The September Issue

The September Issue is a 2009 documentary focusing on the composition of Vogue’s 2007 September issue, traditionally the most anticipated fashion-print instalment of the year. The documentary is, essentially, the non-fictional version of The Devil Wears Prada, exhibiting the curt decisiveness of Vogue’s revered Editor-in-Chief Anna Wintour and the various elements behind the production of such a renowned magazine. The documentary illuminates how well The Devil Wears Prada was made, with the set looking incredibly accurate and Streep matching Wintour’s ruthlessness scarily well. However, Wintour is seen to display a greater sense of empathy than one might expect; her comments on how her siblings perceive the industry she works in, underlined by the sheer demands of the job, stress her vulnerability. The creative passion imbued with the process of producing the magazine is utterly impressive to watch and fosters a newfound respect for what is involved behind such a publication. Insight into the work of Creative Director Grace Coddington is marvellously refreshing, charming and inspiring, and her pondering she was “left behind”, born an era too late for romanticism, owes to the documentary’s wider atmosphere: one of self, desire, passion and a journey of creation. One should take particular note of the relationship that develops between Wintour and Coddington, a heartfelt and challenging fellowship in the soul of the documentary.

Scatter My Ashes At Bergdorf’s

A great insight into another side to the fashion industry, that of department stores. Bergdorf Goodman (‘Bergdorf’s’) would be the American equivalent of Harrods or Liberty’s – if either came remotely close to the American league. Where Vogue has Anna Wintour, Bergdorf’s has Linda Farrow – just as influential, just as cool, but a lot less intimidating. The film covers a range of different jobs within the organism of the store – from personal shoppers who earn a lot (“If I had known how much they earned, I would have walked across the road and asked for a job right now!” said one customer), to the designers, to the buyers. One story notes how one Christmas when Bergdorf’s was finding fur sales to be particularly hard, a call from Yoko Ono and John Lennon resulted in almost 70 sales on Christmas Eve. The unsung hero of Bergdorf’s, however, is David Hoey, who designs the windows. These windows are everything fashion is, for those who look past the shallow, vain exterior: they epitomise creativity, drama, precision and flawless execution. The film charters the progression of these five particular windows from storyboard to their unveiling, where polar bears made from upholstery, brass birds, and jewel covered fish galore can be seen. Though at times it can feel like an excessive, capitalist explosion, it is an insight into quite how serious the American department store business really is.

Dior and I

Following the news last week that after three short years Raf Simons is leaving the French house, now is the time to watch Dior and I: the documentary following the eight short weeks before his debut couture collection for Dior. You learn a lot about how the inside of a French fashion house works – within the atelier you meet Simmons’s loveable right hand Pieter, the head of couture and ready-to-wear, two premieres – Florence and Monique – in charge of dresses and suits respectively, and the whole team of seamstresses (one has been with Dior for 36 years). There is a huge amount of personality in the workforce, and to see the high level of emotional connection each seamstress has to her particular dress is moving; at the end of the film one says: “We are happy and sad. It’s sad to stop. We have to let go. It’s been ours for six weeks. Then it’s over. We have to let go of our baby.” The collection itself is unconventional, and a number of dresses feature a print of a Sterling Ruby painting: in Raf Simmon’s view, it is “sublime.” At the end of the film, one of the most visual aspects has nothing to do with the clothes themselves, but the way in which they were to be shown. The walls of real flowers lining the inside of the French house caused Anna Wintour to exclaim: “You didn’t have any budget issues!”

The Future of Fashion with Alexa Chung

Technically not a film, as it was commissioned in ten-minute parts for British Vogue’s YouTube channel, but now you can watch the whole documentary back to back so it counts… Though at times Chung seems to steer the conversation back to herself (modelling days, presenting days) she redeems herself through her playful and friendly attitude, her relationship with those she interviews and the insightful market research she carried out. Through the documentary she not only interviews big names – Olivier Rousteing, Paul Smith, Christopher Kane – but also confronts key issues with young design students and the British Fashion Council. It is a great thing to watch if you’re considering a career in fashion but aren’t sure of what specific career path you want to venture down: there are a lot of options, it transpires.

The Devil Wears Prada

There wouldn’t be a piece on fashion and film without The Devil Wears Prada. Meryl Streep’s Miranda Priestly has become something of a pop-culture icon. The brutally cutting phrases she so wonderfully executes have secured themselves as touchstone phrases of flair and cultured superiority: “Florals, in spring? Groundbreaking” and “By all means, move at a glacial pace. You know how that thrills me” to name just two. The film follows the sweet and sensitive Andy Sachs (Anne Hathaway) who falls into the world of high fashion, working as Miranda Priestly’s assistant. Based on a novel inspired by the experiences of a Vogue assistant, the film is strongly believed to be dramatising Anna Wintour’s role as Editor-in-Chief of Vogue America (lest we forget Wintour actually turned up to a private screening of the film dressed in head to toe Prada). The film is well paced, well acted, and the costume department racked up one of the largest bills in film history thanks to the constant use of haute couture. The film is utterly fabulous, a definite watch, and will leave you with a guilty pleasure in wanting to indulge in Priestly’s resounding exclusivity: “Don’t be silly darling, everybody wants to be us.”