"Feeling unique is a habit you shouldn't give up."

- Alberto Fermani



"Anyone can get all dressed up and glamorous, but it is how people dress in their off days that is the most intriguing."

-Alexander Wang



5.16.2010

Two Fashion Icons

She wore pants!!!


The stunning black dress.

For Mother's Day, I received from my husband and kids a very, very thoughtful gift- two dvd's, "Coco Before Chanel" and "Valentino, The Last Emperor." They are very different beginning with the Valentino story which is a documentary while the Chanel movie is not. I highly recommend both and, if you've ever wondered about what the true meaning of haute couture is, "Valentino" is a wonderful, interesting, intriguing, and UNBELIEVABLE look into the creation from sketch to runway of haute couture as well as the lifestlye of the people involved in it. But the Chanel movie has inspired me the past two weeks with regards to getting dressed each day and that has been a lot of fun!

Audrey Tatou (of "Amelie" fame which is another of my favorite movies) plays Coco Chanel and is charming and aggressive, beautiful and masculine, business savvy and creatively genius, all at the same time. Wait... did I just describe Ms. Chanel or Audrey Tatou playing Ms. Chanel? I'm not sure but I guess that is why the performance was so great. The story, as the title suggests, follows Gabrielle Chanel from her childhood in an orphanage all the way to her debut of Chanel ready-to-wear. The costumes that Audrey Tatou wears are so phenomenal and just cool that it really had me thinking about how comfortable beautiful fashion can be. In particular, a black evening gown that she wears dancing at the casino with her lover while on a holiday... so stunning. But it was how Ms. Chanel dressed daily that was really interesting and very, very different for her time. There was truly a masculinity that she brought to fashion that did not exist before her which is not really how you think of the fashion house Chanel today. Check it out if you've ever wanted to know more about her. And, it is very interesting to do a little research on her besides the movie, too... quite a scandalous, and sometimes questionnable past. Like so many other great artists, she was a real person and far from perfect. But definitely worth knowing about.

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