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THE DESIGNERS The Secret Life of COCO CHANEL Writer Justine Picardie uncovers the truth about the iconic designer's youth, before she became an enduring legend. Read the story below and then check out exclusive illustrations of Chanel by Karl Lagerfeld. Karl Lagerfeld People often ask me, "When did you first become interested in Coco Chanel?" and if I'm honest, I was fascinated long before I started researching her biography more than a decade ago, all the way back to my earliest memories in childhood. For there on top of my mother's dressing table stood a bottle of Chanel No. 5, beyond my reach but not out of sight, and I knew from the moment I began to discern its mysterious letters and number that there was something magical to the black-and-white cipher. I'm not alone in that discovery — Chanel has come to represent the essence of everywoman, whether in the scent of her perfume or her choice of bold red lipstick or the perfect little black dress — but the story of Coco feels somehow entwined with my own as a writer. And so it was that I found myself on a journey, following clues that Chanel had kept hidden in her long life as a couturiere and fashion icon while also trying to make sense of the unhappy end of my marriage, the latter disaster coinciding with my signing a publishing contract. There-after, in the process of uncovering the truth about Coco Chanel, I was — without quite knowing it at the time — recovering from an unforeseen emotional unravelling. Now, in retrospect, I'm beginning to see that I could not have written my book on Coco Chanel without that personal experience of loss; nor would I have found a way forward for myself without looking back at the example set by Mademoiselle Chanel. by Justine Picardie marrying another woman, although their affair continued until his death); on the table in front of the beige suede sofa (the cushions quilted like Chanel's iconic bags) sit a set of crested, gold-lined boxes presented to her by the Duke of Westminster, the second Englishman to whom she gave her heart but whose name was never to become hers in marriage. Most poignant of all, in this glittering salon where Mademoiselle entertained some of the most celebrated men of the century — Picasso, Dalí, Cocteau, Diaghilev, Churchill — yet finally found herself alone, are the pairs of animals that seem to stand like talismans: two bronze deer by the fireplace, almost life-size; a stag and a doe, their cloven feet sinking into the carpet, and another tiny pair beside the sofa in painted metal, with vases of pink flowers on their backs; two camels on a side table; two frogs (one glass, one bronze); two lovebirds made of pearl in a tiny jewelled cage; two porcelain horses on either side of the smoky mirror; and two golden firedogs in the empty hearth. The trail began in Paris at 31 Rue Cambon, the backbone of the House of Chanel, where the famous mirrored staircase leads from the ground-floor entrance to the couture salon on the first floor and then to Mademoiselle's private apartment. I'd visited it at the end of the '90s, when I first interviewed Karl Lagerfeld, but upon returning to it — again and again, in the course of researching Chanel's biography — I began to recognize traces of the woman who had fashioned this place in her image. The doors into the apartment are hidden within the looking-glass walls of the landing, and slipping inside feels oddly akin to entering an Alice in Wonderland realm. On the other side of the glass, there are more mirrors — each reflecting the other, in a myriad of perspectives — and a crystal chandelier designed by Chanel herself, with hidden double C's in its wrought-iron frame and, at the top, G's for Gabrielle, her real name. And everywhere is evidence of what she had and what she lost: On a wall of bookshelves are leather-bound volumes from her first great love, Boy Capel, the British playboy and industrialist who was killed in a car crash in 1919 (by which point he had already betrayed her by Conitnued on pg 48 10
COVER RESEARCH <strong>ST</strong>ORY & EDUCATION INTERVIEW How Europe flies One of the fields from which the European Union can benefit is definitively research and technological development. For example, within the European aeronautical sector, the current level of innovation would not exist without the close cooperation between the best companies in this sector and the support of the European institutions. European aeronautical innovation, which in this case comes with the name Clean Sky: the EU's flagship program, fostering advanced technologies. parts of an aircraft, will grow more and more. "The engine architecture, its configuration, will necessarily also influence the aircraft architecture in order to pursue objectives such as performance improvement or lighter components. In addition, combustion efficiency, which means lower fuel consumption, will take us increasingly in the direction of hybrid, or even fully electric, solutions." Ron Van Manen is the leader of the Clean Sky 2 Research Programs: the second edition of the platform that includes all the major aviation projects and research and development initiatives. Speaking from the Clean Sky exhibit area at the last Farnborough air show, Van Manen has no doubts about where the priorities lie within the projects. "There are no compromises, flight safety is paramount, and all aeronautical research must start from this premise". Starting from this primary theme, Van Manen proceeds to list the other major European research projects aimed at improving the future of air traffic in every respect. "When we talk about European research, the focus is on new engine and aircraft configurations, new materials and eco-sustainability. For example, we are studying and developing new ways to increase the volume of air that aircraft engines use to generate thrust, or to improve their aerodynamic efficiency, also aiming to reduce noise. Because, in the future, take-off and landing will increasingly take place in urbanized areas." Van Manen says that this is a very exciting time for research, given the number and diversity of projects up and running, and that the importance of the engine, considering all the constituent "Developing conventional turboprop and turbofan engines to achieve determinate levels of efficiency requires radical solutions in terms of engine architecture. That's why we have been investing heavily in research and development of new architectures for years: to consolidate our position among the aeronautics leaders of the future," says Enrico Casale, Head of Programs for the Introduction of New Technologies at Avio Aero. "Research activities in this field have a very high economic weight, often unsustainable for some companies: for example, an aircraft engine’s life cycle is 5 or 6 times longer than that of a car, as well as requirements and certifications facilities are way more expensive". Conitnued on pg 15 11
Page 1 and 2: Issue nr. 3 COVER STORY PG 06 Journ
Page 3 and 4: VERTICAL WALL GARDENS OFFICE PLANT
Page 5 and 6: CASE STUDY: BUSINESS TRAVEL 30 Just
Page 7 and 8: to the competition was not an easy
Page 9: BIB 2018 MALTA’S BEST IN BUSINESS
Page 13 and 14: MBR: What motivated you to record y
Page 15 and 16: Conitnued from pg 11 Another import
Page 17 and 18: to think my show is an act of resis
Page 20 and 21: MILAN FASHION Milan Fashion Week Hi
Page 22 and 23: CLOUD TECHNOLOGY Changing The Way P
Page 24 and 25: OPINION The Real Meaning of Health
Page 26: TALES OF THE UNEXPECTED HORRIFIC EX
Page 29 and 30: Chic, Luxurious, Sporty Interview w
Page 31 and 32: CASE STUDY: BUSINESS TRAVEL followi
Page 33 and 34: COVER STORY INTERVIEW
Page 35 and 36: “The Premier Clothing Manufacture
Page 37 and 38: EDWARDS LOWELL OPENS MALTA’S FIRS
Page 39 and 40: LIVING 9 Secrets for Living a Joy-F
Page 41 and 42: PAPARAZZI MALTA’S BEST ENTREPRENE
Page 43 and 44: in collaboration with MAINSAIL THE
Page 45 and 46: HUGO'S ANNOUCES NEW BRAND AMBASSADO
Page 47 and 48: DOLCE & GABBANA'S FASHION DEVOTION
Page 49 and 50: Stunning Plant Paper Art by Tania L
Page 52 and 53: HEALTH & LIFESTYLE Here's How Spend
Page 54 and 55: LIFE STORIES Parable of the King's
Page 56 and 57: PHOTOGRAPHY Winners of the Nature C
Page 58 and 59: PHOTOGRAPHY "Polar Bear" Photo: Flo
Page 60:
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