House of Gucci - by Sara Gay Forden (Paperback)

About the Book

A world-famous luxury brand, financial skullduggery, vicious family quarrels ending in a sensational murder: the Gucci story just couldn't be juicier, and former "Women's Wear Daily" correspondent Forden does full justice to its gossipy appeal in this dramatic and fashionable tale. Photos.

Book Synopsis

NOW A MAJOR MOTION PICTURE from director Ridley Scott, starring Lady Gaga and Adam Driver

Who killed Maurizio Gucci? Discover the sensational true story of murder, madness, glamour, and greed that shook the Gucci dynasty-and inspired the blockbuster film.

"A riveting account ... has the holding power and pace of an engaging novel." --Bloomberg

On the morning of March 27, 1995, four quick shots cracked through Milan's elegant streets. Maurizio Gucci, heir to the fabulous fashion dynasty, had been ambushed, slain on the steps to his office by an unknown gunman. Two years later, Milan's chief of police entered the sumptuous palazzo of Maurizio's ex-wife, Patrizia Reggiani--nicknamed "the Black Widow" by the press--and arrested her for the murder.

Did Patrizia kill her ex-husband because his spending was wildly out of control? Did she do it because he was preparing to marry his mistress? Or is it possible Patrizia didn't do it at all?

The Gucci story is one of glitz, glamour, and intrigue--a chronicle of the rise, near fall, and subsequent resurgence of a fashion dynasty. Beautifully written, impeccably researched, and widely acclaimed, The House of Gucci is a page-turning account of high fashion, high finance, and heartrending personal tragedy.

From the Back Cover

Did Patrizia Reggiani murder her ex-husband, Maurizio Gucci, in 1995 because his spending was wildly out of control? Did she do it because her glamorous ex was preparing to marry his mistress, Paola Franchi? Or is there a possibility she didn't do it at all?

In this gripping account of the ascent, eventual collapse, and resurrection of the Gucci dynasty, Sara Gay Forden takes us behind the scenes of the trial and exposes the passions, the power, and the vulnerabilities of the greatest fashion family of our times.

Review Quotes

"This gripping book about the empire and murder of Maurizio Gucci ... reveals the ugly truth behind fashion's most fabulous family." -- Glamour

"A business book you will zip through like a novel. ... Forden has whipped up a mixture of family drama and high finance into a tasty and complex narrative." -- The Economist, "A Best Book of the Year"

"Racy, fast-paced. ... Reads like a movie script. ... Hard to put down. ... Forden gets that famous Gucci bar-and-bit between her teeth --and gallops along." -- International Herald Tribune

"A penetrating chronicle of the rise and fall of a family business. ... Even by the Borgia-like standards of the fashion industry, the operatic Guccis were special. Not content with the usual familial stew of love, jealousy and greed, they added tax evasion, bigamy and, yes, murder to the mix." -- Wall Street Journal

"Riveting reading." -- Cosmopolitan

"A riveting account of the talent and creative chaos that built one of the world's great luxury-goods empires--and the egotism, bitter family conflict, and incompetence that nearly destroyed it." -- Bloomberg

"Fashion has never been so dramatic--and dangerous. The saga of three generations of the Gucci family opens with an execution-style murder in Milan and penetrates the world of one of the hottest fashion labels of our time. Fashion insider Sara Forden spins the tale of how a bunch of greedy, bickering Guccis lost control of the empire that made GG synonymous with loafers." -- Teri Agins, author of The End of Fashion

"Glamour, greed, sex, style, and very, very good leather goods -- what more can you ask for (besides a 30 percent discount)?" -- Michael Gross, bestselling author of Model and 740 Park