The film Couture, directed by Alice Winocour and starring Angelina Jolie, reached theaters on Friday. It marks the first narrative feature filmed inside Chanel’s haute couture atelier in Paris.
Winocour spent a year and a half observing Paris Fashion Week shows to capture the work of seamstresses rarely seen on screen. The story follows Jolie’s character, an American director who receives a breast cancer diagnosis while making a fashion film.
The production gained rare permission to shoot inside the Chanel workspace and remove all logos. Winocour drew parallels between the concentration in the atelier and the focus of surgeons at work.
Jolie’s own family history with breast cancer informed the project, though the director chose to center multiple women’s experiences rather than one personal story. The film explores how shared work and mutual recognition help characters face uncertainty.
