Personal style is not a thing that can be acquired
overnight. Sad (or maybe just frustrating) but true.
After all, the way that you present yourself is an inevitable statement
about how you want to be perceived -- be it low-key and casual, or high-fashion, high-cost, and high-heeled. Of course, style evolves. I mean, a quick glance back through your Facebook photo archives from last month (or even - gasp! - last year) may reveal some shockingly unflattering sweaters (why did no one tell you?!) or "unique" hair
experiments, or straight-up unfortunate footwear disasters. (Hi, anyone remember THESE?) Let's face it: Often, what we wear is reflected by trends
that are unfolding in the world around us - and these days, thanks to blogs, gossip magazines, and reality television, the effects of the immediacy and
influence of pop culture can take on very visceral properties when it comes to...
how you get dressed in the morning. Which is totally cool, because a) you know
what? Back in the day, those shoes were probably cool,
and b) no one's putting a gun to your head and forcing you to dress like
whoever happens to be on the cover of the latest In Touch. Trusting your instincts is a huge factor in
developing your own aesthetic.
However. It can be fun to remember, too, that there are other sources from which to draw some inspiration as well. (Fashion did exist before The Hills, don't forget.) Which is why we at TIZA are introducing a weekly discussion of fashion in some of the most sartorially inspiring movies of all time. Yes, there will be Audrey. But there will also be Sofia, and Wes, and Anjelica, and much, much more. First up?
COCO AVANT CHANEL
Audrey Tatou stars as the young designer in Sony Pictures Classics' Coco Avant Chanel
For our inaugural column, we just couldn't resist a discussion on the recently-released biopic about one of the industry's most iconic figures: Coco Chanel. Of course, these days we all know her as the woman who would eventually be responsible for some of the most beautiful dresses ever created, basically ever. But, as the film (which stars Audrey Tautou and was released on September 25) points out, Coco was not really the type to be often seen strutting around in lacey dresses and low-cut tops; actually, Chanel (who originally aspired to be an actress) spent a great deal of her time dressed in trousers, a simple, white button-down blouse, a hat, and occasionally, a tie. You could call it a very chic, very sophisticated, and way-ahead-of-her-time sort of tomboy look. She used the resources she had (in this case: some old guy's clothes) to develop a style completely unique to the time period -- and which, incidentally, still holds up today. In many ways, the resulting aesthetic has probably influenced basically every runway look ever to follow Coco's first collection down the catwalk. Suffice it to say, the lady certainly was doing something right. Just look at the evidence:
Or, for the more ladylike among you:
And if you're still not convinced, just stay tuned for next week's edition of Fashion in Film, where we will present you with yet more fashion inspiration.
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