Chanel's Riviera

Far from worrying about the onset of war, the burning question on the French Riviera in 1938 was whether one should curtsey to the duchess of Windsor. Featuring a sparkling cast of historical figures, writers and artists including Winston Churchill, Daisy Fellowes, Salvador Dalí, the duke and duchess of Windsor, Aldous Huxley and Edith Wharton - and the enigmatic Coco Chanel at its heart - CHANEL'S RIVIERA is a sparkling account of a period where such deep extremes of luxury and terror had never been experienced. From the glamour of the pre-war parties and casinos, to Robert Streitz's secret wireless transmitter in the basement of La Pausa - Chanel's villa that he created - while Chanel had her German lover to stay during the war, CHANEL'S RIVIERA explores the fascinating world of the Cote d'Azur elite in the 1930s and 40s, enriched with original research that brings the lives of both rich and poor, protected and persecuted, to vivid life.