I am excited to introduce today's guest post, "Sofia Coppola, Fashion Icon," by Francesca Keller. Based in Buenos Aires, Francesca's adorable blog is titled La Dolce Moda and she often finds inspiration in the work and the style of Sofia Coppola. It is a pleasure to feature her work on these pages and I hope you will all enjoy it. Thank you kindly for your stellar contribution to IWTBAC, Francesca!
Sofia Coppola, Fashion Icon
By Francesca Keller
From being Karl Lagerfeld’s coffee-fetching intern to rubbing elbows with the fashion elite to designing a purse named after her, Sofia Coppola is — and will always be — a fashion icon. Her sense of style is evident in her fashion-filled films like Marie Antoinette and now, The Bling Ring.
Sofia Coppola has directed five films, with The Virgin Suicides being her masterful cinematic debut. The third film she directed is Marie Antoinette (2006). First of all, I feel I must mention that I consider Marie Antoinette to be an incredibly underappreciated film. I still cannot grasp the fact that it was booed at the 2006 Cannes Film Festival. The film focuses on Marie Antoinette’s own coming-of-age story and the many struggles she faced, from her journey as a 14-year-old young child readying to marry a prince, to being crowned as the 19-year-old queen of France.
To those who have seen the film (everyone, I hope) it is no surprise that Marie Antoinette is one of my favorites, since it most definitely is a fashion-filled feast for the eyes. Each gown shows an extremely large amount of work and astoundingly thorough detail to the last stitch and bow. The fabrics used are also amazing, varying 
among silk, satin, taffeta, and lace, each with a unique pattern or embroidery. Most importantly, Coppola’s masterpiece was nominated for — and won — the Best Costume Design Academy Award. Milena Canonero, the costume designer for the film, ‘These are the colors I love’, I used them as a palette.” Thus we all officially know where all the fashion in the film started: with beautiful pastel-colored Parisian macaroons.
Moreover, Coppola’s latest cinematic masterpiece is the new movie The Bling Ring, which is based on the Hollywood Hills robberies in 2008 and 2009 by celebrity-obsessed teenagers. Because it is set in Los Angeles (and its clear focus on celebrity life and Hollywood), one can say it has similar aspects to Sofia Coppola's fourth film Somewhere (2010). As The New Yorker wrote about the fashion-obsessed Bling Ring-ers: “They have a rather extraordinary fund of knowledge: they can identify, at a glance, a Birkin bag, Alexander McQueen sunglasses, a Balmain dress — and who wears them. They live in a world at the intersection of high fashion and celebrity.” Clearly, the film is filled with fashion, and one even gets a glimpse of Paris Hilton’s immensely large and designer-full closet.
Although, the film’s fashion-filled status did not come easily. Coppola talked to WWD about how hard it was for her to get fashion brands to lend their clothes for this particular film, she said, "I think it's not the ideal way they want to be portrayed. Louis Vuitton is this brand based on heritage and great craftsmanship, and that wasn't the side that we were celebrating… The kids in the story are more interested in the bling aspect, kind of the status of those brands." Thankfully they did ultimately agree, because every fashion loving person would accede to being associated with Sofia Coppola’s work.
Finally, not only is Sofia Coppola surrounded by fashion, but also she is a fashion icon herself. A little known fact is that she started her own fashion label in 1994 after leaving Mills College. The brand is called Milkfed (and it is still available online). Coppola says her love of fashion started when she interned at Chanel as a teenager: “It was so exciting to go to Paris in the Eighties at the height of Chanel. I was in the design studio so I got to see Karl Lagerfeld doing haute couture sketches for the final shows, it was incredible — he is so creative. I was getting coffee and doing intern stuff but just to be around him was amazing."
Sofia Coppola has a gorgeous elegant personal style, most times opting for a simple, 
classic ensemble: tailored suits, floral dresses... the woman does everything right! She is close friends with the designer Marc Jacobs and even collaborated with him to create one of the ultimate Louis Vuitton bags: the Sofia Coppola. The SC bag is known for being extremely chic and perfect for everyday use in neutral colors. Famous fashionistas like Emmanuelle Alt, Garance Doré, Alexa Chung, Kate Moss, and Miranda Kerr have all loved the bag.
[Editor's note: Read more of Francesca's thoughts about the Sofia Coppola handbag and other stylish subjects on La Dolce Moda.]
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