Most of us know that Coco Chanel was an important figure in fashion, but why?  It’s not just that her fashion house, Chanel, has stood the test of time & continues to dictate moods, cuts & aesthetics.  Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel truly revolutionized the world of women’s fashion.  In fact, she was so influential that she was the only person in the field of haute couture to be named on TIME Magazine’s 100 most influential people of the 20th Century.

Coco Avant Chanel stars Audrey Tautou of Amelie fame.  It is the story of Coco Chanel’s extremely humble beginnings, & it finishes just as her star is beginning to rise.  Starting as a hat-maker, her romantic involvement with various wealthy men lead to her own shop in Paris, where her reputation was bolstered by her customers, many of whom were revered French actresses or aristocrats.

Watching the movie, you really begin to understand why what Coco did was so groundbreaking.  The way she dressed was utterly unique — often far beyond the point of androgyny.  (There’s a scene where her lover says something along the lines of, “I’m not used to undressing boys”.)

There are some fabulous moments in the movie where the filmmakers have attempted to show you some of the places from which Chanel garnered her influences: for example, the starched habits of the nuns in her orphanage (which informed her palette & lead to a love affair with crisp white collars), a section of lace down a woman’s back (she was known for using elegant materials like lace in new ways), the striped shirts of fishermen & men’s tweed jackets.  While she borrowed many elements from menswear, she didn’t believe women should dress like men.  Her marked disdain for the excess & frippery that made up women’s daily wear was mostly a matter of practicality.  At the time, women were very much restricted by the corsets, bustles & enormous hats that were the norm.

“I gave women a sense of freedom; I gave them back their bodies: bodies that were drenched in sweat, due to fashion’s finery, lace, corsets, underclothes, padding.”
Coco Avant Chanel is beautifully shot, with incredible clothing & magnificent scenery.  It does, however, beg for a sequel — as well as her triumphs in fashion, her later years included living at the Hotel Ritz for 30 years & even a romance with a Nazi spy!

The resulting portrait is of an interesting woman; one who, while not instantly likable, was truly original with & whose influence over fashion continues to be important even now.

Words by Gala Darling