatile. My favorite combination right now is Sin + Sidecar (yeah, the glittery one. I like glitter!) + Virgin for highlighting.

2. Safran Troublant by L'Artisan Parfumeurs. A most challenging perfume.

3. Moleskine, this time a storyboard notebook. I'm so terrible at drawing that I'd probably die of shame if I had to show the content of this notebook to someone. Good thing I enjoy drawing storyboards despite my artistic inertia. (:

4. Bright lipstick. Whenever I'm buying lipstick, I walk into the store thinking I want to get a pretty pale pink or neutral orange shade. The only time I actually did end up buying a neutral lipstick was last August in Salzburg and even that was only because the MAC salesgirl had suggested it. Bright > all!

5. Jewelry for those who don't wear jewelry. I understand that jewelry is supposed to enhance your outfits and make them more personal, but I often have trouble wearing it if it's not really discreet  - it gets in the way. My tried and true pieces can be counted on the fingers of one hand. Staring into jewelry shop windows still remains one of my most enjoyable pastimes though ...

When I was in Istanbul many years ago visiting a carpet factory, the setting looked exactly like Chanel's Pre-Fall 2011 show. We were sipping apple tea and listened to the owner describing the process of weaving handmade carpets. They were everywhere, even hung on walls, something I'd never seen before. The room wasn't small, but it still had that intimate atmosphere you usually associate with slight lack of space. This is one of my most vivid travel memories and seeing photos from the Chanel show instantly transported me back in time.

As suggested by the show's title (Paris & Byzantium), the clothes are very classic Chanel with Byzantine influences. I'm happy to say this clever mixture has me far more excited than the Chanel Spring/Summer 2011 collection. It's appropriately regal and bold and looks very wearable. I'm particularly fond of gold touches, they truly complement each outfit. Most of the shoes are something else, as always, but this collection is the first one that made me think why should everything always be beautiful? I feel that this time the shoes are actually more quirky than ugly.

The most fantastic thing about this collection is that a lot of the pieces wouldn't look out of place in the time of the Byzantine Empire, but they're just as well-suited for today. The message of great art resonates in every time and space.

Photos from vogueparislive. See more photos from the show on Daylife.