Coco Before Chanel

"Coco Before Chanel" is a biopic of fashion designer Gabrielle "Coco" Chanel, played by Audrey Tautou (pictured above) before she became an icon. The film begins depicting her life as a french orphan. She falls in love with french millionaire Etienne Balsan who helped her start her fashion empire. Coco spent countless hours sewing her own clothes. Back in the 20th Century, women wore corsets and other highly structured clothes that they could barely move around in. Coco Chanel changed the face of fashion by designing "men-inspired" fashions out of her boyfriend's clothes like sailor shirts, trousers, tweed jackets. She also designed women's fashions out of wool jersey material which was typically used in men's underwear. Coco Chanel eventually went on to become a legendary couturier.