Coco (Before) Chanel

Sometimes it’s great when everyone’s asleep. I recently found myself in this situation with sole possession of the remote control. Thumbing through the On Demand options, I selected Coco (Before) Chanel.

I didn’t know anything about the movie, I just thought it I would learn something about a famous business woman. And I did.  It’s actually a French film, which I didn’t realize when I chose it. Subtitles, ugh! But, after just a few scenes, I was hooked.  I loved the movie and have been thinking about Coco Chanel and her life for days now.

I just read the Wiki on her and the movie didn’t cover some of the highlights of her affairs later in life, but the movie is worth watching. I recommend it. It’s a story of inner strength and perseverance (and it includes a love story and fashion, which means it’s a winner for me).

This is no ordinary LAMP woman!  Sorry, that line from Aladdin just slipped in there! (Mommy Turrets).

Back to Chanel…I’ve been thinking about her and how she faithfully followed her intuition despite social pressures to conform to the trends of fashion. The same is true for her personal life – marriage was yet another social pressure to which she refused to conform. That’s certainly not something I relate to, but I’m all for listening to my inner voice.  It was  interesting to see how knowing herself well and following her gut took her from a cabaret stage to her own fashion empire.

The movie was more about the rise of the woman, rather than her professional career, but it was interesting to see the forces that influenced the person she became. In turn, her influence was profound, which is really remarkable for the time during which she lived (1883-1971).

This woman was absolutely at the helm in her life, and it made me want to be as well.

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