Coco Before Chanel

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I like biographies and enjoyed the recent movie, Coco Before Chanel, based on the early life of fashion designer, Gabrielle "Coco" Chanel. I adore her streak of daring and independence. She thought men dressed more comfortably than women so she adapted----not adopted----menswear to fit her (as opposed to feminist poster boys Fran Lebowitz, Ellen DeGeneres, or Diane Keaton who keep raiding the boys section of department stores). Miss Chanel (she never married) dressed and carried herself like a lady, not a woman in drag...although that meant squat to a young, sexy Brigitte Bardot who famously dismissed the designer's offer of refinement as "haute coutre is for grannies."   

Below is a cozy five minute NPR interview about Miss Chanel's fabulous apartment/work studio on 31 Rue Cambon. Enjoy