Q&A with C.W. Gortner

 

 

 

C.W. Gortner is the author of the new novel The Saint Laurent Muse. It is based on the lives of designer Yves Saint Laurent and his muse, Loulou de la Falaise. Gortner's other books include Mademoiselle Chanel. He lives in San Francisco.

 

Q: What inspired you to write The Saint Laurent Muse?

 

A: In the 1980s, I worked in fashion as a jack-of-all-trades. My career was brief, but I heard plenty of stories about the wild fashion scene of 1970s Paris. The rivalries and excesses, and the impact Saint Laurent had, always fascinated me.

 

I later learned about his profound creative friendship with Loulou, so when the time came to write The Saint Laurent Muse, I had the kernel of my story.

 

Yves was already famous when he met Loulou and she played a significant role in making his brand one of the most influential and recognizable in the world. Their personal story is less known. Loulou worked with Yves for over three decades, which is a lot of ground to cover. I wanted to portray how it began, at a time when they both faced momentous change.  

 

Q: How would you describe the dynamic between Yves Saint Laurent and Loulou de la Falaise?

 

A: If we’re lucky, we meet someone whom we feel we’ve known forever. Loulou and Yves had that connection; she understood him, and he gave her a sense of purpose. She was also hard-working, like him, and less subject to the highs and lows that tormented him. Her reckless spirit inspired Yves to take risks.

 

They were still young, each seeking fulfillment. Loulou ended up finding it, while Yves suffered one of the most devastating traumas in his life. Their friendship endured.

 

Q: How did you research the novel, and what did you learn that especially surprised you?

 

A: The research was challenging, because Loulou and Yves were private in their loyalties. Even before Yves died, the House of Saint Laurent had crafted a meticulous mythology surrounding him. His career is well documented, but his personal life is more difficult to decipher. Loulou is also enigmatic, in that she wasn’t prone to sharing.

 

Nevertheless, biographies of Yves and others, along with nonfiction accounts of the era, articles, and interviews with people who personally knew him and Loulou were very helpful in recreating their world.

 

I was especially surprised to discover how long-lasting the rift was with Karl Lagerfeld. Loulou knew why and remained fiercely protective of Yves. Yet to my knowledge, she never spoke a word in public against Karl.

Q: What do you hope readers take away from the story?

 

A: It’s a novel about an incandescent time. Fashion by its very nature is transient, always discarding the past to recreate the present, and this era changed everything.

 

More importantly, it’s a story of how we can fall prey to illusion and how destructive it can be. I hope readers take away that Loulou and Yves, for all their accomplishments, were fallible human beings trying to make sense of their lives, like all of us.

 

Q: What are you working on now?

 

A: For now, I’m replenishing my well. Eventually, the muse will find me.

 

Q: Anything else we should know?

 

A: I could only have written this book at this point in my life, drawing on my experiences and maturity to have full empathy for the characters.

 

It’s my tribute to a much-glorified era and the adventurous people who lived it. Some of those people are still known today. Others have become footnotes or been forgotten. I hope I’ve done them justice.

 

--Interview with Deborah Kalb. Here's a previous Q&A with C.W. Gortner.