Chanel and Dior have been generating a lot attention for their recent film campaigns, and understandably so.  Both fashion houses have hired chic French beauties to star in their online videos.

As part of promoting the Coco Chanel biopic, Audrey Tautou was named as a spokesperson for Chanel No. 5, replacing Nicole Kidman.  I adore her.  The diminutive beauty is directed in the advertisement by Jean-Pierre Jeunet, with whom she worked on Amélie and A Very Long Engagement.  The film is lush with color, beautifully styled, and expressive of all that is Chanel.  View it on chaneln5.com or click above to watch.

Dior also brought on a stunning and talented French actress for its own video campaign: Academy Award winner Marion Cotillard.  Her recent Lady Dior print ads were striking — the actress is perched nervously atop the Eiffel Tower while clutching her bag.  Now we learn more about these curious ads in The Lady Noire Affair, a short thriller directed by Olivier Dahan, who also directed Marion in the extraordinary La Vie en Rose. “We wanted to capture the glamour, the intrigue, the heroine and the mysterious allure that radiates around her,” said John Galliano. “Marion has brought the Dior woman to life.  She is incredible.”  The film is filled with drama, evoking the look and spirit of old Paris and a mobster’s world.  Go to ladydior.com or click below to watch:

I really like both of them.  It’s interesting to see that both brands are returning to the classic cinema style – romantic, seductive, sensual.  The Chanel short film is very dense, at just two minutes.  Dior has a longer narrative approach with dialogue, and it’s a bit elusive, but those shots of Paris are heaven.  The Lady Noire Affair shows Pont Alexandre III and the Place de la Concorde – probably one of the most beautiful spots in the world.   The hotel scene where she accepts the mysterious parcel is likely the Hôtel Crillon, where I had a party for the launch of my book, Chic in Paris, a few years ago.