Top 5 best movies about Coco Chanel

Top 5 best movies about Coco Chanel

Coco Chanel, renowned French fashion designer, was one of the most important women who worked in fashion in the 20th century. Chanel is now a household name, and continues to rule as a major luxury fashion house. I think that anyone with a little interest in the fashion world would love to own one of their lavish products!

Chanel herself was born in France in 1883, ad spent her childhood in poverty before being sent to live in a convent at age 12. She would go on to live in the convent until she was 18 years old, and it was here that she learned how to sew!

In 1910, Chanel became a licensed milliner and opened a hat shop on the rue Cambon in Paris. By 1913, she had opened her first boutique in Deauville, a seaside resort town in northern France. And by 1927, Chanel has bought a block of 5 properties on rue Cambon, and established herself as a couturier.

Chanel worked in fashion for the rest of her life, and worked hard to build and expand her brand. She was described as a determined hard worker, and many people admired her tenacity and dedication.

Even after her death in 1971, the fashion house lives on. Karl Lagerfeld would go on to become the head designer of the brand, from 1983 until his death in 2019.

In addition to being a fashion heavyweight, Chanel herself lived an interesting life in Paris, as you can imagine. What better way to learn more about the designer, than to watch some really great movies about her? I’ve chosen the top 5 best movies about Coco Chanel, just for you!

1. Coco Chanel (2008)

Coco Chanel starring Shirley MacLaine promotional poster by Lifetime Television – WikiCommons

Coco Chanel is a 2008 television movie starred Shirley MacLaine as Chanel. Unlike many other movies on the designer, this one also depicts Chanel later in life. Not surprisingly, MacLaine wows in her role of Chanel. She went on to be nominated for several awards for her performance, including a Golden Globe Award and an Emmy Award.

This movie tells the whole story of Chanel, from her childhood, up until her success in the fashion world. It originally aired on the Lifetime Network in the United States. 

Watch this movie if: you want the big picture of Coco Chanel’s life

2. Coco Before Chanel (2009)

Coco before Chanel, starring Audrey Tautou by marshillonline – Flickr

This 2009 film will give you insight into Chanel’s life before she got so famous. Coco Before Chanel is a French film (the French title is Coco avant Chanel for all of my French movie watchers) starring Audrey Tautou as Coco Chanel.

The movie begins with Chanel working in a bar/cabaret in the French countryside. She works as the seamstress for a cabaret during the day, and at night she performs as a singer.

As the story progresses, you’ll soon learn that she earned the nickname “Coco” thanks to a song she performs with her sister. Chanel’s actual first name is Gabrielle. This film also details the love affair that Chanel had at the time with a man named Arthur Capel.

Capel played a major role in introducing Chanel to some of the most important people in Parisian fashion. Thanks to her lover, she was also able to show the rich and famous in Paris her talents for making hats.

Unbeknownst to Chanel, Capel is betrothed to be married to someone else in England. When she does eventually find out, she decides to continue her affair with him. Tragedy strikes at the end of the movie, but I won’t say anything more! No spoilers here.

Watch this movie if: you want to learn more about Chanel’s early life

3. Coco Chanel & Igor Stravinsky (2009)

Coco Chanel & Igor Stravinsky starring Anna Mouglalis and Mads Mikkelsen promotional poster. The poster art copyright is believed to belong to the distributor of the film, the publisher of the film or the graphic artist – WikiCommons

The 2009 film Coco Chanel & Igor Stravinsky stars the French actress Anna Mouglalis as Chanel, and actor Mads Mikkelsen as Igor Stravinsky. It tells the fictional story of a love affair between the designer and the Russian composer.

While the plot is fictional, it does have some truth to it. In 1913, Chanel sees Stravinsky’s controversial performance, The Rite of Spring, she is immediately impressed with his work.

Flash-forward to 1920, when Chanel learns that Stravinsky and his family were looking for a place to live. Chanel invited them into her home, and this is where fact turns to fiction in the movie.

In the movie, the designer and the composer begin a love affair, while Stravinsky’s family is in the house with them. Stravinsky’s wife easily finds out about the affair, which causes a lot of tension, as you can imagine! I’ll leave it to you to watch the movie, and see what happens next.

In later years, the affair was confirmed by Chanel, but denied by Stravinsky’s family

Watch this movie if: you want to watch a fictional interpretation of real life events

4. Once upon a Time (2013)

Once upon a Time is a short movie that was released in 2013. It was written and directed by Karl Lagerfeld, in celebration of the 100th anniversary of Chanel’s first shop in Deauville that I mentioned above.

This film stars Keira Knightley as Chanel, and depicts the earliest years of the fashion designer’s journey to fame. The film is beautifully shot in black and white and takes place in Deauville in 1913. This one may just may be my favorite on this list!

Watch this movie if: you love historical movies and have just 18 minutes to spare

5. Once and Forever (2015)

The last movie on my list is another short movie by Karl Lagerfeld. Surprisingly, there are not a lot of full length films about Chanel’s life, other than the first 3 on my list!

Once and Forever stars Kristen Stewart as Coco Chanel. I love the concept of this movie, as it is the behind-the-scenes story of a biopic being made on the life of Chanel. It depicts the trials and tribulations the production crew goes through in order to make the fictional biopic.

You’ll also learn about the life of Chanel as you watch, making it a really unique and unexpected way to learn about the designer’s life. I also love Stewart’s portrayal of a difficult to work with starlet.

Watch this movie if: you want to learn about Chanel’s life in an uncommon way

Conclusion

If you’re interested in learning more about the famous French fashion designer Coco Chanel through film, you’ve got at least 5 great options! I guarantee you’ll discover much about Chanel’s interesting and exciting life.

If you want to learn more about famous French personalities in-real-life, why not learn with our expert local guides? Click here to see all of our Paris walking tours!

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