Wednesday, February 11, 2009

Fashion Satan

Shivering with excitement to see "The September Issue" (Grand Jury Prize Winner, Sundance 2009) the new must see film for anyone remotely interested in fashion. In a real life "Devil Wears Prada" moment, the supposedly satanic American Vogue Editor, Anna Wintour allows unprecedented access to the world of, you guessed it, the creation of the September issue of American Vogue.

Sienna cops a sledging, Grace Coddington reveals some home truths about her 20 year working relationship with Anna and Andre Leon Talley performs (when does he not?). If that does not wet your appetite, then there is no need to read on.

I know American Vogue has seriously slipped off our fashion radar, unless you are a cliched waspy New Yorker gagging to see repetitive pics of Lauren Santo-Domingo or Birdie Bell (yawn) - why would you buy it when you have Italian Vogue (creative Bible) and Paris Vogue (doses of sex) - it will still bring out the fashion perve in all of us.

Let's hope it delves a tad deeper than the recent "Lagerfeld Confidential", which while a fun peep into his privileged yet somewhat isolated existence, really could have been longer and psychologically more intrusive - one felt the Kaiser's micro-management at play here - his answers were manicured to within an inch of their lives.

An early review from Variety indicates this may not the case:

"Some juicier behind-the-scenes drama and a more revealing examination of the creative process might have bulked up “The September Issue,” … but what remains is still a dishy and engrossing peek inside the fashion world’s corridors of power - every bit as slickly packaged as the publication it seeks to uncover - that should rivet couture enthusiasts in endless trips down the cable runway".

It makes me wonder why the fashion industry does not take itself more seriously in these documentaries (Catwalk etc) - I mean, this is a big business as Meryl Streep opined in her poignant lecture to Andy - full of amazing, creative, strategic and intelligent individuals (think, Hedi Slimane) who influence fashion on a global basis, so why not refrain from the gloss-up and get down and dirty on the tantrums and business aspects of the industry? But then I guess the glossy patina is the most valuable element in the spin-doctoring and fantasy world of fashion marketing and the skeleton of it all will subsequently be a no-go zone for mere mortals forever.

Come on Carine, how about a counter-film with David Lynch directing.

1 comment:

Sim said...

i wonder why anna wintour would allow this documentary to go ahead. after all her awful portrayals in the media, did she have editing rights over this one?