Sofia Coppola And Corinne Day: Do You Remember The First Time?

Sofia Coppola And Corinne Day: Do You Remember The First Time?
By Dara Block

Part of what makes a Sofia Coppola film so special is not just the movie itself, but all the interesting magazine articles and layouts that appear in publication around the time one of her films is released. It is always fascinating to discover some of Sofia Coppola's secret thoughts and influences. Personally, one of my favorite editorials has to be when The Face magazine showcased a beautiful and inspiring photo essay entitled Do You Remember The First Time? back in May of 2000. The images were photographed by Sofia Coppola and the late Corinne Day on the set of her 1999 film The Virgin Suicides and the text featured in the layout was written by Sofia Coppola as well. 

Both Coppola and Day were simply the perfect contributors to this magazine. After all, The Face was so influential in terms of fashion, music, style and I love how the magazine was so in tune as to what was going on in youth culture, which is something both Coppola and Day know a thing or two about.

In case you are unfamiliar with Corinne Day it is important to know that she actually started her career at The Face when she infamously photographed Kate Moss at the age of 16 in the "Third Summer of Love" editorial back in July 1990. This was such an iconic issue and it definitely made people take notice of a then undiscovered Kate Moss. Day had such a way for capturing youth and innocence, so it was no surprise that Coppola wanted to collaborate with her on the set of The Virgin Suicides. Sadly, Day passed away in 2010 after a long battle with cancer, but I was glad to see that these two artists got to work together, at least once!

I can certainly see why Sofia Coppola wanted to collaborate with Corinne Day. Both have such a distinct way for photographing raw beauty, sadness, humor, and innocence. If you really examine and observe all these images you can certainly see all those qualities depicted. Also, I love to see all the quirky thoughts and unique inspirations that Sofia Coppola shares with the viewer… such as: 

"Kirsten's beautiful, but she doesn't look like TV's idea of a perfect teenager. Even though she has that all-American look. I like her little vampire teeth." 

She also mentions how she was inspired by her brother, Roman Coppola, and his friends growing up in the 70s for the character, Trip Fontaine… I don't know about you, but I often wondered for years who she based Trip after!

Sofia Coppola also reveals how Japanese photographer Takashi Homma played such a major influence on her while shooting the film. She states, "There's something sweet about his pictures of suburbia and the way he photographs girls; you can tell he likes them, but he's not at all lecherous. Anyway, he has a photo of feet hanging off the bed in a hotel room — I wanted to have a shot like that in the film, to go with the line from the book; "A half eaten sandwich sat atop the landing where someone had felt too sad to finish it." 

Of course, these were only some of the unique influences that Sofia Coppola mentions, but I so enjoyed reading what was going through her head at the time of filming. Just to know what she was inspired by makes her film that much more intriguing. In addition, I think Corinne Day did such an excellent job at capturing all that Sofia Coppola was feeling with her characters.

This was probably one of my favorite editorials to come out of The Face magazine due to the fact that I think both Coppola and Day have such a deep understanding as to what it feels like to be a teenage girl… the joy, the sadness, the awkwardness, and everything else in between. Perhaps because they are both observers they are able to see adolescence in such a unique, beautiful, and profound way.

 I truly wish The Face magazine was still in publication! It's editorials like this that made the magazine so cutting edge in terms of youth culture and style for over two decades. This was certainly one of their most memorable issues. I so admire the whole Virgin Suicides feeling mixed in with a Corinne Day sensibility. A totally amazing and inspiring collaboration between two dynamic women in photography and filmmaking.

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The Face editorial images © 2000 The Face. All Rights Reserved.

Sofia Coppola At Acne Paper Party

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Sofia Coppola in black leather at Acne Paper party photographs © 2012 Condé Nast.

Sofia Coppola For Miss Dior Cherie

Today Dior released the advertisement for their fragrance Miss Dior Cherie as directed by Sofia Coppola. The video stars Natalie Portman, coquettish against the backdrop of "Je t'aime... moi non plus" by Serge Gainsbourg and Jane Birkin. Apparently Sofia left an impression, Natalie was glowing in her praise: "I love Sofia Coppola's whole aesthetic. She presents herself in a ladylike fashion and has so much personality."

Extended version

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Dior Fall 2012 advertising campaign images © 2012 Dior.

Sofia Coppola: Best Dressed Forever

Special thanks to our savvy editor-at-large Dara Block, she spotted Sofia Coppola on the latest Best Dressed List from Vanity Fair and she was inspired to explore her archives for other moments in Sofia's best dressed past to share with us. Read on to discover Sofia's secrets to being dressed best...

Sofia Coppola: Best Dressed Forever
By Dara Block

Indeed, it is that time of the year again when all of my favorite publications are putting together their annual best dressed lists. It is always interesting to see the people who made the cut whether it is actors, writers, socialites, politicians, etc. I always find these specific issues inspiring to browse through. The personal styles showcased usually range from outlandish and unique to traditional and classic... which is always key when making a list. If you haven't seen the current issue of Vanity Fair magazine I highly suggest looking through it. The publication features a Hall of Fame and what do you know — Sofia Coppola has finally made the list! This year's 2012 Hall of Fame includes such stylish women as artist and fashionista Daphne Guinness, supermodel Iman, and fashion designer Carolina Herrera, to name just a few, and the layout features beautiful illustrations by artist David Downton. I love the image he made of Sofia Coppola, which was painted in the Windsor Suite of the Ritz Paris this past May. It is simple and elegant, just like Sofia herself. Sofia Coppola doesn't express much in the article, but I admire the few words she does say... let's take a look!

OCCUPATION: Writer-Director

YEAR NAMED TO HALL OF FAME: 2007. "I thought it was fun and flattering; as a kid I admired stylish ladies like Diana Vreeland, so it was fun to be thought of in that way."

ON HER STYLE: "Trying to be chic when I can get it together."

ENSEMBLE: "A dress I had from the Louis Vuitton Cruise collection last year."

Surely, her words are short and sweet, but I always love to hear what she has to say about her own personal style. Sometimes, I think very stylish women do not like to discuss in full detail their views on fashion and what is so called "chic," perhaps they find it more interesting to leave it up to the imagination. Somehow, I find that Sofia Coppola might be in that category. At any rate, ever since looking through this Vanity Fair issue I started to think back on the other times in which which Sofia Coppola was named best dressed and thought of some hidden treasures I had in my own personal magazine archives. Whether it is the 90s or today it appears as if Sofia Coppola is always mentioned... How cool is that? Let's flash back to some of Sofia Coppola's stylish past on the best dressed list!

In the December 1999 issue of Harper's Bazaar, the magazine put together their IT-List and of course Sofia Coppola made the cut. This issue came out a couple of months before her first film The Virgin Suicides was released so naturally a lot of people were very much intrigued by her personal and visual style as a director. I so love this Patrick Demarchelier image of her and the way she shines in that Marc Jacobs dress. Here is what Harper's Bazaar wrote about her:

SOFIA COPPOLA
actress, director, designer

HOMETOWN: San Francisco

FILM DEBUTS: For acting, "Baptism infant" in the 1972 masterpiece, The Godfather, directed by her father, Francis Ford Coppola; for screenwriting and costume design at age 18, designed the wardrobe and cowrote "Life without Zoe", the second segment of New York Stories (1989) with her father; for directing, Lick the Star, her 1998 short about a murderous teen queen.

LATEST PROJECTS: Directed the forthcoming film version of Jeffrey Eugenides' novel The Virgin Suicides, starring Kirsten Dunst and Kathleen Turner; married hip video/film director Spike Jonze.

FAVORITE VIRTUE: Compassion

FAVORITE VICE: Hermès

WHERE AND HOW WILL YOU BE RINGING IN THE YEAR 2000: "Drinking champagne at my parents' winery with the people I love most."

IF STRANDED ON A DESERTED ISLAND DUE TO THE Y2K BUG, I WOULD NEED: "Chocolate pretzels from Edelweiss in Beverly Hills and my hand-knit Peter Getty scarf."

Two years later, Sofia Coppola appeared yet again in Harper's Bazaar as one of the twenty most fashionable women in the world for their best dressed list in May of 2001! Patrick Demarchelier also photographed that year and I love her tomboy look and her style secrets she shared in this issue.

SOFIA COPPOLA
filmmaker

WHAT'S A CLASSIC FAUX PAS? The L.A.-movie-director look: a baseball cap, baggy basketball jacket, and fanny pack.

WHOSE CLOSET WOULD YOU LIKE TO RAID? I'd like to see Yoko Ono's closet, but I would like to borrow from Kate Moss.

WHOSE YOUR STYLE ICON? For this photo, I was dressed like my brother. I also like Nick Drake, Diana Vreelend, Maria Callas, and Patti Hansen.

WHAT WAS YOUR BEST FASHION MOMENT? I wore a black leather-and-lace Chanel dress to my prom in 1989.

WHICH LABELS APPEAR MOST OFTEN IN YOUR CLOSET? Marc Jacobs.

WHAT DO YOU WISH YOU COULD WEAR BUT CAN'T Superhigh heels, I can't walk in them.

WHAT MAKES YOU CRINGE? Over-the-top plastic surgery.

WHAT'S YOUR TRADEMARK? My broken nose.

In November of 2003, Vogue US also assembled a list of fashion superstars and, no surprise, Sofia Coppola was yet again on that list calling her "the girl of the moment." This was right about the time when her film Lost in Translation was released so naturally the public had become very fascinated by her. Here is what the magazine stated about the day she spent with Marc Jacobs in his Soho store:

Walking through the Marc Jacobs boutique in SoHo with Sofia Coppola feels a lot like following a ten year old through FAO Schwarz. It's not just that the diminutive director is nearly child size herself, or that the patent-leather pumps, cartoon inspired frocks, and Candy Land-colored, buckle-bedecked bags share much in terms of sensibility with the Powerpuff Girls cartoons. It's more the "I have to have it!" look that flashes over her normally deadpan features as she fondles waffle-weave lilac sweaters and slips her hand inside a pair of low-heeled fur-lined boots.

Coppola, who holds the unofficial position of Jacob's official muse, serving as the face of his signature perfume and advising him on what girls like her really want to wear, had already placed orders for many of her favorite fall looks. A pale-gold leather parka with a fur-lined collar is on its way. A black cashmere jumper has been selected, and she has already worn her new oil skin coat from the men's collection on a recent trip to Iceland. But new pieces have arrived, and Coppola is avidly adding items to her wish list. "Oooh, I really want one of these," she says, pulling a slouchy Mediterranean-blue cashmere sweatshirt dress from the rack. "Marc's sweater's are the best," she gushes, holding one up for size.

So what is it about Marc Jacob's clothes that inspires such effusiveness in normally cool customers like Coppola? I think Sofia answers the question perfectly and I think her reply is the reason why she is always admired for her elegant, yet low-key approach to style:

A perfectly planned-out look is far too obvious; a touch of messiness is admired. As Coppola says, "There are too many other things to do to spend too much time picking out your outfit."

Could her response be any more perfect?!!!... I think that is why she is continuously on every best dressed list... she knows it is all about being chicly casual! Brava, Sofia!

Looking back at all this magazine nostalgia, it really is quite fascinating to see how Sofia Coppola has always managed to make it on nearly every best-dressed list. Whether Vanity Fair, Vogue, or Harper's Bazaar she has been on it. Sofia Coppola really is a perfect example of easy elegance, so it is no surprise why she will always remain a constant favorite. It really was such a joy to see her make it into the 2012 Vanity Fair Hall of Fame this year and to flash back to some of her previous past moments on other best dressed lists. I truly feel that as the years go by, Sofia Coppola's sense of style gets stronger and more focused. Here's to more minimal, yet glamorous years ahead of us, Sofia style!

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Sofia Coppola photographs and editorials images © 2012 Condé Nast and courtesy of Fashion Spot.

Sofia Coppola By Cristhian Barron

I adore this graceful illustration of Sofia Coppola by the talented Cristhian Barron in which he takes inspiration from the cover of the December 2004/January 2005 issue of Vogue Paris. Note also the review of this edition by our lovely editor-at-large Dara Block just in case you missed it the first time around... Thanks so much, Cristhian and Dara, for your wonderful tributes to Sofia Coppola. Be sure to visit Cristhian's Art Page on Facebook to see more of his excellent work.

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Sofia Coppola illustration © 2012 Cristhian Barron. All Rights Reserved.