Designers have a lot to create but they also have a lot to say. Some very well-known quotes have come from the world's most famous designers like Coco Chanel, Karl Lagerfeld, and Marc Jacobs. Sometimes they speak to back up their work, to defend the fashion industry, or to reveal their style preferences. To find out how well you know the words of the most popular designers to date, read the quotes below and guess who said them.
>> INSIDER WIRE —Chanel the company may be suffering, as indicated by recent job cutbacks and the cancellation of the Mobile Art exhibit, but the filming of Coco avant Chanel is still going strong — behold, the first still of Audrey Tautou as Coco Chanel at work. [ONTD]
>> We recently got a look at Audrey Tautou as Gabrielle Chanel in Coco avant Chanel; now it's time for a first look at Anna Mouglalis as Coco in rival film Coco Chanel & Igor Stravinsky. The latter, directed by Jan Kounen, focuses mostly on a six-week period in the life of Chanel and Russian composer Igor Stravinsky (played by Mads Mikkelsen, best known as Le Chiffre from Bond movie Casino Royale), when they are believed to have had an affair.
Filming is currently under way — recently in Paris, scenes were being shot at the Museum of Natural History with Mouglalis in a sober black dress and cloche hat — and the race is on to complete the movie before Coco avant Chanel hits screens next year. Both leading ladies are coincidentally (or perhaps not so much) Chanel brand ambassadors — Mouglalis for the Allure fragrance, Tautou for Chanel No.5, and Karl Lagerfeld has been assisting with costumes on both movies — for Mouglalis, he created at least two outfits, including an evening gown for scenes at Stravinsky's controversial "Le Sacre du Printemps" ballet opening.
Pitting two movies against one another seems very much in the Chanel vein — a couple of weeks ago, Mouglalis described her character to reporters: "Coco Chanel had to fight to succeed." Besides, what kind of fashion movies would they be without a little drama on the side?
*image: source, source
While we eagerly await Coco Avant Chanel, check out Karl Lagerfeld's directorial debut in his 10-minute silent film toasting Coco Chanel in her youth. “It’s a funny movie, unpretentious,” says Lagerfeld. “Chanel was a charming woman, at liberty to seduce men. Everybody this year has decided to make a movie about Chanel, and you know their historical worth is not always too exact.”
Karl kept his cast tight, choosing model Edita Vilkeviciute to play Coco, his bodyguard to play a nightclub owner, and workers in his atelier to play parts in the movie. “I cannot take extras,” says Lagerfeld. “They don’t know how to touch the clothes.” The short film, described as light-hearted and fun, premieres in Paris this week — we can't wait for it to hit the web!
To see the film, read more
Karl Lagerfeld presents a coin "Monnalie de Paris" (The French Mint) representing Coco Chanel, designed by Lagerfeld and valued at 7,440 US dollars. Paris 11/19/08.
With the fashion world abuzz at New York Fashion Week right now, it seems an apt time for Lifetime to premiere its look at the life of one of fashion's true icons: Coco Chanel. Coco Chanel stars Shirley MacLaine as the legendary designer (and Barbora Bobulova as the young Coco) who began life in a French orphanage and worked her way up through the fashion world, ultimately bringing us classic suits, the little black dress, and a perfume that's endured for decades.
Lifetime calls Chanel "a glamorous woman who was hard to love and harder to ignore," and that comes through in this trailer. Yes, there's the obligatory breathless "fashion! is! my! life!" declaration, but there are also some great scenes of MacLaine's Coco berating a woman for wearing a subpar outfit and literally ripping the skirt off her body. Oh, if only she could bring her sharp tongue to the Project Runway stage!
The movie premieres this Saturday, Sept. 13, at 8 p.m. To watch the trailer, read more
Ashley Tisdale and Nicky Hilton favorite Trash & Luxury has come out with its latest set of fashiony T-shirts. This time around, the designs are darker and serious. One style is this Trash & Luxury Poverty Sucks Tee ($40) featuring Coco Chanel's shadow. I'm not a T-shirt girl but I can see myself in this one because it's super stylish. And yes, Coco's poverty-stricken beginnings sucked, but look where she ended up in the end?!
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>> Chanel is really looking to increase their profile through the movie route. Another film based on some portion of Coco Chanel's life has been announced: Chanel et Stravinsky, l'Histoire Secrete.
Last year, three films focusing on Coco Chanel were under way — Coco avant Chanel, starring Audrey Tautou as the designer before she became famous, is now currently filming; Director Daniele Thompson's Chanel biopic is still in the early stages, with a projected 2009 release date; and director William Friedkin's Coco & Igor, focusing on Chanel's love affair with Igor Stravinsky, is still in development.
Marina Hands has been lined up to play Coco opposite Mads Mikkelsen as Stravinsky in Coco & Igor; however, Friedkin is no longer listed as director — which brings us to the fourth, and newest, movie: Chanel et Stravinsky, l'Histoire Secrete. It, like Coco & Igor, is focusing on the relationship between Chanel and Stravinsky, and has Mads Mikkelsen playing the composer, but Anna Mouglalis is set to play Chanel, with Jan Kounen in the director's role. Are these two movies the same movie? Or are two studios just planning to go head to head?
Regardless, Chanel the brand wins in the end with all the publicity. A company spokeswoman confirmed that the house will be opening its doors to Chanel et Stravinsky's costumer, who Karl Lagerfeld will also be meeting with in coming weeks. Plus, it's worth noting that two of the women cast as Chanel have close ties to the house: Audrey Tautou is a face of the brand, and Anna Mouglalis is a muse to Karl.
*image: source
Stephen Jones has taken a role in the highly anticipated film, Coco Before Chanel featuring Audrey Tautou. The sought-after milliner, who has designed head pieces for some of the top fashion houses including Mugler, Gaultier, and Christian Dior, will be creating hats for our little French Fabcon in the upcoming biopic.
"She will make a wonderful Chanel, she is equally as petite. We have had to adjust everything. We put a little flower on her head and it looked like a cushion," said Jones. We can't wait to see his millinery madness!
Dear Poll: Do You Follow Trends? With a new season comes new trends. If you're a magazine junky like me, it's pretty hard to avoid reading about the new it bag or the trendy new color that'll be hot for the season. While I like to think I have my own unique style, it's inevitable that I pick up a few new habits every season, however some people take trendy to a whole different level.
