Coco Chanel brought us the little black dress, the Chanel suit and jacket, bell bottoms and Chanel No. 5 perfume - and a major film on her life is hitting the big screen at the end of this month.
But Audrey Tautou is more interested in Coco Chanel’s past than her style.
The French actress - who plays her in the forthcoming film has revealed that she loved playing the formidable style icon and has developed a fascination with the designer.
She said: “I’ve always loved Chanel’s style but I was more interested in her character than the fashion. Her life is so rich, and her personality so unusual, that the story of her life is far greater than simply being a story of fashion. And I wanted to discover what lay behind the facade.”
Audrey - who is also the face of Chanel No5 perfume admits that Chanel was a complex and talented woman who had many sides to her personality.
She told Britain’s Telegraph newspaper: “She was such a complex character, and full of contradictions. And she told so many lies about her past - huge, enormous lies - so that you can only understand her life little by little.”
Coco, who died in 1971 at the age of 87, was one of the most important figures in 20th century fashion. Her menswear-inspired designs, which were renowned for their expensive simplicity, are some of the most sought after clothes in the world.
