A man’s journal is read aloud over grainy black and white footage of women from 1947: their wardrobe reflects the time period – a crucial moment in women’s history when traditional, civilian dress, and military attire was being traded for more masculine-femme looks like fuller skirts, rounded shoulders, and cinched waists. Most notably, the revival of the skinny black suit revolutionized the way women dressed, empowering those who came back from WWII, and ultimately set a trend that changed the fashion world – and history – forever.
The pioneer of this new sartorial vision, the one credited as The Godfather of the “New Look,” is Christian Dior, owner of the aforementioned journal, and whose empire would far success his impactful life on this earth.
Dior and I, a fashion documentary from director Frédéric Tcheng shot in the spring of 2012, serves as an exclusive look behind the runway and into the nitty-gritty world of haute couture (a world that, sadly, is beginning to disappear). The film pays homage to Mr. Dior with a story that is both personal and informative. While Dior and I may only lure those with an interest in high fashion, do not be mistaken, everyone can appreciate these sequences of beautiful and artistic pieces coming to life– and that alone is worth the watch.
For all of the glitz and glamour overshadowing most fashion-centric documentaries, Dior and I does an excellent job of staying grounded, even if the ground is covered in couture.
Dior and I continues the fashion icon’s legacy with a new artistic director: the minimalist Belgian designer, Raf Simons. Simons has only six weeks to create, execute and display his first ever haute couture collection under the famed brand; whereas five to six months is the typical construction period for such grandeur shows, Simons undeniably hits the ground running.
Simons, a very low-key leader, is quite the collaborator when it comes to designing his debut collection, fully relying on Dior’s in-house seamstresses, essentially factory workers in white coats rather than blue collars, to literally pull it all together, hand-sewing every single piece. Dior is one of the last fashion houses to board such ateliers, or workrooms, and this alone is another fascinating dimension to the film; the camaraderie in the ateliers between Simons and the hard-working seamstresses, some who have worked at Dior for over 40 years, is very humanizing to watch. There is no trace of a catty, backstabbing workplace vibe like The Devil Wears Prada would suggest.
Another interesting angle is observing Simons’ personal creative process, his unique idea of marrying fashion and art. As a self-proclaimed fan of the work of American painter Sterling Ruby, Simons challenges the ateliers and himself by recreating Ruby’s artwork on cloth. However, he is set on the imprimé chaîne method in which the thread is printed on before it is woven into cloth. His more ingenious idea, however, is his vision for a floral runway: each room of the rented Parisian house where the fashion show takes place is covered in different colored flowers. This scene takes your breath away, millions of flowers invigorate the senses just by looking at them. It’s beautiful and overwhelming, as Anna Wintour, Jennifer Lawrence, Marion Cotillard, and other celebrity guests can’t stop complimenting Simons’ vision. For all of the glitz and glamour overshadowing most fashion-centric documentaries, Dior and I does an excellent job of staying grounded, even if the ground is covered in couture.
Though, as a VOGUE reading, New York Times Fashion section enthusiast, I was expecting the film to hit a littler harder, as ultimately, this documentary should be categorized as a “day in the life” type film. Just like the pastels in the patterns of the beautifully constructed garments, Dior and I felt like a broad stroke of muted self-appreciation. There is absolutely no tension felt as six weeks turn to five, and so on, as Raf doesn’t appear to let his nerves show. Not that this makes for a boring watch by any means, but it’s definitely not a Project Runway type of suspense that I myself find ridiculously enticing.
Dior and I opens at the Nuart Theatre this Friday.
