Coco Chanel Makes the Debut of a Lifetime
Shirley MacLaine courtesy Lifetime
New York's Fashion Week may be coming to a close, but Lifetime television is just getting started - Chanel style.
The network's three-hour original movie event,
Coco Chanel, tells the rags-to-riches story of one of fashion's biggest icons. Academy Award winner
Shirley MacLaine stars in the title role alongside Golden Globe nominee
Malcolm McDowell. "[Chanel's] personality was a very broad canvas," says MacLaine. "It really inspired me to use all the things I hadn't used since playing Aurora Greenway [in
Terms of Endearment]."
The movie begins in 1954 where Gabrielle "Coco" Chanel (MacLaine) suffers crisis in both her personal and professional life. Told in flashbacks, Coco recalls a time when her younger, more humble self (played by Barbora Bobulova) went through similar suffering between the abandonment of her father and an endless rut of doomed relationships. But despite the hardships, nothing could stop the tireless designer from achieving her couture-giant status. "Chanel was all about work. There was never any indecision on what were her highest priorities - and those were her creativity and her work," says MacLaine.
Fashion designer Lela Rose is fairly certain this movie will have huge mass appeal. "Chanel was such an amazing force and has such a name. Whether you like fashion or not, you know who Coco Chanel was."
Coco Chanel premieres Saturday, September 13 at 8 pm/ET on Lifetime. -
Gina DiNunno
Use our Online Video Guide to check out the
trailer and interviews with the cast now!
