Costume is essential to any film-making process, but these days its often the clothes that outshadow the acting. You only need to take a swift glance over your DVD shelf to see James Bond’s sharp suits, Sex and the City’s…well everything about Sex and the City, and of course, my personal favourite, the ‘Stay Puft’ Marshmallow man from ghostbusters – so avante garde.
Always Puft, always in style
This year the world of film openly admits its love of costume with a cinematic celebration of French designer Coco Chanel. In Chanel-mania, you can expect to feast your eyes upon three films charting life and times of the revolutionary designer who changed the 20th century woman’s wardrobe. The biopic Coco Avant Chanel is essential viewing for anyone who enjoys a bit of sumptuous period-clothing eye- candy, and an authentic slice of Français chic. With costumes overseen by Karl Lagerfield, and worn by actress Audrey Tautou, this film looks to be a treat for the senses. According to early reviews, Anne Fontaine’s film features outstanding photography, and as the trailer suggests, lots of love, wild parties, social strife and transformation. You’ll be in for a particular treat if you speak French, because these films are in Chanel’s native tongue, but don’t despair if you don’t understand a simple ‘Bonjour’, because subtitles and/or a pocket French dictionary will solve your problems, and after all, we’ll be watching it for the style darling – and that’s a language universally spoken. Hopefully in a few years, my Marshmallow man will have a fashion based film all of his very own too.
Audrey Coco Tautou