Coco Before Chanel

I’ve wanted to see Coco Chanel & Igor Stravinsky ever since it was given the coveted “last slot” at the 2009 Cannes Film Festival . I was captivated immediately, since it starts with a recreation of a ballet performance that caused one of the most notable classical music riots in history: the 1913 Paris premiere of Igor Stravinsky’s  The Rite of Spring: Pictures from Pagan Russia . The performance was collaboration between some of the most famous avant-garde artists of the day: Vaslav...Read Full Story

I’ve wanted to see Coco Chanel & Igor Stravinsky ever since it was given the coveted “last slot” at the 2009 Cannes Film Festival . I was captivated immediately, since it starts with a recreation of a ballet performance that caused one of the most notable classical music riots in history: the 1913 Paris premiere of Igor Stravinsky’s  The Rite of Spring: Pictures from Pagan Russia . The performance was collaboration between some of the most famous avant-garde artists of the day: Vaslav...Read Full Story

The first thing Audrey Tautou does is leap out of her seat and declare: "I love your glasses! I want some. Where did you get them?" At five feet three inches she is petite rather than small, slight as opposed to thin. Excruciatingly gamine, she would make the perfect Peter Pan. Her jet-black hair is cut characteristically short, brushed forward like Audrey Hepburn's in Funny Face, her lips are femme-fatale scarlet, and a white lace blouse perfectly complements old-school Levi's that hang...Read Full Story

If you’ve ever wanted inspiration or an epiphanic moment to stimulate your fashion creativity – this isn’t the story for you.  This is the story of Nazi-led espionage, drugs, lesbian tendencies and a fashion trailblazer with a lot to hide. Lisa Chaney’s forthcoming biography, Coco Chanel: An Intimate Life , lays bare hard evidence of the fashion maven’s use of opiates, as well as new insights into Gabrielle ‘Coco’ Chanel’s bisexuality, multiple affairs and love with a Nazi spy. Penguin...Read Full Story

On the heels of the Audrey Tautou biopic about Coco Chanel, Coco Chanel & Igor Stravinsky strives for a somewhat uncharted approach to tackling the career-oriented portion of Coco Chanel’s life. Based on the 2003 novel by Chris Greenhalgh, the film focuses so comprehensively on the affair between Chanel and Stravinsky that the nuances are almost unfathomable. Promotional poster for Coco & Igor The opening night to Stravinsky’s “Rite of Spring” in 1913 Paris is a categorical failure (and...Read Full Story