Coco Avant Chanel

Watching the trailer for the movie: Coco Avant Chanel, I was instantly drawn by the beauty and elegance of Audrey Tautou (as Coco Chanel), and was captivated by the quick glimpses of Chanel’s life and fashion style before she became the Fashion Icon of today.

(Audrey Tautou in Coco Avant Chanel)

Having watched the movie, I came to realise that what I had envisioned her life to be in her earlier days were indeed very different to what I had learned. Orphaned as a young child and taken in by nuns who taught her how to sew, and choosing to be a self-kept mistress to a rich playboy, were not how many would have imagined the beautiful and successful Chanel to have lived. It was also interesting for me to learn that Chanel was never really that passionate about becoming a fashion designer in the first place, and almost had to be convinced to follow that path in order to make a living.

Whatever the case, Chanel did indeed lead a facinating life and whilst some aspects were quite sad and heart-breaking – one cannot help but respect her sense of survival and appreciate what she has achieved in her career. Her revolutionary “less is more” approach to fashion lead to creations that were sleek, simple and comfortable to wear. In the 1920’s she was producing ‘twin-sets’ which later became known as the Chanel suit, and is reknown for her iconic blue and white-striped fishermen tops. She was also one of the first designers to launch her own perfume i.e. Chanel No. 5, which continues to be one of the world’s top selling fragrances.

(All movie photos from source)

This is a beautiful and moving story about the early life of Chanel, however if you are hoping to see an indepth view of her life as the glamorous and successful Parisienne couturiere – you may be disappointed. Only in the last few moments of the film do you get to watch Chanel in her element as a fashion designer and see her parade her work down a flight of stairs at a fashion show – hence reflects the title Coco Avant Chanel (‘avant’ translates to ‘before’ in English).

(Gabrielle ‘Coco’ Chanel)