Famous actresses who were dressed by the great Coco Chanel herself

2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55

Little Coco was only twelve when the Lumière brothers held their first film show, revolutionizing art. For world culture, this meant innovation, and the desire to cooperate with the greatest directors and actresses became that cherished step, climbing to which you could consolidate your success. Romy Schneider, Jane Fonda, Catherine Deneuve, Annie Girardeau, Brigitte Bordeaux - this is an incomplete list of fans of the great Mademoiselle.

Hollywood - Success or Failure?

It is clear that world fame cannot be achieved without participation in Hollywood projects. However, one of the most influential people in Hollywood, Samuel Goldwyn, had to persuade the famous Parisian woman to "leave her mark on the cinema" for almost three years. In the end, a $ 1 million contract was awarded. According to its terms, the couturier, in addition to creating outfits for films of the United Artists film studio, had to reorganize the company's costumes department, predicting fashion trends for at least six months in advance.

Goldwyn wanted American fashionistas to dress up in new clothes at the same time as their Parisian girlfriends, and sometimes even earlier. This collaboration was supposed to be an excellent advertisement for the United Artists studio, as the female half would increase the box office in their quest to learn the latest fashion trends. Gabrielle Chanel was obliged to visit the studio at least twice a year, a special creative studio was equipped for her and it was assumed that she would create not only stage costumes, but also dress actors in everyday life. However, the wayward woman did not like the rigid framework. She was only able to survive for two weeks, and then fled to Paris to create costumes for films there. She managed to work on only three films.

Hollywood projects

Her first full-length Hollywood work is Mervyn LeRoy's Tonight or Never. The main role was entrusted to the silent film star Gloria Swanson, who has already been able to prove herself well in films with a soundtrack. She was to play an opera singer who performed her parts best when she was seriously in love. A comic situation filled with emotions and young handsome men eventually ends up happily. However, the atmosphere on the set was not at all rosy.

The capricious Hollywood star was in a position at the time. Pregnancy seriously complicated the work of dressers, as before each scene the actress's outfits had to be adjusted to fit the figure again. Chanel was annoyed by this, and Gloria was not imbued with warm friendly feelings for the couturier. In addition, Goldwyn suffered: journalists considered the invitation of a French designer to work in Hollywood not patriotic, since after the end of the First World War America claimed the leading role in the fashion world. Chanel was not afraid of attacks from the press and continued to work. And she created a stunning black dress, the sleeves of which resembled butterfly wings.

Her next project was the film Three Girls from Broadway. This comedy starring Ina Claire, Madge Evans and Joan Blondell tells the story of cabaret girls who rented luxurious rooms to seduce wealthy men. This script later became the basis for other Hollywood films, for example, "How to Marry a Millionaire" with the magnificent Marilyn Monroe. Coco Chanel has created more than 30 looks, in which her heroines appear: these are graceful hats, and tweed suits, which combine a jacket, a skirt-year and a blouse with a bow, and sexy slip dresses.

After three films, Coco Chanel decided to terminate the cooperation agreement, and Samuel Goldwin did not interfere with this. After all, the reason for this was by no means Coco's wayward personality. The film producer was captivated by her creations and subsequently spoke warmly about their collaboration. However, the elegant clothes of the Frenchwoman were too innovative for the luxurious style of Hollywood in the 30s. Glamorous divas of those years were supposed to look divinely sexy from the screen. Their outfits were supposed to awaken men's fantasies, and make women envy and want to get their hands on the same samples.

However, the refined taste of the Great Mademoiselle did not accept such an approach, she called the glamorous factory of stars "infantile" and "devoid of style." Can this position be called a failure? Yes and no. Subsequently, cooperation with the film studio grew into work on the images of individual movie stars. And, perhaps, this approach was the most beneficial for the individualist and innovator Gabrielle Chanel.

Revival of the fashion queen

With the outbreak of World War II, in 1939, Gabrielle Chanel completely curtailed her business - her fashion house in building No. 31 on Cambon Street, as well as all the shops, were closed. The famous Frenchwoman spends a difficult time very ambiguously - later she will be remembered for her connection with Baron Hans Gunther von Dinklage and spy games. Only in 1954, the rehabilitated 71-year-old Mademoiselle will be allowed to return to the world of haute couture. With advertising as the main engine of the trade, Chanel contracts with various Hollywood studios and dresses the likes of Audrey Hepburn and Elizabeth Taylor.

Her outfits appear in the films Last Year in Marienbad (1961) - one of the interpretations of the famous little black dress "performed" by the actress Dolphin Seyrig, in Boccaccio 70 (1962) Romy Schneider appears in a sophisticated white outfit and famous tweed suit. In addition, in everyday life, movie stars unwittingly advertise the fashionable creations of the famous couturier. So, in one of the interviews, the most glamorous movie star Marilyn Monroe, who has never been the “face” of the fashion house, when asked by a journalist about her favorite night suit for sleeping, playfully said that she would take with her to bed “of course, a few drops of Chanel No. 5". The boom in clothes from Chanel is also being picked up by women of high society.

For the former actress Grace Kelly, the status of the wife of the Prince of Monaco imposes an obligation to abandon Hollywood glamor and look more than modest and presentable, so the costumes of the French fashion designer with their modest charm fit the best. And the wife of the President of America Jackie Kennedy was remembered by the whole world for her pink dress, which so remarkably set off her beauty. The versatile bouclé jacket with contrasting tape has become the standard of chic and elegance; Jeanne Moreau, Anouk Aimé, Ani Girardot and other famous actresses appear in public.

Comfortable and elegant outfits with a minimum of decorative details make life easier for women and at the same time look stylish and original. As Catherine Deneuve admitted, the famous model of the Chanel 2.55 bag still appears in her wardrobe in different interpretations. So the era of Chanel has not passed - new stars of modern cinema are happy to wear and advertise this famous fashion house, breathing new life into its creations.