Coco Before Chanel

Another noteworthy, probably barely seen, amazing movie. Coco, Before Channel tells the tale of the world's most elegant woman. English subtitles do not detour you from enjoying this amazing movie. In fact it almost makes me want to learn French. I soon realize Gabrielle's (Coco Chanel) true genius is not her ability to create, but rather her ability to edit. Chanel had an amazing understanding of what didn't work, what wasn't necessary and ultimately inappropriate. She invented elegance by disposing of over indulgence and re-invented what it meant to be fashionable.

"Developing your eye, learning to identify what does not belong is far more useful than learning how to do the haircut of the moment".

So often people see hairdressers as some kind of great creationists, crafting haircuts from scratch. Developing your eye, learning to identify what does not belong is far more useful than learning how to do the haircut of the moment. There is nothing creative, nothing special about learning how to do a bob, long layers or a shag. A brilliant hairdresser knows how to see past the obvious, how to edit out what does not belong and then leaving behind something special. Like Coco, unapologetically, I have no room in my head to overindulge in the status quo. I will spend my time editing my work, knowing full well I will never have everything just right.