Allow me to rhapsodize a bit on this Monday morning. I am smitten. Last week I caught a showing of Coco Before Chanel with my very fashionable friend, Sonya. Four days later, I still can't stop talking about it, and am very close to buying this Chanel-inspired sailor shirt from J.Crew. I've always been a devotee of Audrey Tautou (a poster of Amelie graced my college dorm room), but Coco Before Chanel proves what a powerful and versatile actress she is. The film avoid the pitfalls of a standard biopic, and instead focuses on some meaty issues: love and relationships, individuality vs. conformity, and the role of women in the 20th century. We see Gabrielle, "Coco," fight her way, tooth and nail, from destitute beginnings to the empire she founded. Watching her passionately, even recklessly, take control of her destiny was both exhilarating and inspiring. So I was beyond thrilled when I heard that we have a new biography on Chanel coming out next April, Justine Picardie'sCoco Chanel: A Life. I don't usually read non-fiction, but you can bet I'll be checking this one out. What do you think? When's the last time a movie inspired you?
