Karl Lagerfeld must have heard the reigning criticism of Kristen Stewart that she never smiles or even emotes. Her role in Lagerfeld’s new 11-minute movie Once and Forever may put that claim to rest once and for all. Chanel’s masterful short film debuted yesterday at the Paris-themed Métiers d’Art 2016 show, featuring Stewart as a “fiery” actress cast to play Coco Chanel in a biopic. Lagerfeld directed the clip, his 20th mini movie for the French house since 2008.

[ See: 21 Times Kristen Stewart Rocked the Red Carpet ]

The film calls for a wide range of emotion (Stewart broods, curses, laughs and dances) and Lagerfeld never doubted she could pull it off. In fact, he “conceived the film with Stewart in mind,” he told WWD, adding, “I think she’s one of the greatest actors of her generation.” Lagerfeld’s love for Stewart runs deep: he even chose her to star in the ad campaign for the Chanel Métiers d’Art collection, which hit the runway yesterday (see all the looks here). 

[ Words to Live By: The 10 Best Coco Chanel Quotes ]

The film also stars Jamie Bochert, Amanda Harlech, Geraldine Chaplin and Baptiste Giabiconi. Check the clip above. 

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Kristen Stewart‘s perma-scowl is going to be the star of Chanel’s forthcoming Métiers D’Art film. Karl Lagerfeld tapped the brooding muse to play none other than Coco Chanel for a short film that will be shown during the label’s anticipated show in Rome. Of course, Karl Lagerfeld is directing the entire thing, which is a fictional behind-the-scenes look at a biopic about the house’s founder. How wonderfully meta.

[ Words to Live By: The 10 Best Coco Chanel Quotes ]

Stewart is tapping into a sour space to play the role, according to Mr. Lagerfeld. “She played it really, really mean,” he told WWD. “You only see her in tests and she’s complaining about everything. She’s mean with the director; mean with the producer.” Sounds like a true cinematic event.

The Métiers D’Art show is expected to stage December 1.

[via WWD]

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Coco Chanel dared to be different and became a legend in the process. While much of her personal life remains controversial — notably her string of love interests, which included a Nazi officer — she was a power player on the fashion and social scene who was never at a loss for words of wisdom. Much of that can be attributed to the fact that, like her future successor Karl Lagerfeld, she had no problem being brutally honest. Fittingly, one of her most famous quotes is: “The most courageous act is still to think for yourself. Aloud.” With that in mind, here’s a look at some of our favorite inspirational Coco Chanel quotes.

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The most successful designers are one with their label. They embody their brand image — think of how Ralph Lauren‘s moneyed, WASPy image corresponds to the carefree preppiness of his Polo line. Well, we’re bringing you all here today because one artist decided to literalize that connection.

Below, we’ve pulled a couple of selections from Dutch graphic designer Mike Frederiqo‘s ‘Logo’ series. You can see the rest, as well as some of his other work, over on his Tumblr. 

[h/t ElitistFashionista]

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For example, a handful of the 20th century’s most legendary designers were closely tied to Naziism. In some cases, this is a byproduct of the historical circumstances: During the Nazi occupation of France, which began in 1940, designers were forced either to collaborate with the Nazis (who saw immense value in the French fashion industry, and even considered relocating it to Vienna or Berlin) or close their doors*. Although it’s understandable that some didn’t have the courage to resist Nazi occupiers, others went out of their way to embrace the regime. 

Below, we’ve assembled a list of five big-name designers with ties to the Nazi party:

Coco Chanel

Published in 2011, Sleeping with the Enemy: Coco Chanel’s Secret War exposes Coco Chanel‘s activities as a spy for the Third Reich. The New York Times review of the book opened thusly: 

“Gabrielle Chanel — better known as Coco — was a wretched human being. Anti-Semitic, homophobic, social climbing, opportunistic, ridiculously snobbish and given to sins of phrase-making like ‘If blonde, use blue perfume,’ she was addicted to morphine and actively collaborated with the Germans during the Nazi occupation of Paris.”

Cristobal Balenciaga 

Some suspect that Balenciaga’s success in Nazi-occupied Paris had something to do with the designer’s close relationship with Hitler’s ally, General Franco. According to Stitched Up by Tansy E. Hoskins, Balenciaga designed many dresses for Franco’s wife prior to the start of the war and, decades later, even came out of retirement to create a wedding gown for the fascist leader’s granddaughter.

However, he stood up to Hitler when asked to relocate the French fashion industry to Berlin: According to the designer himself, “Hitler wanted to transfer the French couture to Berlin. He sent six enormous Germans to see me … to talk about it. I said that he might just as well take all the bulls to Berlin and try and train the bullfighters there.”

Louis Vuitton

Louis Vuitton: A French Saga reveals that the leather goods house had strong ties to the Vichy regime in Nazi-occupied France. Louis Vuitton was the only brand allowed to operate a store on the ground floor of Hotel du Parc, which was used as the premises for France’s puppet government, led by Marshal Philippe Pétain. According to The Guardian, the luxury brand also produced items “glorifying Pétain, including more than 2,500 busts, a fact not mentioned in any of its business records.” 

The family’s eldest son, Henry, was a regular at a popular Gestapo cafe, and “was one of the first Frenchmen to be decorated by the Nazi-backed government for his loyalty and his efforts for the regime.”

Christian Dior

Although Christian Dior never professed Nazi sympathies, as an employee of Lucien LeLong during the occupation, he dressed a a clientele of wives and mistresses of high-ranking Nazi officers. Although his niece, Françoise, was vocal about her Nazi views, his sister Catherine (the Miss Dior), was a member of the Resistance.

Hugo Boss

The German designer joined the Nazi party in 1931 (Hitler came to power in 1933) and created the uniforms worn by the Hitler Youth. The company also used forced labor from Nazi prisoners in its factories. In 2011, the company issued a formal apology about its activities during the Second World War. 

[Hat tip: Stitched Up: The Anti-Capitalist Book of Fashion]

*For more about this, read Fifty Years of Fashion: New Look to Now, by Valerie Steele. 

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When it comes to following our dreams, we’re often faced with some resistance; personal insecurities about our abilities, haters who turn a quizzical eye on new ideas or focusing on what may not be possible instead of what is. The truth is, we are always our best ally or our worst enemy and what others think or say shouldn’t thwart our success. So if you ever feel that your hopes are unfounded, or your skills are wanting, think of all those who’ve succeed in fulfilling their wildest dreams. We’ve compiled a list of fashion’s most beloved icons, and some of their inspirational quotes to keep your highest goals on track!
 

“You know the greatest thing is passion, without it what have you got? I mean if you love someone you can love them as much as you can love them but if it isn’t a passion, it isn’t burning, it isn’t on fire, you haven’t lived.” — Diana Vreeland

Take it from one of Nuclear Winter’s (aka Anna Wintour) predecessors, passion is the goal of the game. You don’t get to have the top spot at Vogue without it. And quite frankly, you won’t talk to anyone who loves their job without it. So find your passion, and then revel in it. 

“I think when you’re young you should be a lot with yourself and your sufferings. Then one day you get out where the sun shines and the rain rains and the snow snows and it all comes together.” — Diana Vreeland

Vreeland is a veritable fount of wisdom, so I thought I’d add one more to our list. Being young isn’t as fun as we crack it up to be. This is a time when you’re taking your lumps, so don’t forget that. But remember, as long as you keep working hard and don’t give up, it all comes together. 

“Today I choose life. Every morning when I wake up I can choose joy, happiness, negativity, pain… To feel the freedom that comes from being able to continue to make mistakes and choices — today I choose to feel life, not to deny my humanity but embrace it.” — Kevyn Aucoin 

This is pretty deep and pretty spiritual, but Kevin Aucoin created an empire and a legacy that is still remembered today. He’s the makeup artist everyone’s heard of. I’m sayin’ he was tapped into something special — a positive attitude! This is a good one to read when you’re feeling like life is getting you down. Choose happiness.

“Creativity comes from a conflict of ideas.” — Donatella Versace

We tend to think that life is a straight shot, when in reality it’s a lot of stops and starts. No first draft is ever perfect, take it from Donatella. Embrace all of your ideas and let your creativity shine.

“Don’t be afraid to take time to learn. It’s good to work for other people. I worked for others for 20 years. They paid me to learn.” — Vera Wang

This is a great reminder that not only is every experience an opportunity to learn a new lesson, but patience is rewarded. Vera Wang worked in fashion for decades before she broke out with her first bridal line. All of that learning paid off, considering she was an instant success.

“From the time we’re born until we die, we’re kept busy with artificial stuff that isn’t important.” — Tom Ford 

Tom Ford is a straight talker, as seen here. He has no reason not to be because he’s hugely, enormously talented and successful. Where did that success come from? Keeping his eye on the prize and trying not to get sidetracked by “artificial stuff that isn’t important.”

“Success is often achieved by those who don’t know that failure is inevitable.” — Coco Chanel 

Okay, Coco, we love you, but after age 10 we discover that failure happens. Well, I’m sure she knew that too. Her point is to try your best to not make it an option. Just don’t. Think about all the things you do during the day confident that failure isn’t going to happen, such as brushing your teeth, picking out which bag goes with your look, etc. Transfer that state of mind to everything you do. It’s not as hard as it sounds.

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Oscar de la Renta isn’t the young, sexy starlet we typically see on September issue covers, but all the better: The American designer and one of his lovely creations appears on the upcoming issue of Gotham magazine. Because de la Renta’s work is currently the subject of an exhibition at the Clinton Presidential Library (and also because of his willingness to play fairy godfather to John Galliano), the designer’s been on a bit of a media tour. 

For Gotham‘s September 2013 issue, the designer was interviewed by his friend and colleague, the beloved Linda Fargo of Bergdorf Goodman.

Some revelations:

He lets Fargo in on his less-than-complimentary opinion of Coco Chanel: “You know my first wife was French, and every Wednesday she would have lunch with Coco Chanel, who was not the nicest person, but they had a lot of fun. And Coco said something that rings so true: Birthdays are only important to a woman before 18 and after 90.”

And here, he explains the fascinating reason Hillary Clinton couldn’t cut her hair until she stepped down from her role at the State Department: “Doesn’t she look great now? I told her a while back [when she was Secretary of State] she should cut her hair. She said she couldn’t do it then because when she arrived in a foreign country and asked for a hairdresser, Homeland Security would have to check the person out. [Editor’s note: With long hair, she could style it herself.] But doesn’t she look fantastic now?”

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Born into poverty in the Saumur region of France and working as a cabaret singer before a romance yielded the chance to open her first hat shop in 1913, Coco Chanel is still revered today not just thanks to her eponymous label, now headed up by Karl Lagerfeld, but for her progressive personal style.

Women’s wardrobes in the early 20^th century were anchored by restricting corsetry and ostentatiously feminine frills. Against this backdrop, Chanel’s love of boyish shapes and fabrics was revolutionary to say the very least. At its most basic, Chanel’s wardrobe was sleek little black dresses and “poor boy” jersey pullovers, yet even in its most elaborate form (say, perhaps, a simple white blouse underneath a braid-trimmed bouclé collarless jacket) her look was still characterised by austerity. As it happens, the designer, raised in a French orphanage, was inspired throughout her life by the simplistic dress of nuns.

Coco Chanel also often dressed in her lovers’ suits almost a century before boyfriend jeans were cool, and was one of the first women to wear trousers out in public. On one occasion, she actually managed to persuade the pants off a male rider after coming to the conclusion that a long skirt was probably not the most appropriate attire for riding a horse. And before Alexander Wang’s padded and perforated brand of modern American athleticism, Chanel took the fabric used for gentlemen’s sportswear and pioneered sports-luxe for the nonchalant lady.

In fact, take a tweed jacket and throw on more oversized costume jewellery than you’d find in a Christmas cracker factory and you’ve got the quintessential Chanel look people are still appropriating today. Even the lady herself didn’t hesitate to go faux, reasoning that if jewellery was more affordable then people would accessorise their outfits better. That logic might not hold true for everyone, but it certainly worked wonders for Chanel. 

images: WENN

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To celebrate the launch, Bieber played a concert at the Apollo last night. Tickets were only available for the first 500 girls that bought a $168 lot of branded products at the Macy’s in Herald Square: along with the singer’s new album and fragrance, the packet included Hair Mist and Touchable Body Lotion. Two hundred people camped out at Macy’s Sunday night in anticipation.

“Girlfriend is kind of a more mature version of Someday,” Bieber told WWD, which is sort of like saying a vegan’s trash smells better than an omnivore’s.

Image via WENN.com

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With its impeccable service, famed flower arrangements, and refined menu, La Grenouille is arguably New York’s City most understatedly posh restaurant. I may be a smidgen biased because it’s owned by my best friend’s father, but given that Anna Wintour and Linda Fargo are among the regulars, it’s hard to argue with the fact that it made for the perfect setting for a recent Chanel hosted luncheon. Held in honor of this month’s release of the biography “Chanel, Her Life” by Justine Picardie“, the lunch included a Q+A with the author and New York magazine’s Amy Larocca.

The newly published edition of the book features a series of beautiful illustrations by Karl Lagerfeld, along with an in-depth look at Coco Chanel’s life. Picardie is extremely well-spoken with a wealth of stories and a mesmerizing calm demeanor. Below are some tidbits from the book and some insight into the author’s research.

Inspiration for the book:

The idea of writing a book on Chanel dated back to Picardie’s childhood. She highlighted having vivid memories of her mother’s Chanel No. 5 perfume bottle and told a little anecdote about her mother getting married in the 60s in a little black dress. It wasn’t Chanel (one could only buy Chanel in Paris at the time) but it was made from a Vogue Chanel pattern. The London-born author ended up wearing the dress on numerous occasions throughout what she called her “punk phase” so unlike some who might associate the LBD with prim and properness, she has a more rebellious association with it. 

Chanel spent most of her childhood in an orphanage/convent:

Picardie was the only person allowed to stay at the orphanage/convent where Chanel spent most of her childhood and she had to follow the same regimen as the nuns while she was there. Located in a cold mountainous region in central France, while the author was in the abbey, she saw many of the iconic Chanel signatures (think window panes with geometric patterns that look like the interlocked double Cs of Chanel’s logo) and believes they influenced the aesthetic choices the designer made later on.

Chanel hid that she was an illegitimate child and that she was abandoned by her father. When asked, she said that she was raised by aunts who always wore black dresses (clearly in a reflection of the austere nuns she grew up surrounded with). She also would tell people that her father left for America in search of wealth to build a better life for her and her family.

The author tried on some of Chanel’s wardrobe which still smells of Chanel No. 5:

The author was able to meet with Chanel’s last surviving relative, her great-niece Gabrielle, a goddaughter of the Duke of Westminster, and try on Chanel’s own wardrobe. In one of the jackets, Picardie found a handkerchief and white gloves which she said still smelled like Chanel No. 5. (Gabrielle assured her that she was not hallucinating and that in fact many of Chanel’s garments still smelled of perfume…longest lasting tale of perfume I’ve ever heard!) 

When going through the Chanel archives Picardie found a classic quilted Chanel bag that once belonged to the designer and it was lined with scarlet red.

Chanel’s lovers:

In her lifetime Chanel had many lovers, but the one link between them all is abandonment. Like with her father, Chanel was loyal to the men in her life, but they were never loyal to her. Picardie believe the only men Chanel truly loved were British playboy Boy Capel and the Duke of Westminster.

The bulk of Chanel’s business as far back as the 1920s came from fragrance and beauty:

Chanel began her fashion career in 1910 as a milliner. Even back to the 1920s the bulk of Chanel’s business came from fragrance and beauty. She was a pioneer in that she was the first to capitalize on the fact that there are countless people who want to buy into the Chanel image, but can’t afford couture and would happily settle for a lipstick.

Ahead of her time:

Chanel closed her fashion house during World War II and was called out for being unpatriotic. When she reopened her house, she got the worst reviews of her life from the French press but was embraced by American publications ensuring an ardent comeback.

The reason for reopening her house in 1954 was that she felt she had to “fight” against the constricting New Look popularized by Dior. She had worked feverishly to liberate women from corsets and did not want to see that go to waste. The easy, fluid shapes were featured in American editions of Vogue, LIFE, and Harper’s Bazaar, among others who championed her new designs.

Unlike her contemporaries, Picardie noted, Chanel believed in clothes, not fashion, and designed for every woman including the working woman, like herself, and for women of all shapes.

And finally…

Though there is a famous Coco Chanel Suite in the Ritz in Paris, it’s actually not the hotel room in which Chanel stayed and later died.

For more on Picardie and her Chanel biography click here and here.

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