I am totally excited to have finally seen the trailer for Coco Avant Chanel, the biopic of Coco Chanel focusing on her early womanhood and path to Paris and infamy (hence “avant” or “before”). The film stars the lovely Audrey Tautou, and is, unfortunately, opening first in France this April. So yes, the trailer is in French, but it’s still completely entertaining to watch and you don’t need to speak the language to see that the film features fabulous costumes, amazing cinematography, wild parties, and some sort of juicy love triangle. Just a little something to look forward to…

If you can’t wait for the movie to come to the US to get your Coco Chanel biography fix, perhaps reading Coco Chanel by Jeremy Wallis will get you through to opening night.

If you happen to be in the Bay Area before April 5th, I highly suggest you make a stop at the de Young museum in Golden Gate Park and check out the amazing Yves Saint Laurent exhibit currently taking place. I saw the exhibit this weekend, while on a short vacation to the Bay and was completely mesmerized by the genius and spectacle of the designer. The exhibition contains nearly 130 accessorized garments and sketches illustrating the lines, colors, and fundamentals of Saint Laurent’s work. Included are such famous and iconic looks as the Mondrian, hand-knit bridal gown, pop art, Van Gogh, safari, the black dress with huge bow, Africa, and of course, le smoking.

Seeing these amazing works of art up-close was an amazing experience. I could have spent all day admiring the tiny details in the garments. I was reminded that couture, and ready-to-wear, collections are the outcome not only of the designer’s creative vision, but also the painstaking, detailed work of his team. The bead work on the Van Gogh pieces, for example, and the way the beads are chosen and embroidered, perfectly re-creates Van Gogh’s brush strokes. It is truly incredible.

Unfortuntely, the de Young is the only venue for this exhibit in the U.S. If you can’t make it, you can still indulge in some YSL history with Yves Saint Laurent: Style, Style, Style which I perused at the museum gift shop before ultimately deciding on a poster and YSL paper dolls book (I knew I could find Style, Style, Style on PriceGrabber for a better price!).

Image credit: Style.com

When I first started looking at the images from the Chanel spring 09 haute couture show, although impressed with Japanese hairdresser Katsuya Kamo’s incredible paper rose, camellia, and feather paper headdress masterpieces (which, according to WWD, were made in three weeks with seven helpers and two packets of 11×17 printing paper), I was a little underwhelmed. Sure, I understood Lagerfeld’s theme of juxtaposing the darkness of the current economic meltdown with an all-white collection, but I was looking for something fabulous and decadent to feast my eyes upon and I just didn’t see it. Of course, when it comes to couture, the magic is often in the details, so when I switched over to Style.com’s detail shots, that is where I found it.

The exquisite lace, delicate beading, and flowers in weightless, cut-out, 3-D montages of organza and cellophane are a feast for the eyes. And paired with Kamo’s creations, even better when viewed close-up, the collection certainly wows. Thank you Lagerfeld, for giving me the pristine, spring-dreaming, pick-me-up I was looking for.

Not surprisingly, I suddenly have the urge to accessorize with a white cocktail hat, anyone else?