How to Dress Like Coco (Before Chanel)

By A Mystery Man Writer

Last updated 20 Sept 2024

“It’s not a fashion film!” exclaimed Audrey Tautou before the New York premiere of her latest film, Coco Before Chanel, earlier this month. Coco Before Chanel is a film about the woman rather than the label. The movie’s extraordinary wardrobe simply enhances its actual characters, rendering Coco and her entourage in a tangible, three-dimensional way. But that doesn't mean I didn't covet her outfits.Aside from a few vintage items and an actual Chanel suit, everything Tautou wears on camera is the product of the imagination of Catherine Leterrier, the film’s wardrobe director, who sketched and then commissioned each individual ensemble, down to the shoes. Countless headpieces (including oversized hats for more than 700 female extras) were created by famed milliner Stephen Jones. Leterrier revealed to VF Daily that the rigorous, four-month fitting process was meticulously photographed in order to document the evolution of the character. If something was off—such as when Coco’s boater hat was “too nice, young ,‘jeune fille’”—it would show in the photograph. The straw boater was subsequently painted “faux noir,”a pitch-perfect shade to match Coco’s “elegant but worn out and poor” persona.
“It’s not a fashion film!” exclaimed Audrey Tautou before the New York premiere of her latest film, Coco Before Chanel, earlier this month. Coco Before Chanel is a film about the woman rather than the label. The movie’s extraordinary wardrobe simply enhances its actual characters, rendering Coco and her entourage in a tangible, three-dimensional way. But that doesn't mean I didn't covet her outfits.Aside from a few vintage items and an actual Chanel suit, everything Tautou wears on camera is the product of the imagination of Catherine Leterrier, the film’s wardrobe director, who sketched and then commissioned each individual ensemble, down to the shoes. Countless headpieces (including oversized hats for more than 700 female extras) were created by famed milliner Stephen Jones. Leterrier revealed to VF Daily that the rigorous, four-month fitting process was meticulously photographed in order to document the evolution of the character. If something was off—such as when Coco’s boater hat was “too nice, young ,‘jeune fille’”—it would show in the photograph. The straw boater was subsequently painted “faux noir,”a pitch-perfect shade to match Coco’s “elegant but worn out and poor” persona.