Alison Garwood Jones

Coco and Diana

March 31, 2021

Illustration by Alison Garwood-Jones

Reading is my greatest joy.

This exchange appeared in Amanda Mackenzie Stuart’s biography on Diana Vreeland called Empress of Fashion.

Diana described the conversation in greater detail:
“Coco [Chanel] was a nut on armholes. She never, ever got an armhole quite, quite perfect, the way she wanted it. She was always snipping and taking out sleeves, driving the tailors absolutely crazy. She’d put pins in me so I’d be contorted, and she’d be talking and giving me all sorts of philosophical observations, such as ‘Live life with rigor and vigor’ or ‘Grow old like a man.’ And I’d say, ‘I think most men grow old like women, myself,’ and she’d say, ‘No, you’re wrong, they’ got logic, they’ve got a reality to them.’ — with my arm up in the air the whole time! Then, if she really wanted to talk, she’d [pin me] under both arms so I simply couldn’t move, much less get a word in.”

Use the Libby app for signing out books, everyone! It’s WONDA-FULLL as Diana (Dee-Ahna) would say.

Bisous! 💋

Alison

 

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