CoCo Chanel

When Audrey Tautou brought the spark and sophisticated Parisian style of Coco Chanel to brazen life in the flick Coco Before Chanel, we got hooked on the iconic designer in her earlier years. How to adopt Coco's youthful vitality and style? It's about a smart jacket, a string of pearls, the ubiquitous striped top, and lots of menswear elements: wide trousers, vests, a hat. To make it modern, add casual elements to these more tailored, classic pieces. For example, mix a boucle jacket with a t-shirt, skinny jeans, and brogues. Or try wide-leg trousers with a slouchy silk shirt and tons of bracelets. We've gathered the best elements for a chic, ladylike wardrobe that is just a little smart 'n' sassy. Coco, we hope you would approve.

I'm really looking forward to seeing the romantic biopic Coco Chanel & Igor Stravinksy, based on the novel by Chris Greenhalgh, which debuts in limited release June 11. My interest isn't due so much to the plot itself, which is only loosely based on the legends' lives, but the sets. Couture clothing aside, the film seems worth watching simply for Coco's Art Deco workshop and her chic villa.

From the stills, you can see that the production designers have translated Chanel's signature black and white palette to the interiors in a way that's really relevant to the early 20th century. From antiques like the Tiffany-style floor lamp, phonograph, and avant-garde armchairs to backdrops like the black painted moldings, cubic wallpaper, and black and gold Chinoiserie folding screen, every last detail brings to life a fairy tale fashion dream.

To see my décor picks inspired by this intriguing film, read more

I thought I had a good handle on the woman, the legend, Coco Chanel: Gabrielle, a magical seamstress, androgynous, smoker. Little did I know when I sat down to see Coco Before Chanel that I was going to embark on an emotional roller coaster — beautiful, deep, tear-inducing.

Naturally, a big part of the film is the wardrobe, but don't go expecting extravagance. Remember, this is Coco before Chanel, when she would make hats at home and sew her clothes out of her lover's closet. Menswear influences — bow-ties, vests, bowler hats — are major players. Pearls and tweed came much later; perhaps there should be a sequel, Coco After Chanel.

Read my review and see more photos.

Burberry will unveil its Manhattan headquarters tomorrow with a star-studded party and a gift of $50,000 to local youth projects. 

At this year's SCAD senior fashion show, Andre Leon Talley spoke about the importance of having good manners. 

The jury for the Trovata versus Forever 21 case is currently deadlocked, meanwhile Forever 21 has set its sights on 17 new West Coast properties. 

Another film about Coco Chanel, not Coco Avant Chanel but Coco Chanel & Igor Stravinsky, closed the Cannes Film Festival yesterday. 

>> INSIDER WIRE —We've seen a smattering of stills from Coco avant Chanel, a biopic of Gabrielle Chanel's early years featuring Audrey Tautou as the designer, but the first trailer finally dropped today.  The film is premiering in France first — April 22 — before it hits the US later this year on a to-be-determined date, so unfortunately the trailer is in French with no subtitles.  But it does give a glance at the film-to-be . . . [Allocine]

The trailer! »