Fashions on screen

Lately the world seems to have gained an interest on what’s behind the scenes in the fashion system. Docu-movies like The September Issue or Valentino The Last Emperor gained prizes and popularity, showing the mass public that fashion can truly be a complex, weird and fascinating world to work in.

But also in the past we have movies that a fashion lover shouldn’t miss.

Here’s my top-ten (not in order of importance)

1- The Devil Wears Prada – yes, I know, it’s the first you thought about either. It’s a funny, silly comedy, but it’s all about looks (Patricia Fields’ of course)!

2 – Who Are You Polly Maggoo (Qui Etes Vous Polly Maggoo – 1966, by William Klein) – veeeery hard to find, optical and sixties looks à-go-go, the story is about the life of a supermodel of the times.

3 – Valentino: The Last Emperor – pluri prized docu-film about the last year of Valentino in the Maison before retirement. Humourous, intense, touching, beautiful.

4 – The September Issue – follow Anna Wintour, Grace Coddington and all the Vogue America staff in the preparation of the September issue, the most important of the year.

5 – Blow Up (Michelangelo Antonioni, 1966) – inspired by the photographer David Bailey and a mysterious case of murder. Features the super model Verushka and other famous models of the Sixties. And it’s remembered also for the first female frontal nude in the history of cinema (Jane Birkin).

6 – Zoolander – that’s a cult! Who has never stroke a Magnum in a picture after seeing this movie? Hilarious parody of the world of fashion starring Ben Stiller and Owen Wilson in the role of the two most famous really-really-ridicously good looking male models of the planet, united to save the world by the evil plans of the super designer Mugatu.

7 – Picture Me – shot over a time of five years, that’s a documentary about modeling by Ole Schell and Sara Ziff. Very interesting: it shows the ugly side of modeling. Scary.

8 – Lagerfeld Confidential – For the first time Karl Lagerfeld has agreed to let someone create an artwork on his every day life and to trust in the director. Until this movie there was no authorised biography existing: after three years of work, and over three hundred hours of footage, Rodolphe Marconi got it done.

9 – Signé Chanel – it’s dated 2004 but still worth seeing: a peek into Maison Chanel’s Haute Couture, in which you get the chance to see how a collection moves along from conception of ideas, drawings and pattern making, until the catwalk and purchase by the few lucky ladies who can afford it. Envy.

10 – Unzipped (1995) – another hard to find. It’s about the building of a collection of the designer Isaac Mizrahi. For you lovers and nostalgics of the 90s, and of the real super models of the time. Featuring Naomi Campbell, Linda Evangelista and a very young and lovely Kate Moss.

If you know any other movies about fashion system I would love to know!

Ariko

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