Keira Knightley is effortlessly charming as Coco Chanel in full-length Once Upon A Time film

Newlywed British actress mesmerises as Gabrielle Chanel in new short film, watch the full length short here


Chanel has been teasing fans with clips of Keira Knightley as Gabrielle "Coco" Chanel in their beautifully-shot film, Once Upon A Time.

And now fashion fans can rejoice as the short has now been revealed in full, with Keira stealing the show as the eponymous designer.

The chic black-and-white feature, which was captured by Karl Lagerfeld, focuses on the opening of Coco Chanel's debut store in 1913.

Set in the French seaside town of Deauville, we see the newlywed British actress - along with her aunt Adrienne (Clotilde Hesme) - begin to cause a stir with her unique, beautiful millinery.

But while Coco went on to become one of the world's most influential designers, Coco Chanel's designs weren't initially loved by all.

At the start of the feature, we see two maids walk past the shop window and declare 'she has absolutely no taste' as they're left unimpressed by her designs.

Yet of course those with an eye for fashion get wind of the stylish new design of millinery and soon Coco is inundated with orders - including one by the glamorous Miss Wonderbuilt, who buys Chanel's entire stock.

Peppered with appearances from some of Chanel's top models, the feature also makes references to some of the most-infamous works the designer will go on to create in her career.

Coco is seen admiring many a tailored, masculine jacket worn by some of her clientele, a reference to the now classic Chanel jackets the brand is infamous for.

We couldn't help but stifle a smirk as Coco admires one passer-by's short, curled hairstyle - declaring she could never be bold enough as to forego a hat on such a short style.

She's told that soon she might feel very differently and lo and behold, she later declares she's ready to do just that.

Speaking about her decision to take on the role of Coco, Keira revealed she "instantly agreed" - despite not being able to speak French.

“I thought it was going to be a silent movie," she revealed.

“When I arrived I was asked to speak in French. I only said ‘bonjour’ and ‘merci’ and then carried on in English!"

She continued: "Filming with Karl Lagerfeld is a real treat. I instantly agreed to be his Coco!”

Filming took place over two days in March at the Cité du Cinéma, a studio complex just outside Paris, with the decor an identical reproduction of the street where Coco’s boutique was located.

Chanel's current creative director Karl Lagerfeld said the story unfolded in his own mind.

“I inserted real anecdotes into a scenario I’ve imagined,” he explained. “I like the fact there’s some striking dialogues."

The actors themselves discovered their lines just before each take - a way of directing that Keira and the rest of the cast felt made the experience all the more enjoyable.

Keira said: “Karl Lagerfeld stage manages the actors in a truly direct way.“

Clotilde Hesme added: "It was the first time I’ve worked like that too. “It’s very fun and vibrant. It encourages us to really be aware of the other actors."

The affinity between Keira and Clotilde is palpable, but they actually didn’t know each other before filming began and yet were inseparable between each take.

“The complicity between Clotilde and Keira was the miracle of this film,” Karl Lagerfeld enthused. “It fell into place right from the beginning. There’s really something between the two of them.”

The new film has been released to coincide with the centenary anniversary of the first Chanel boutique. It premiered in Singapore last night, ahead of the Chanel 2013/14 Cruise collection show.

Check it out for yourselves below and tell us what you think over on Twitter, now.

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