Fashion on Film
by habituallychic
02 . 03 . 08
When I mentioned in a previous post that the Sundance Channel was going to be airing the Loïc Prigent documentary Marc Jacobs & Louis Vuitton, I had no idea they had a whole week of fashion films and documentaries lined up to coincide with Fashion Week. How exciting!
The week will kick off on Monday February 4th with Signé Chanel, the five-part documentary miniseries, also directed by Loïc Prigent, that reveals the making of Chanel’s Fall/Winter 2004-2005 collection. Karl Lagerfeld may sketch the designs but it is the seamtresses who actually create the vision painstakingly by hand. I loved this documentary and found myself sitting on the edge of my seat wondering if they could pull it all together before the fashion show! You’ll also come away with an appreciation of the craftsmanship that goes into Chanel and why it deserves to be so expensive!
At 8:00pm on Monday, February 4th, filmmaker Loïc Prigent focus on Marc Jacobs, called the most influential designer of his generation, in Marc Jacobs & Louis Vuitton. This witty portrait follows Jacobs as he balances roles as artistic director of venerable French house Louis Vuitton and his own eponymous American line, in meetings, preparing collections and at high-profile shows. Keep your eyes open for his many celebrity friends!
On Tuesday, February 5th, filmmaker Douglas Keeve of Unzipped fame, follows the finalists of the Vogue/CFDA Fashion Fund competition in the fall of 2004 in the documentary Seamless. I love any movie where you get to see and hear Anna Wintour in action, as well find out how young designers manage to stay afloat in the fashion world.
On Wednesday, February 6th you can watch the cheekily titled film, Karl Lagerfeld is Never Happy Anyway, and learn more about the man who defined high fashion at Chanel, Chloé and Fendi during the 1980s and 1990s, continues to be a major influence on international taste and style. Known for his bold and witty creations, Lagerfeld mixes the chic and the sensual to produce clothing with “intellectual sexiness.” German documentary filmmaker Gero von Boehm’s career profile and lively interviews present a creative snapshot, capturing of one of the last kings of the fashion world working tirelessly at what he loves.
On Thursday, February 7th, airs the critically acclaimed documentary, Yves St. Laurent: 5 Avenue Marceau 75116 Paris. “In this companion piece to his biographical profile Yves St. Laurent: Time Regained, filmmaker David Teboul peers behind the doors of one of the world’s leading fashion houses. As he prepared his last women’s collection in 2001, St. Laurent allowed cameras to observe the evolution of his vision for the first time. During roughly eight weeks, St. Laurent’s simple black-and-white drawings are transformed through many iterations into glorious, colorful reality. A rare and revealingly intimate glimpse of the creative process in action.” I saw this film years ago and was amazed at how much work goes into creating one dress. You will be amazed!
And the pièce de résistance, and the film I am most excited to see airs on Friday, February 8th. It is Unfolding Florence: The Many Lives of Florence Broadhurst by Australian filmmaker Gillian Armstrong who “delves into the fascinating enigma of flamboyant designer Florence Broadhurst, renowned for her colorful and inventive wallpaper patterns, who was found murdered in 1977. What Armstrong reveals in this innovative and spirited life examination is the story of a mysterious woman of many faces who was endlessly reinventing herself.”
So I suggest you break out the popcorn and settle in for a fashionably fabulous week of films or set your TiVo to capture it all while you attend fashion week! Either way, you can’t go wrong!
12 Comments
This selection is worth watching, at least for the sake of getting into the days and nights when someone is trying to get something realized out of pure ideas.
Have you read “The Beautiful Fall” by Alicia Drake? You must, if you haven’t. It’s about Lagerfeld and Saint Laurent and how their early friendship imploded and a lifelong rivalry was born. Amazing book, especially the author’s study of Lagerfeld’s childhood and family and her separating the fact from the fiction.
Reality television that I can watch without shame. Thanks for the heads-up.
Nik, The creative genius is one thing but the work it takes to get their ideas to the finished product is amazing!
An Aesthete’s Lament, I own that book and have been trying to start it for a while. Perhaps I will have to dust it off and try to read it soon. I’ve heard that it’s great. Thanks for the reminder.
BA, you can watch and learn and also brush up on your French since most are shown with subtitles. Although, that means you really have to pay attention and not multi-task at the same time as I usually do.
I so wish I was in NY right now *sigh*
Thank you for this post! I have been meaning to catch many of these films for years now and will be setting the Tivo accordingly. And I am so glad that Yves St. Laurent: 5 Avenue Marceau 75116 Paris made your list, as it is a favorite of mine. When I saw it years ago, I was completely taken with the work achieved by the seamstresses with what seems liked so little guidance. Slowly you come to see that this is a result of a largely unspoken dialog and understanding that only comes from years and years of collaborating.
Two scenes not to be missed: Catherine Deneuve discussing her “beautiful” chickens during a fitting in the opening of the film and another where Mr. Laurent, with a few tucks and pulls, “creates” a blouse right off a bolt of fabric. Wonderful!
Yes, this week will be excellent viewing!
oh wow. i have got to stamp those last two on my forehead so i don’t forget! i never remember to watch tv but i can NOT miss that florence broadhurst. do you have the book? i have not seen it in person yet. i bet it is fabulous as she was such a character.
your blog looks just great and i enjoyed my visit! you have such great background info. have a great week.
Hi, Thank you! Merci beaucoup!!!!! I have been forever looking for the title of this documentary about Chanel and Karl Lagerfeld, I saw a part of it in DW Tv a long time ago and I missed the title. I am a fashipn student at the Fashion Institute of the Philippines (Manila) and also a design fanatic like you and I love Karl Lagerfeld! So many thanks! Cheers.
Neilkriss Tan
Hi BA, if you want to brush up on your French, get in touch with me, I speak the language quite well after studying at Alliance Francaise de Manille and after a short stay in France. I would be more than happy to share tips and material. Cheers!