Coco Avant Chanel is out on Thursday the 25th of June. I'm yet to preview the film, but I can tell you it will be a great opportunity to enjoy period costuming from the 1920s and 1930s. It will also give you plenty of inspiration to get a bit of low-cost Chanel style into your winter wardrobe.

Catherine Leterrier, the film's costume designer says it's not a movie about "the history of fashion" per se, but of course it's loaded with the classic pieces we associate with early Gabrielle Coco Chanel.

Letterier worked the Chanel striped top into the storyline. "To fit in with the storyline, the famous striped mariner's sweater worn by Chanel in the legendary photos of the 1930s appears earlier in the movie, in the scene where Coco is walking along the beach with Boy and notices the sweaters of the fishermen as they pull in their nets." You can buy an identical one at the army disposal at 197 Chapel Street, South Yarra in Melbourne we just noticed, and probably in many more around the country.

The famous quilted bag is also part of the plot. "Anne wanted me to imagine how the world-famous Chanel bag originated. I drew a quilted sewing pouch in the shape of the bag and had it made out of an old, black, flecked cotton canvas that peasants clothing used to be made of, as if the young Coco had made it out of a remnant given to her by her aunts," she says. Fake quilted bags are all over ebay.

Chanel was a successful milliner before her couture career and is pictured in the film wearing cute little straw boaters. She apparently used to make fun of overly-ornate hats that some women wore, saying 'With that on their head, how can they think!'” You can buy one the little straw boaters from this online store.

Look out for a platinum and diamond necklace that had belonged to Coco borrowed from the Louvre in the restaurant scene. I'm sure there's loads of places to buy diamonds, such as  Canturi, but I'm going to recommend you go for some antique paste from just about any antique centre or bazaar near you.