Oui Coco, Oui Coco

Coco Avant Chanel portrays the story of Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel before she conquered the world of fashion and revolutionised the way women wear clothes.  Encapsulated by Audrey Tautou in Anne Fontaine's new film 'Coco Avant Chanel', Chanel was born in Saumur, France on August 19 1883 and died on 10 January 1971.  During her lifetime she popularised casual and comfortable clothing for women without them losing an inch of style or elegance.  The film focuses on Coco before Chanel though.  It begins with images of her childhood where Coco and her sister were orphaned to a Convent in France.  Every Sunday, Gabrielle – before she was known as Coco waits in vain for her Father to visit.  She notices the simplicity and monochrome on the nuns’ uniforms, this shapes her whole take on Fashion. 

Coco worked as a dressmaker and after a brief career as a singer in French Cafes with her sister where she acquired the nickname Coco, Chanel finds herself as a Mistress of Etienne Balsan, a wealthy Military Officer.  The relationship she has with Balsan is odd and endearing at the same time.  Balsan is intrigued by Chanel but also embarrassed by her leeching onto him and her “dowdy” dress sense.  Undeterred, Chanel cuts up his clothes and her brain processes the designs she wants to make.  The wealthy world she has found herself in enables her to change it.  She refuses to wear corsets or “ridiculous” hats instead she customises male tailored clothes and rides a horse the male way!  A revelation for the over styled and pulled in to within an inch of their lives women around her.  By designing hats first of all, Chanel wins over the audience around her and falls in love with an English industrialist called Arthur “Boy” Capel.  As Chanel’s popularity rises within her social group, Balsan proposes to her.  Coco is the unique diamond in the rough for these men and the social group around her, or perhaps pearl is a better description, as pearls become the finishing touches to her beautiful designs later in her life.

Coco’s relationship with Boy flourishes and a beautiful seaside trip scene occurs in the film where Coco falls in love with stripes as she watches the fishermen in their stripey shirts reel in their catch.  Coco also wears a groundbreaking simple Little Black Dress at a Dance with Boy amongst the busy Edwardian uncomfortable designs of the time. 

Boy breaks Chanel’s heart as she had always feared by marrying an English aristocratic woman.  This is not the end of their affair though and with the financial help from Boy, she opens her first Milliner shop in Paris which is an instant success.  A tragic ending ensues though and this is where our story finishes.

This bio of Coco Chanel is an endearing and lovely watch but one can’t help hungering for more – perhaps the future films focusing on Chanel will show in film more of the life she led.  Audrey Tautou is scrumptious in the picture, Fontaine claimed she picked Tautou for her “little black bull side” and this is a phrase that rings in my ear whenever I see Tautou, this was the part she was born to play and charms us in it completely.  

Rock and Roll Will Never Die

Glastonbury saw the magnificent Neil Young, the great Bruce Springsteen and the comeback of 90s Brit Pop band Blur as the headliners for the June weekend . The BBC, although the licence fee payer’s institution, still insist on giving their audience a large group of presenters who seem to know nothing about music and insist on shoving down your throat what they want you to watch rather than what you want to watch. This was emphasised by the fact Neil Young, a music legend headlining and playing Glastonbury for the first time ever at the age of 62 got barely any screen time, where as Lilly Allen, Lady GaGa and Dizzee Rascal were seen on a loop the whole weekend.

The presenters seemed to all be bad radio DJs who relied on dry humour that wasn’t funny and had no passion for the great event that they were lucky to be at. With fake mud on Hunter boots that were probably paid for by their employer along with their ticket they really should have made more of an effort to up their music knowledge but instead they looked out of place and arrogant.

Neil Young was a highlight, I can only say this as I had seen him wow Aberdeen 2 nights before where wonderful favourites such as ‘Cinnamon Girl’, ‘Down By The River’ and ‘Harvest Moon’ were played out to a sweaty crowd. Opening with a belter, ‘Hey Hey My My’, the AECC is an awful place for a venue but Young disguised this with his brilliant sound. An open field in the English Countryside must have been a brilliant place to watch Young and his enthusiastic band. His cover of The Beatles ‘A Day In The Life’ was intriguing but the real treats were his classics, apart from the above, the timeless ‘Rockin In The Free World’ and the haunting ‘Needle And The Damage Done’ sent shivers down spines.

Blur also created waves with their set jam packed full of hits. ‘Beetlebum’ and ‘Tender’ were the best. Hot property at the moment Florence And The Machine executed a beautiful set and proved she could win over Glastonbury. The Specials had their moment again too and were great fun. ‘Too Much Too Young’ seemed even more poignant with the band at a markedly older age than the first time round.

Rock and Roll will never die for the music lovers out there but it seems to be long gone for the BBC Team and their awful coverage of musical festivals.

Jamie T on Tour

Pending the release of a new Ep ‘Sticks N Stones’ and with an album to follow, Jamie T is travelling up to the North East again to showcase his latest efforts.  Anyone who has seen Jamie T before is certain to agree he is a treat.  His critically acclaimed first album ‘Panic Prevention’ included the wonderful tale of ‘Sheila’ and the mellow ‘If You Got The Money’.  Mixing cheeky lyrics with his trademark bassy sound, he paints his perception of modern life in a far more original way than his peers.  He sounds even better live than on record.  In Aberdeen, Moshulu isn’t the greatest place for a gig, it’s too spacious (and a bit smelly) especially for the smaller gigs but if there’s a big enough turn out the atmosphere is much warmer.  

Even though Jamie T is a relatively new artist, there’s a feeling of nostalgia at his gigs which may be down to his Dylan-esque story telling.   Let’s hope his new offerings are as fun and innovative as his first.

Home Advantage

I love Tennis, I love watching Wimbledon and I have never seen Andy Murray look so lovely as he does at the moment.  This was further progressed by a sneaky look through Heat Magazine this week, only to find Andy as ‘Torso of The Week’.  Please look at it, even if it’s just a flick through at the Supermarket.

And looking as great with clothes on…it’s great that Andy wears Fred Perry, it takes us back to the glory days of Tennis and suits him so well.  Unveiling his choice of attire for Wimbledon next week (above), his retro look gets a big thumbs up.  The cable knit jumper is very old school cricket and great for the June weather in Britain.  A classic look that emphasises the great Fred Perry himself who won Wimbledon 3 times in the 1930s.  Let’s hope the pressure isn’t too much for Mr Murray but least he always has Torso of The Week to fall back on.

Tis the Season...for Live Music

Festival season is officially upon us.  The deal was sealed last weekend during which The Prodigy rocked Rockness, Neil Young covered The Beatles ‘A Day In The Life’ at Isle of Wight and Download began.  God knows who played there, heavy metal is not the music du jour nowadays and I’ve barely heard a peep about it (and I listen to BBC Radio 6 Music for 8 hours a day – see below blog for details).  Festivals are great fun, nowadays not reserved for the music mad or hippies but for anyone who wants to wear heart shaped sunglasses and a pink cowboy hat, and that’s just the boys. 

Apparently we as consumers spend a great deal on festivals – apart from the extortionate ticket prices, one can not set foot in a stinking third world campsite without Top Class camping gear, £120 Ray Ban shades, Topshop’s finest and the cherry on the cake, £60+ Hunter Wellie boots.  Believe me looking good is one of my favourite things but really, at this expense?  Hunters should be reserved for Farmers who get the use out of them, not for a weekend in the countryside trudging through hangover shit.  Literally.  Try hard comes to mind – for the best looks, try to be simple.  The best looks I’ve seen from the famous world at festivals comes from Daisy Lowe at Coachella (above); with big black boots, a crop top and handcut denim shorts, it’s completely thrown on, ideal for hot weather and not an open toe in sight.  Ideal for crowds, ouch for those gladiator clad babes.  Agyness Dean at Coachella rocked an American Scarf draped round her with a cute ponytail and trusty converse.  Not a Kate Moss ‘I’m with the band’ vibe in the slightest. The cue is dress for yourself and the environment.

Take this tip and make it your own: Keep it simple, keep it you.  British weather being unpredictable calls for some cute leggings, you can always slip them off if the sun is blazing and on again for the cold night. Old boots or wellies from your local army or camping shop, a long Tshirt, tunic or denim dress, a leather jacket, parka or hoody that you can drape around your bag if it’s hot.  Don’t forget a waterproof, there are some great pac-a-macs around. These are easily stuffed inside a bag and can be whipped on at the slightest precipitation. If you choose to wear a hat, a 70s floppy sun hat is the only one that will do. Don’t go out and spend a fortune, work with what you have.

Take some dry shampoo, baby wipes, toilet roll, hand sanitiser and bronzer.  This ensures you look and feel great and can worry about what bands you want to see instead of if you look cool enough, after all music is the only reason for the festival in the first place, would you believe it?

Love Love Love

Five months into 2009 and where are we?  In the middle of a ghastly MPs expenses war/economic breakdown/swine flu panademic that's where.  We clamber around our lives trying to make sense of everything around us which seems to be unfolding with complete bizarre goings on at every corner possible.  Or is that just me?  

At the end of the day amongst the madness, gems can be found however superficial they appear, everything else can sink along with the titanic.

Balmain Shoulders: LOVE LOVE LOVE.  How great are these 70s/80s shoulders reinvented?  They so shouldn't work but by golly gosh they are so wearable.  

Compared to other 80s revivals like the crop top you don't have to be 5 stone to wear a strong shoulder, in fact it's in your favour to have a few curves to balance out your jaunty shoulder.  Attitude is something you must have mind you, this is a look that gets people talking, take a tip and don't do a Rhianna at the Met Costume Ball though (above), for such a pretty girl she looks pretty rough!  More Barbara Hulancki (right) less pointing eyes out with your fake shoulders!

Sunshine Underground: On a sunny/rainy day in Dundee, a group of friends meet and bounce along to the fun and loud SUNSHINE UNDERGROUND.  This is great because 1: this group of friends had lost a bit of hope in everything and 2: Sunshine Underground are on top form.  Losing all inhibitions at a gig is highly recommended and should be done by everyone who loves music at least twice a year.  

Stephen Fretwell: Accoustic, hauntingly lovely voice, perfect melodies - sounds utterly cliched, it's not.  Listen to him.

It's Blitz!

Karen O is the stylish singer of the American band Yeah Yeah Yeahs.  Onto their third album, It's Blitz! which infuses their individual style mixed with a 90s dance vibe, strong guitars and Karen O's sweet then slicing voice and lyrics.  It's a hit.  Their new single from this album, Zero is brilliant, it is at it's best turned up loud and on the radio.  This band are fresh air.  Watching them on Jools Holland live show was satisfying and with their female singer owning the stage and enjoying every moment of it, it's hard not to want to be in the band.  

An interview with Karen O in The Sunday Times Magazine reveals that she's half South Korean and half Polish, her mother was a fashion consultant and has always been baffled by her daughters unconventional style and she loves like there's no tomorrow.  Unconventional style it may be but wonderful style it definitely is!   Pictured above in the middle of her two bandmates and below, she oozes charisma, her great blunt pudding bowl haircut sets it all off.    

Leather, coloured tights, clashing prints, unusual tshirts, customising finds and red lipstick is a must for the Karen O look.  The best thing about real style icons in the public eye is you can take the inspiration you want from them then throw in a good dollop of yourself to come into your own style.