Coco Chanel

The supermodel starts singing at 5:07. Just FYI.

Fashion films are getting longer and more elaborate.

Despite the fact that her feathers and fur are purely ornamental, Carine Roitfeld serves as many fashion folk's spirit animal. Enigmatic, powerful, and usually swathed in Alaïa, the French fashion legend has long been everyone's ultimate everything. Now Roitfeld shows you the inner scenes and seams of her life through a new documentary. Called Mademoiselle C, the film, which opens on September 11 in major cities across the US, shadows the smoky-eyed icon through two big events: the launch of her new magazine, CR Fashion Book, and the birth of her first granddaughter, Romy Nicole. (Also: she does a full split on camera. Take that, Betsey Johnson!) I met Roitfeld across the street from Bloomingdales to discuss her latest project, and yes, I was shaking.

Oscar de la Renta is quickly becoming one of the designers whose interviews we're most excited to read. They're dishy, honest, and he always talks about the really interesting famous people he happens to be friends with. The latest, with Linda Fargo for Gotham magazine, does not disappoint.

It's Bastille Day, the French national holiday fêting that one time a bunch of French citizens said "Non, merci!" to monarchy by storming the Bastille. In honor of the holiday, we're paying tribute to our French fashion brethren who have captured that spirit of rebellion in their own lives.

You Are Cordially Invited to Our First-Ever Conference: Find out what it takes to "make it" to the top of the fashion pile, as well as how to network and find alternative fashion careers, from the industry's top professionals at Fashionista's first conference, "How to Make It in Fashion." We are so lucky to have Zac Posen as our keynote speaker, as well as Rebecca Minkoff, Leandra Medine of fashion blog Man Repeller, and Rachel Antonoff as panelists. Sign up here! We're On Cannes Watch: We're keeping track of all the fashion that's walking the annual Cannes Film Festival red carpet. We identified 10 international style stars to watch out for and spotted some interesting things—like Julianne Moore's crazy tortured-looking feet in platform stilettos!

Karl Lagerfeld's period film Once Upon a Time, which stars Keira Knightley as Coco Chanel, is finally here--all 15 glorious minutes of it. The designer-cum-director reportedly gave the actors, including Knightley, Clotilde Hesme, Lindsey Wixson, Stella Tennant, Tallulah Harlech, their lines just moments before shooting--which makes a lot of sense when you watch the film.

To add to your Coco Chanel biography collection: The Coco Chanel comic, a part of Naïve's "Grands Destins de Femmes" collection, with illustrations by Bernard Ciccolini and text by Pascale Frey. {Vogue Paris} Need a new job? Anna Wintour is on the prowl for her new PR director—and she's turning to the realm of politics and business to find one. {New York Post} Rachel Zoe's cutest ex-assistant Jeremiah Brent got engaged Monday to Nate Berkus. Mazel tov, 'Miah! {US Weekly} American Apparel's ads are once again brewing trouble. The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) is calling the company out for two predictably provocative ads in which the models appeared "vulnerable." {HuffPo}

Four-year-old Chanel model Hudson Kroenig will be in it too.

Here it is: The full Victoria Beckham editorial for French Elle, shot by Karl Lagerfeld himself in Coco Chanel's famous Paris apartment.

The Chanel fall/winter couture show is next week! OMG, we better start packing. Oh, wait. No, we're not really invited, but we do get to have a peek

Karl Lagerfeld sent his 2013 Cruise collection for Chanel down a "runway" at Versailles yesterday. Barely recognizable models strutted in candy-colore

Chanel just launched thelittleblackjacket.chanel.com, an "e-exhibition" of Lagerfeld-lensed models and celebrities wearing black Chanel jackets styled

Alexa Chung Named Newest BFC Style Ambassador: She's long been the stye ambassador to our hearts, but now Alexa Chung can add yet another title to her growing list of fashionable ventures. The British Fashion Council has named the influential Brit It-Girl their 'Young Style Ambassador,' as which she will "promote British fashion design talent to a global market." While it seems to us that Chung already does that job quite well, it never hurts to make things official. {Elle UK} Parsons Students Compete in International Fashion Showcase at London Fashion Week: The first ever International Fashion Showcase is happening now at London Fashion Week, with young designers from 19 different countries competing against each other for the Emerging Talent Award. Representing the US is a group of MFA students from Parsons, showing a collection titled "Lost Time is Never Found Again." {Racked} Carine Roitfeld Working with V on New Project? We've been anxious to hear about Carine's latest project following her departure from French Vogue, and now WWD is speculating that her new magazine may be in collaboration with V Magazine. Though Carine herself has yet to comment, she's already guest-edited an issue of the fashion mag and has reportedly been seen around the V office a lot lately... {WWD}

Time for a Chanel history lesson.

Some of you are just back to school and some of us are sadly done with school for good but we remember how fun it was to gather all your required back-to-school reading and dive in (okay, we were nerds). So in the spirit of the back-to-school reading list, we've put together a list of some awesome, essential, fashion reading. There are some really beautiful and important fashion books out recently and they are worth investing in. And that means actually going and buying the hardcover versions because these books are filled with Karl Lagerfeld illustrations, Diana Vreeland-styled editorials, and more really good stuff. Stuff not to be wasted on an e-reader. Click through to see your required reading. Don't skim! There will be a quiz!

We raise our glass to Coco Chanel, who was born on this day 128 years ago in France. You can celebrate the designer's birthday by picking up Chanel

Lady Gaga's Sister is a Candidate for an Off-Broadway Design Gig: Though Lady Gaga has all of the fashion connections in the world, her little sister Natali Germanotta, a budding designer, is starting small. The 19-year-old is being considered to design costumes for a new off-Broadway production called "Simon Says." It will be interesting to see how Natali's aesthetic compares to Gaga's. {WWD, Subscription Required} Buy a Thakoon Scarf for a Good Cause: Thakoon Panichgul is donating 100% of proceeds from the sale of this limited edition Masai-print scarf to help famine victims in Somalia. You can purchase the scarf beginning today on Thakoon.com. {Vogue} Sperry is Bringing East Coast Nautical Style to NYC: The preppy boat shoe brand Sperry Top-Sider has just signed a lease on a storefront in the Flat Iron district of NYC. No news on when the store is slated to open, but hopefully it's in time for Fleet Week. {Racked}

CFDA's Class of 2011: 33 designers, the most since 1962, were voted to become part of the CFDA's roster last week. New members include Eddie Borgo, Olivier Theyskens and Prabal Gurung. {Elle UK} Gucci Launches New iPad/iPhone App: Called "Gucci Style by Gucci", it's made to emulate a print mag with a "strong editorial focus" and tons of lifestyle and cultural features. There is, of course, e-commerce (with a 360-degree view of the clothes), but also samples of Giannini's vinyl collection, advice for Italian vacations, videos of artisan's craftwork, live streams of their social media sites and an "about me" of the house's history. Paradise for those who can't get enough Gucci. {WWD, Subscription Required} Eric Damon Creates NYC-Inspired Hosiery For DKNY: Knee-highs, fish-nets and leopard print can all be found in the eight-piece capsule collection by the Gossip Girl costume designer. The line, which ranges from a modest $15 to $24, is available this month at major department stores and on DKNY's website. {DKNY}

Back in the day, there were two women designers causing quite a stir at about the same time. One of them, easily a household name, was Coco Chanel and I think we all know how that turned out. The other is slightly more elusive, but equally as important to the industry. Her name was Elsa Schiaparelli and to say she had a flare for the dramatic is most definitely an understatement. While Ms. Chanel was freeing women from antiquated silhouettes, Elsa was making us look at fashion with a different lens--a surreal lens. She's most known for teaming up with artists like Salvador Dalí: Consider it like the first version of the H&M collabs. Aside from rubbing elbows with some of the finest surrealists, she had a flair for innovation--to Elsa, a shoe could be a hat, a lobster was a perfect addition to a dress and a bow could be just as pretty if it were simply an illusion. So let's give it up for master of pattern, print and all things hot pink, Elsa Schiaparelli.

"The first [mistake] was when she said 'Not one man I have spoken to likes a woman in mini skirts'. I think no one dared to tell this 86-year-old lady

The First Chinese Gap!: Last night was the grand opening of China's first Gap store in Shanghai. Like most stores in China, it's big and shiny. Apparently they had to resize all their clothes to fit Asian body types. {WWD} Gisele And Balenciaga? Rumors are circulating that Gisele Bundchen will be starring in Balenciaga's Spring 2011 campaign. We don't doubt this. After all, she did close their Spring 2011 show. {Elle} Summer Strauch's eBay Tips: Lauren wrote a piece for The Inside Source interviewing Summer Strauch, the director of our P.S I Made This videos. Strauch gives some amazing tips on vintage and eBay shopping. {The Inside Source} Turbans Are In: According to The New York Times, turbans are in. We, of course, already knew this. {The New York Times}

Two movies chronicling the life of Gabrielle Chanel were slated for release in 2009. One, Audrey Tautou's Coco Avant Chanel, opened here last Septe