That Coco Chanel also eschewed other conventions, such as riding side-saddle in a skirt and marrying for social status, only makes her a more worthy icon.

Coco Avant Chanel tells the story of the early life of Gabrielle Bonheur “Coco” Chanel, with the lead role played by Audrey Tatou, the beautiful French actress who first found fame with western audiences through the quirky Amelie.

The film opens with 12-year-old Coco and her sister being left at an orphanage by their father after their mother has died of tuberculosis. They wait in vain for him to return, and it seems this early betrayal may have had a strong influence on Coco’s character and her later relationships with men.

After leaving the orphanage, the girls work for a tailor while moonlighting at a cabaret club and dreaming of a life in the bright lights of the stage – unfortunately for Coco, but luckily for the fashion industry, her singing talents left something to be desired.

However, it is through her performances that Coco meets French millionaire Étienne Balsan, with whom she eventually goes to live in the French countryside. Her pursuit of the relationship is driven by a desire to escape her former dreary life rather than any great romantic love, and it is difficult to feel much sympathy for her character when Balsan treats her rather callously in return

Where the movie really gathers pace and interest is when Coco falls in love with Balsan’s best friend, the Englishman Arthur “Boy” Chapel. Around the same time, her unconventional straw hats and androgynous, self-crafted fashions are starting to gain a following among her new acquaintances for their emphasis on comfort, simplicity and elegance, setting the basis for a career that saw her become one of the pioneering fashion designers of the 20th century.