The Hollywood version of Coco Chanel

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Shirley MacLaine (left) is interviewed by WWD on the set of her new Coco Chanel biopic in Paris. In the article, she says that it was Audrey Hepburn who first suggested that she play the iconic designer. Here’s the comment:

‘When we worked together she said to me, ‘You should think about doing Coco Chanel when you’re older,’ ‘ recalls MacLaine. ‘That was in my 20s. I said, ‘You should do Coco Chanel.’ She said, ‘No. You.’ I’ve thought about it all that time and then this came up. I couldn’t believe it.’

Now, a quote from the real Coco (right): ‘Fashion has become a joke. The designers have forgotten that there are women inside the dresses. Most women dress for men and want to be admired. But they must also be able to move, to get into a car without bursting their seams! Clothes must have a natural shape.’

Photo credits: MacLaine, Dave Yoder; Coco, the Metropolitan Museum of Art