Advertising Fashion

Another day, another ad masquerading as a short film/piece of art/etc. Just a fortnight after the Audrey Tautou develops irrational crush on weird stranger whilst wearing Chanel on train film comes a Dior short featuring my other favourite French actress, Marion Cotillard. Marion is as beautiful and radiant as you would expect and the (former) production assistant/researcher in me applauds their Eiffel Tower location but I am not wowed by this offering, just as I didn't really enjoy the Chanel No 5 advert. The Lady Dior bag looks quite nice if you're into really expensive bags but I would have expected a more interesting piece from director Olivier Dahan, who also directed La Vie en Rose. I know that advertising is a wholly crucial cog in the fashion wheel and without it there would be no Vogue or other glossies (see the chapter on advertising in Hadley Freeman's The Meaning of Sunglasses), but I do think that there is room for creativity in this short film format. Take Somers Town, the Shane Meadows directed feature that derived most of its budget from the Eurostar, for example. OK so there is that awkward moment where the hard-drinking dad stops brawling to discuss the amazing train that goes under the sea or something, but otherwise you get a beautiful film examining teenage friendship starring the brilliantly talented, if not quite as photogenic as Audrey or Marion, Thomas Turgoose.

But maybe I'm just being naive and unrealistic as below are a couple of comments from the Chanel No 5 ad on YouTube.

its now officially my favorite commercial. it makes me really want to check this perfume out.

Aww. This is definately why I wear Chanel No5

Casting Coco

Coco Avant Chanel opens in French cinemas today, which just gives me anther reason to wish I lived in Paris. I've long been a fan of Audrey Toutou although admittedly I have never actually liked any of her films - Amelie (too saccharine), The Da Vinci Code (I don't really have to explain this one) - but she is very pretty and French, ergo I am a fan. I am sure Coco herself would also approve - apparently she was a little peeved by the casting of Katherine Hepburn in the 60s Broadway musical, Coco - but I don't think that anybody could fail to be flattered by Audrey Tautou being cast in one's biopic. Whilst on the subject of casting biopics, why do journalists always ask that question of celebrities - who would play you in a movie of your life? Obviously the interviewee, even if they are some crap celebrity like Michelle Heaton, is going to say Natalie Portman. If they are older, they will say Meryl Streep. Only she could portray the intricate complexities of my multi-faceted personality, they think to themselves.