Coco never looked so good More than just a label, Coco Avant Chanel looks beyond the little black dress. he fairytale of the fashion industry, Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel’s menswear-inspired style and modernist philosophies may have been a bit radical in her time, but today her ideas set the bar for trendsetting fashionistas. Directed by Anne Fontaine and starring the Parisian Audrey Tautou, Coco Avant Chanel showcases Gabrielle Chanel’s life before she created the Maison de haute couture and became known as “Mademoiselle Coco.” With her gamine appearance and penetrating dark eyes, Audrey Tautou played the part beautifully of the girl who went from an orphan to an innovative designer all on her own. Chanel’s story starts in a little town in West France, which is not surprising given that the French are famous for their expensive tastes and refined demeanours. waist. Her hats were straw and small brimmed with a single elegant feather, her jewelry was minimal with a single stranded necklace or a large cuffed bracelet and her dresses were suited without corsets to push up the bosom into an overflow of cleavage. Coco’s attire did nothing to ornament the female body; instead it created a look of sheer elegance and brought confidence to the women who wore her outfits. “T gave women a sense of freedom; I gave them back their bodies: bodies that were drenched in sweat, due to fashion’s finery, lace, corsets, underclothes, padding.” Chanel’s innovative designs set the tone for feminist independence; the clothing was comfortable and allowed one to move about easily, while keeping a hint of sex appeal through simple adjustments. Audrey Tautou carried Chanel’s character profile effortlessly; her mannerisms were sulky, but when she was laughing or flirting “Complete with French subtitles, the Parisian attitude and social concepts of that time are expressed through the attire and relationships of the characters.” Gabrielle Chanel earned her nickname in a cabaret where she and her older sister entertained to make extra money. The two performed a song about a little dog named “Coco at the Trocadero” and when Gabrielle met and assumed an affair with Eteinne Balsan, a French millionaire and playboy, Balsan gave Gabrielle the nickname “little Coco.” An orphan at the age of eight, Gabrielle and her sister maintained jobs as seamstresses and held dreams of moving to Paris to sing and dance, and claim their fame and fortune entertaining for wealthy French men. When Gabrielle met the Balsan and heard he lived in Paris, she showed up on his doorstep unexpectedly and integrated herself into his life. In the two years she lived with Balsan Coco began designing and making a wide assortment of women’s hats. As she wore all her own designs, the rich courtiers and French actresses who came to the parties thrown by the Balsan noticed Gabrielle’s unique accessories and would ask Gabrielle to sew for them, which helped Gabrielle earn her reputation. Her hat collection soon grew to include jackets; which were large, in drab colors, and buttoned straight up the front like a man’s; dresses, which were collard at the cuffs and with no ruffles in the back; and shoes which initially had no heel. Chanel’s Maison de Couture is founded on expensive simplicity and is focused towards a selective taste; she wore loosely flowing shirts with pinstriped pants, and low-necked lace dresses with a small belt around the 16 her smile and dancing eyes lifted the room. In a final scene Coco Chanel, no longer Gabrielle the orphan girl, is wearing her own signature Chanel suit with dark red lipstick and large pearl earrings. She is watching a fashion show; a parade of long- legged girls walking down a white staircase with ceiling length mirrors wearing her original designs. Never married, but having led passionate affairs with several influential men at the time, Coco Chanel opted for a modernized outlook and created a revolutionary feminist attitude. Her iconic sense of style and legendary breakthrough in the fashion industry allowed for women to find their sense of self, and allowed the blend of beauty and comfort. She took the look of overdone splendor and simplified it to equal a look of undone desire; revealing nothing, but hinting at everything. Coco Avant Chanel is magnificently done, the picturesque landscaping and attention to detail in costumes made this film complete. Complete with French subtitles, the Parisian attitude and social concepts of that time are expressed through the attire and relationships of the characters. Audrey Tautou will introduce you to a woman who wanted more than the traditional lifestyle—and felt she was more than just a doll to be dressed up for the attraction of men. Coco Chanel’s groundbreaking line of clothing in haute couture is inspirational as it shows Chanel’s mysterious and lonely life transform when she follows her dreams. Lizzy Borden story brought to life by Douglas College theatre crew Eerie Blood Relations has the audience cringing with pleasure By Jay Schreiber, Arts Editor ow far is too far? When do you He the limit? What is it that final spark in a murderer’s brain that sends them on a rampage that we marvel at until this day? For Lizzy Borden, it was the trials of living under suppressing circumstances that caused her to put a hatchet in both her parents. making mongrel with a proposal to purchase some of the Borden’s land. Lizzy’s father and stepmother were both well played and cast perfectly. Blake Cuthbertson had a good role as Mr. Borden, giving life to a stiff and grey old man who had to lay down the rules of the house. The figurehead “woman of the house” Mrs. Borden, who was played by Michelle Ross, was a bitter old hag which “The morale of last week’s opening night for Blood Relations was excellent with a very supportive audience and confident performers. To put it in cliché, everything went off without a hitch.” A grim ending to a depressing tale, yet delivery by Douglas College’s all-star cast is phenomenal. The first of two plays to premiere this semester, Blood Relations filled the Studio Stage this week while the Muir Theatre’s opening night of A Midsummer Night’s Dream happens on Friday the 13". The morale of last week’s opening night for Blood Relations was excellent with a very supportive audience and confident performers. To put it in cliché, everything went off without a hitch. The story followed Lizzy, as portrayed by two different actresses, who went through testing times living with her father and stepmother. Tracy Schut gave a wonderful performance as the crazy Lizzy who was being pushed to the edge. Tracy had no issues finding the drive and insanity behind the axe murderer and kept stage charisma consistent. The alternate Lizzy, Liane Skellett, spent most of her time on the fringe of shadows glaring at the situations as they unfolded in front of her. Never letting up on her intensity, Liane had a fantastic role and provided a lot of insight into Lizzy’s motive. Perhaps one of the most entertaining performances of the play, Jonathan Hamilton portrayed Harry, a business interest of Mr. Borden’s. There was no issue for Jonathan who slipped into his sly character as the forthcoming money- was perhaps the turning point of Lizzy’s actions. Emma, the older sister, was out of the house at the time of the murders, and after returning, Kalina Dawes portrayed a horrified sister fearing for her life from the younger Lizzy. In addition, Douglas College graduate Andrew Job contributed as the defense lawyer and the jolly Irish doctor who can’t help but flirt with patrons of 92" Street. The set was well constructed with four focal points of action that provided a lot of diversity for the actors to work with. Again, the Stagecraft Department pulls through and made a believable setting for the Borden murders. Stage manager Heidi Quicke kept the show rolling as the stage manager, and former Douglas alum David Quast did a fantastic job directing the scenes and coaching the performers. In the end, Lizzy Borden was acquitted and found not guilty in a trial by her peers. “How can any father sleep at night if we find Miss Borden guilty of the actions she is accused of?” the defense attorney claimed. But did she actually do it? After a century and much deliberation, I think we now know the answer to that. Oh well, I guess it just goes to show that sometimes, family life can be a killer. Blood Relations runs until November 14 in the Studio Theatre room 4140 on the New West campus so catch it this week.