Gabrielle Chanel lies on a cart holding her doll, looking at the bright morning sky. She
looks at her sister, Adrienne, sleeping next to her. They soon arrive in front of an old
institution. The bare stone walls give the whole place a gloomy look. It turns more somber by
the fact that that morning the two sisters were being abandoned by their father. The institution
is Aubazine Orphanage, and the year is 1893. The nuns come to take the girls. Gabrielle
keeps looking at her father, but he never turns to see his daughters.
Gabrielle and Adrienne soon start their education. They still haven't gotten
used to the environment and would find girls laughing and gossiping about them. Gabrielle
doesn't like it but doesn't say anything. Gabrielle would always go to the front door
every Sunday, which is open for visitors, in anticipation of seeing her father,
but he never showed up. Adrienne has accepted her fate and that her dad will never come to
see them again, but Gabrielle stays hopeful. It has been fifteen years. Gabrielle has turned
into a beautiful young woman. She, along with Adrienne, works as a cabaret singer
in a provincial bar. They sing a song about a dog named Coco who gets lost at Trocadero in Paris.
After their performance, they collect the tip money for Coco but get confused for
escorts. The men in that bar usually come for entertainment and the escort service,
but Gabrielle is quick to point out where they can ask for the service when men mistake
them as being one of the service providers. As they are collecting the tips, Gabrielle
points to an older man and tells Adrienne that her baron is there. Adrienne asks her to come along as
the baron is not alone. They meet the baron, and he introduces them to another aristocrat,
Balsan. Balsan congratulates them on their performance. He has a woman clinging to him.
They all share a table, and Balsan asks who between them is younger. Adrienne
tells him Gabrielle is younger. Balsan asks Gabrielle her age,
but she dismisses him with her witty reply. They order champagne, and Balsan pours for Gabrielle,
addressing her as Coco. She doesn't like being called Coco and tells Balsan he has a lousy taste.
Her bluntness and acerbic comments make him take an immediate liking to Gabrielle.
In the daytime, Gabrielle and Adrienne work as seamstresses for the performers at the
bar. Gabrielle is adept at sewing clothes, and Adrienne gives her all the difficult tasks.
During bedtime, Gabrielle would read love stories that always ended up with an orphan overcoming
all obstacles and marrying a prince. She says it only happens in fairy tales, but Adrienne
believes otherwise. She says what she has with the baron is no less than a fairy tale. But Gabrielle
thinks the baron is not serious about her sister. Adrienne wants her sister to be more accepting
of love, but for Gabrielle, the only thing interesting in love is fornication, and she thinks
it is a waste that they need a man for that. Both sisters burst out laughing at the ludicrous idea.
Balsan has come to see them perform again. As soon as they meet, the repartee between Gabrielle and
Balsan commences. Adrienne leaves them alone. They talk about love, and Gabrielle says a
woman in love is helpless. Balsan likes how Gabrielle is upfront.
Gabrielle shares with Adrienne that Balsan can be helpful because he knows someone at the Alcazar.
They can audition whenever they want. They will finally be able to go to Paris. Adrienne thinks
her sister likes Balsan. But Gabrielle isn't attracted to him. She thinks he's clever and
has connections. So she can make use of that. Gabrielle suggests they need a new song that
is chicer and money for new dresses. The owner of the bar suggests Gabrielle
make her customers happy, but her sharp tongue gets her and Adrienne fired.
Gabrielle gets back at him by stealing two dresses on their way out. They
giggle and laugh as they make a run for it. The sisters do a dress rehearsal in their room and
practice their performance. But the tight corset makes it difficult for Adrienne to move freely,
which gives Gabrielle an idea, and she makes some alterations to make the dress comfortable
to wear. After the alteration, Adrienne dances freely, and Gabrielle jokes she'd
grab the folks' attention with those moves. Balsan finds Gabrielle's workplace and comes
to meet her. At that moment, she is attending to a client, but Balsan wants to have a minute
of hers. Balsan now addresses Gabrielle as Coco, and so shall we, and asks her out for
dinner. He says he has a plan he'll discuss over dinner and adds that she shouldn't take
it otherwise as she is not his type. She agrees. That night at dinner, Coco tells Balsan that she
is not an orphan, as is commonly thought of about the girls in entertainment. She has a father,
though her mother passed away when she was very young. Coco is quick to point
out when one is overly made up and even equates her dress with that of a bawd.
Later, they spend some romantic time together, which earns Coco an audition at the Alcazar.
When Coco comes back to give Adrienne the good news, Adrienne tells her Maurice,
the baron, has proposed to her. So she can't sing with her at the audition. Coco thinks
Adrienne is dreaming of the impossible. Because Adrienne backed out, Coco goes
alone for the audition and gets rejected. Balsan comes to meet her at her workplace.
He has come to say goodbye as he's leaving for home. He tells her he resides outside Paris,
in Compiegne. With that, he leaves. Coco thinks about it and the dream she envisions of making it
to Paris. She decides to go to Paris. She packs her bag and the kit that she used at her work.
But she doesn't have enough money. After some contemplating, she boards a carriage
and sets off on a journey to Balsan's estate. She meets Balsan, who is with his horses when
he sees her. She lies that she is visiting her sister who resides someplace nearby, but because
they are out, she thought of paying him a visit. Balsan teases her by saying he was worried that
she would miss him. He welcomes her to his home and asks his butler to prepare a room for her.
Coco seems pleased with the aesthetics of the room and sits happily in the bathtub.
She has never experienced luxury until now. Balsan shows her his family portraits,
and the tour of his house ends up in his bedroom. The next morning Balsan arrives,
excited. Coco is still in bed reading, and Balsan talks about the horse race he just won.
He asks her to get ready and leave as he has guests coming. She says she forgot her
sister's address and adds she'll be discreet and won't come downstairs. Balsan says he is
not one who keeps women locked in his house. She assures him nobody will even notice her.
Balsan agrees to keep her for two more days. Coco tries to get on a horse to ride it,
but her dress makes it impossible to straddle. She somehow manages to sit on the horse and takes
it for a ride even as the horse keeper tries to stop her. When she comes back,
she is breathless because of the tight clothing that is not at all suitable for such events.
In the evening, she discreetly makes her way downstairs and sees all the guests. But she isn't
allowed to be a part of it, so she has dinner with the housekeepers who don't treat her nicely.
Even Balsan doesn't see her in the dining room when he goes there to grab bottles of champagne.
Irked, Coco sits in Balsan's bedroom, but she has to be submissive because she has
accepted a liaison with Balsan. If she doesn't comply, he warns
her that she'll be going back to the station. Unwillingly, Coco adheres to all his demands.
The next day, Balsan takes Coco to see the horse race. She smiles as they reach the venue, but her
happiness is short-lived when Balsan refuses to take her to the main sitting area with him and
asks her to sit with the majority on the lawn. She is walking through the crowd when she spots
someone in a beautiful lace dress with an exquisite hat. She goes up to her and grabs
her behind, revealing it is Adrienne. They catch up, and Coco tells her how she's living
with Balsan. Adrienne says Maurice hasn't married her yet, but that'll change soon.
The next day Coco is having breakfast when Balsan comes and informs her the carriage is here for her
to take her to the station. He asks his maid to give Coco some raspberry jam to take along. Coco
sees Balsan kissing a friend as he helps her mount a horse. The butler comes with Coco's luggage.
But Coco changes her mind and says she won't be leaving. Instead, she goes to Balsan's wardrobe
and takes out a pair of trousers, a shirt, a waistcoat, and a tie. She wears them all
and alters them to make them look feminine. She takes one of the horses and rides it to
the place where Balsan and his friends are having a picnic. She lies, saying that she
wanted a last ride, but the horse panicked. Emily, an actress and Balsan's friend,
is impressed by Coco's dress. Coco notices how Emily is uncomfortable
in her corset after eating just a little. Once back at the estate, Emily says she is
not his type, and that's why he has given her such a bad room. She likes Coco's hat,
and Coco gives it to her. Coco further impresses her by telling her how she can accentuate her
features by choosing the right kind of hat. Coco tries experimenting and making her own
dresses. Balsan thinks she doesn't look feminine. He takes her to the party,
and Emily asks if Coco can make another hat, as the first one was a hit. Coco gladly accepts.
Balsan doesn't care about Coco's emotions and views her more as an object of entertainment.
And so he doesn't see how unwilling Coco looks, but he pushes her to sing one of her songs,
'Coco,' and she reluctantly sings it. She stands among the guests, dancing and singing.
Coco looks horrified because she had left her past behind,
but it seems to haunt her. All she wanted was to make a name for herself so that people recognize
her for her achievements and not her past. One morning, Coco is looking out the window when
she hears a piece of melodious music. She walks to another room and finds a man playing the piano.
The man is Arthur Capel. He finds Coco reading a book, and they speak a little before Balsan
comes and asks Arthur to accompany him. Before leaving, Arthur calls Coco elegant.
This is probably the first time she was called elegant, and this is what she strived to be.
Arthur is impressed by Coco and her skills. She isn't afraid of anything and matches the
men while playing polo. He introduces himself to her, and she learns he is an Englishman.
Balsan intervenes and mocks her style. He then proceeds to touch her inappropriately as if he
owns her. Coco takes a stand for herself and gives him a piece of her mind before leaving.
Later Balsan wants Coco to dress up and entertain his guests. She doesn't want to do that anymore.
Balsan gets upset and calls her a boor. After their brawl, Coco packs her things
and goes to Emily to help her find a job. Emily suggests she go back
as Balsan is lenient. So Coco comes back. She arrives when Balsan is having brunch
with his friends. All the men get up out of courtesy when Coco arrives at the table,
except Balsan. They have to leave to meet the breeder, and Aurthr says he'll join them
in a minute. Balsan doesn't hesitate to make a sarcastic comment about Coco before leaving.
Arthur serves Coco some tea and shares he was afraid he'd never
see her again. Arthur seems to like her, and so does Coco, but she doesn't show him.
Coco makes a dress for Emily for the night's party. The dress is the first step to changing
women's thoughts about dressing sensuously. Coco believes it is not always imperative to show skin;
some things should be left to the imagination. Coco is appalled by the way men treat women as
objects. And women don't seem to mind grabbing attention by showing as much
skin as they can. She has an altogether different definition of sophistication.
Arthur recognizes the difference between her and the other women,
and for this reason, he is courting her. He leaves the party, and Coco runs after
him to stop him. He makes it clear that he has been there just for her. He asks her to
come with him. Coco wants to wait for the night. That night they get romantic while
all the others play games throughout the night. The next morning Arthur asks if he can borrow Coco
for two days, to which Balsan doesn't object. Arthur takes her to the beach in Normandy.
Coco is mesmerized by the sea as it is her first time seeing it.
She has strong opinions about how women dress themselves. Unlike Balsan,
Arthur encourages Coco to pursue her unique style. Arthur tells her he's taking her to the
casino that evening. Coco is amazed that Arthur doesn't feel embarrassed to be seen with her.
Amidst all women wearing light colors, Coco looks chic in her sultry black dress.
The escapade leads the two to fall in love with each other.
Arthur drops Coco back at the estate and kisses her goodbye with a promise to come back for her.
Balsan sees them, and once Coco goes inside, he approaches Arthur. He warns him not to hurt Coco
as she is fragile. Balsan asks if he has told Coco about himself, to which Arthur stays quiet
but then says he'll tell her when he wishes to. Balsan sits with Coco as she makes her hat. They
talk about Arthur. She wants to know more about him, and Balson tells him that Arthur left a
trail of broken hearts in all the places with sea or ocean. He further says whenever Arthur
gets infatuated, he takes the girl to the beach. Coco goes to meet her sister Adrienne. Coco shares
she wants to get married. Adrienne is happy for her. She tells Coco how Maurice's parents won't
meet her. She still thinks Maurice will marry her, but she is nothing more than a de facto wife.
Balsan presents Coco with his favorite horse, but Coco declines as she tells him she will be
leaving soon. Balsan regrets introducing her to Arthur and advises her not to rush into things.
Coco reminds him how he mistreated her, and Balsan apologizes for his wrongdoings. He asks
her to stay there with him and become his wife. Coco snuggles with him and says he'll get over
her. Balsan doesn't think so and tells her that Arthur is betrothed to an Englishwoman.
She is rich, and Arthur will do anything for money. Coco doesn't believe him. She
gets upset with Balsan for making her believe he has changed for good, but he hasn't. She leaves,
slamming the door behind her. Arthur is back, and Coco tells
him that Balsan has proposed to her. But she will not marry him or any other person for that matter
because she always knew she wasn't meant to be anybody's wife. She believes staying as Balsan's
mistress is better. Arthur confesses he is getting married, and Coco tells him she knows everything.
Arthur wants to continue seeing her even after he gets married, but Coco has decided otherwise.
After taking some time off to think about what she wants to do next,
she tells Balsan and Arthur she's going to Paris to start her hat business. Balsan is against
the idea, but Arthur supports her idea. Balsan asks how she will fund herself,
and she says she'll take a loan. Balsan offers to marry her, but she declines
his offer saying she will not marry anybody. Arthur assures her he'll provide her with money.
Before leaving, Coco meets Balsan. He says he'll miss her. Coco shares that
she is frightened, and Balsan hugs her. However turbulent their relationship was,
Balsan gave her the name she will be recognized by in the future. If it were not for him,
Coco would have stayed back and continued as a seamstress. She appreciates what Balsan has done
for her. Balsan loved her, and that is probably the reason he let her go, for her to be happy.
Coco continues her relationship with Arthur. He has found a new house for them near the sea.
Coco learns that the loan she got from the bank was only possible because Arthur became
the guarantor. Coco is unhappy after learning this and says she'll negotiate with the bank herself.
The next day Arthur leaves for a day. He promises to be back,
and then they'll be together for two months. Coco adores him. She can't wait for him to be back.
Balsan has come to visit Coco, and together, they watch the play. They are returning when
Adrienne comes with bad news. Arthur met with an accident and lost his life.
Coco is devastated. A man who showed unconditional faith in her is gone.
Balsan takes her to the place where Arthur's car had overturned. She cries,
grieving the loss of the love of her life. Coco directs her focus on creating a revolution
through her creations. She wants women to understand they are not mere toys in the
hands of men. She gives the clothes a modern touch and her vision of how an elegant woman
should dress up. Her clothes depict freedom and determination. She wants every woman to
feel she could make a difference and does not always have to depend on seduction.
In the last scene, Coco Chanel sits on the stairs in her signature tailleur and looks
at her creations on the models as they walk. She was determined to make a mark,
and she was successful in doing so. She goes down memory lane and remembers all
the moments she spent with Arthur and his contribution in making Gabrielle Coco Chanel.
Coco Chanel never married. She worked until she passed away one Sunday in January 1971.
In her sixty years of career, her designs marked the style and elegance for generations of women
all around the world. Her thought process was way ahead of it's time. She broke into a male
dominant society and built an empire for herself that still bears her name.