The best fashion documentaries
Miles of tulle, exquisite couture and needle-sharp quips provide the pattern for our selection of the best fashion documentaries
Belgian fashion designer Martin Margiela famously built a career anonymously: refusing interviews and keeping his identity a secret in order for his work (innovative, desirable, intelligent) to speak for itself. So it's somewhat astonishing that he has finally succumbed to the fashion world's fascination that has continued a decade after he left the label that bears his name. Director Reiner Holzemer has clearly put the designer at ease (although his identity remains unrevealed) building a beautiful portrayal of a singular genius, who remade the fashion system and then left it all behind. Read our five-star review here.
Watch the trailer here.
Very Ralph (2019)
When it comes to all-American style, for nearly half a century one name has ruled them all: Ralph Lauren. From humble beginnings selling Polo-branded ties from a drawer in the Empire State Building in 1967 to a behemoth global lifestyle brand, Lauren's 50-year career is the epitome of the American Dream. Today, his fashion may no longer set the agenda, but his longevity and empire building are hard to beat. This offering from Susan Lacy is occasionally too gilded and glib, failing to interrogate the future of a brand built on an America now in flux, but it's a heck of a ride nonetheless.
Watch the trailer here.
Halston (2019)
Roy Halston Frowick was the designer who put American couture on the map during the 70s. Catapulted into fashion fame after designing the pillbox hat that Jacqueline Kennedy wore to her husband's 1961 presidential inauguration, he would then become known for his simple, minimalist 'all-American' designs and his starry entourage of celebrities. Frédéric Tcheng's film traces the rise and fall of the designer as he moved from 'class' to 'mass'.
Watch the trailer here.
7 Days Out, Episode 5 – Chanel (2018)
Each episode of the the Netflix docuseries 7 Days Out focuses on the 10 days leading up to a significant sporting, historical or cultural event. Their fifth episode follows the late creative director and designer Karl Lagerfeld and his preparations for Chanel's spring-summer 2018 Haute Couture show which took Chanel to fresh heights as Lagerfeld created an extravagant floral kingdom around an 18th-century fountain.
McQueen (2018)
How do we square this impetuous, irascible and ultimately anguished man with the mythy genius he became? McQueen attempts to do just that. This film is a portrait of a genius, but, more than that, it is about a man, crippled by his own mental health, enslaved to an industry which turns its back on weakness.
Read our review here.
The Gospel According to André (2018)
André Leon Talley is a fashion icon through and through. The former editor-at-large of American Vogue has lounged at Warhol's Factory in the 70s, hosted his own radio show, danced with Diana Ross and sat – eyebrow raised – at the judges' table of America's Next Top Model. Perhaps most importantly, he encouraged and helped more and more African-American designers and models in the fashion world. You don't get up and say, 'Look, I'm black and I'm proud,' he says. 'You just do it, and somehow it impacts the culture.' A trailer for the new documentary recently aired, and seeks to scrutinise André's life at a more personal level than ever before.
Watch the trailer here.
Antonio Lopez 1970: Sex, Fashion & Disco (2018)
This new documentary, directed by James Crump, is a rare glimpse into the vibrant life of renowned Puerto Rican fashion illustrator Antonio Lopez, along with his dazzling circle, who took New York by storm in the 70s. Viewers are privy to archival footage, interviews with the likes of Pat Cleveland and photographer Bill Cunningham, as well as untold stories of nightclubs with Warhol and racism within the industry.
Watch the trailer here.
Manolo Blahnik: The Boy Who Made Shoes For Lizards (2017)
If you, like Carrie Bradshaw, have a thing for Manolos, The Boy Who Made Shoes For Lizards is a must-watch. It follows the master of shoemakers, Manolo Blahnik, as his business continues to set the pace for the industry. With appearances from Rihanna, Naomi Campbell, John Galliano and Karlie Kloss, this is a fun, in-depth portrait with plenty of behind-the-scenes action.
Watch the trailer here.
Dries (2017)
After 30 years of success in the industry, Belgian designer Dries Van Noten welcomed a filmmaker (Reiner Holzemer) into his Antwerp studio and his home to document the designer conceiving four collections. Naturally, Van Noten's friends and supporters are interviewed, with the likes of Suzy Menkes and Iris Apfel delving into his philosophy and influence.
Watch the trailer here.
Inside Dior (2016)
This two-part documentary aired on Channel 4 in 2016, and gave the audience an inside look into one of the world's most iconic fashion houses. The program interviews the brand's employees and examines the post of Dior's first female creative director.
Watch the trailer here..
The First Monday in May (2016)
The Met Gala, hosted annually by American Vogue's Anna Wintour at the launch of New York's Metropolitan Museum exhibition, draws the biggest names in fashion and music together for one of the most important dates on the style calendar. In 2015, China: Through the Looking Glass served as inspiration for the event.
It was almost impossible to miss the onslaught of memes sparked by Rihanna’s gigantic yellow gown and Sarah Jessica Parker’s headpiece and the endless comment pieces on who was wearing what, and why. In the words of Anna Wintour: 'it's a kind of theatre'. In this film, named after the date on which the event falls, we follow the planning and execution of the gala in 2015, granting us access beyond the catwalk and into fashion’s best fancy-dress party.
Watch the trailer here.
Absolutely Fashion: Inside British Vogue (2016)
For nine months, documentary-maker Richard Macer slipped behind Vogue House's closed doors. It's the first time in British Vogue's 100-year history that any such thing has been allowed. In this candid, two-part documentary series, Macer gets a rare, access-(almost)-all-areas look at the 'impossible glamour' of the fashion world where, he says, 'things are not quite what they seem'. In this first episode, Alexandra Shulman (then editor-in-chief) tackles New York Fashion Week.
Watch the trailer here.
Iris (2015)
In an industry often dominated by the promise of understatement or eternal youth, Iris Apfel is an unfettered rule breaker. A sartorial polymath, she has turned her eye to fashion and interior design during a career that saw her advise nine First Ladies in The White House on their decor. Featuring the world’s most impressive and extensive collections of couture costume jewellery, and a wardrobe that is equally flamboyant, here we see Apfel in all of her outspoken and outlandish glory.
Watch the trailer here.
Advanced Style (2014)
One of a kind she may be, but Iris Apfel is far from the only OAP eschewing normcore for a certain sartorial flamboyance. Based on Ari Seth Cohen's Advanced Style blog, this film charts the stylish lives and wardrobes of seven of New York's most fabulous senior citizens.
Proving that style is eternal, the older generation discuss their bursting wardrobes and the ways in which their attitudes to getting dressed have seen them go against the grain. As one of them puts it: 'I never wanted to look young, I wanted to look great!' Expect false eyelashes, lace ruffs and feather boas: none are off limits.
Watch the trailer here.
Dior and I (2014)
Just as Raf Simons' departure from the Parisian fashion house in 2014 sent shockwaves through the industry, so his tenure at Dior began with an equally tumultuous induction as creative director. Covering the eight short weeks in which he and his atelier were tasked with creating an entire collection from scratch, Dior and I follows his baptism of fire at the historic label.
It combines narration, quoting Christian Dior's personal diary with Raf and his closest colleagues’ hopes, opinions and fears. Charting Simons' burgeoning relationship with the maison, its petites mains (seamstresses, to you and me), and the emotions inspired by designing for one of fashion’s most revered brands, this documentary is an intimate and fascinating insight into the life of Paris’ haute-couture heavyweight.
Watch the trailer here.
Mademoiselle C (2013)
Carine Roitfeld is French Vogue's answer to Anna Wintour (as her opening line in this trailer, 'non, non, non, non', somewhat attests). Serving as the magazine’s editor-in-chief for 10 years, she resigned in 2011 in order to launch her own fashion publication, CR: Fashion Book. This is the the documentary's starting point.
Despite shock at her departure from Vogue, as a muse of Tom Ford and friend to Karl Lagerfeld, the film makes easy work of showing the resources she was able to draw upon for her personal project. As is the case with many of these films, the documentary serves as a who's who of French fashion, providing an almost conveyor-like stream of household names, including models, designers, photographers and editors. Exploring the highly polished and often over-the-top nature of the industry, it’s no surprise that it has been compared to The September Issue.
Watch the trailer here.
Diana Vreeland: The Eye Has To Travel (2011)
'I wasn’t a fashion editor, I was the one and only fashion editor' – these are the words of the legendary Diana Vreeland. She reigned supreme as the voice and eye of fashion throughout her career at Harper’s Bazaar, Vogue and the Costume Institute of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. She used her platform to tease beauty from unlikely sources, creating images which combined art, celebrity and the beguiling faces of the day.
The documentary tracks her life and the ways in which she oversaw the changing face of fashion, along with her discovery of Edie Sedgwick and mentoring of Oscar de la Renta. Despite her death back in 1989, the strength of the pages she masterminded and the words which left her mouth still retain their relevance today, as the film highlights.
Watch the trailer here.
McQueen And I (2011)
Lee Alexander McQueen, fashion’s enfant terrible, defied convention and upset the fashion press with his designs: he dreamt up the infamous ‘bumster’ trousers and pairs of Armadillo heels made famous on the feet of Lady Gaga. Whereas Savage Beauty, the show which attracted hordes to the V&A, was primarily a celebration of his work, this Channel 4 documentary is a retrospective of his life, sadly cut short by suicide in 2011.
Using archive footage and interviews from those closest to him, the documentary explores the unique genius of his transformative runway shows and the relentless pace and pressure of production, stitching together a picture of his career. Beginning with his early years as a tailor on Savile Row, through his discovery by (and close friendship with) the equally eccentric Isabella Blow, and ending with him as one of the industry’s most innovative and troubled talents. An inspirational and troubled figure to the last.
Watch it here.
Bill Cunningham New York (2010)
The godfather of street-style and icon of NYC, the late, great photographer Bill Cunningham cycled around New York City capturing the city's style for the New York Times from 1989 until his death in 2016. Charming, enigmatic and discerning, Bill pursued his life-long project to capture the best-dressed women of New York and the fashion industry fell in love with this idiosyncratic and quirky oddball with an eye for style.
Watch the trailer here.
The September Issue (2009)
American Vogue’s editor-in-chief and long-standing magazine maven, Anna Wintour, is fashion's commanding voice. In The September Issue, she is filmed while composing the publication’s largest annual magazine issue, with Wintour's omnipresent eye set against the unique vision of creative director at large, Grace Coddington (pictured). Steely, steadfast and harshly cutting, Wintour deals short, sharp blows to her staff and the designers seeking her approval. Despite reeling you in with behind-the-scenes knowledge that makes you feel a part of the action, it inevitably upholds fashion's other-worldly air for most viewers – although, of course, this is part of its appeal. Discover for yourself how much like Miranda Priestly from The Devil Wears Prada Anna Wintour really is, and watch the fusion of fashion and editorial coming together for one (extremely stressful) issue of Vogue.
Watch the trailer here.
Valentino: The Last Emperor (2009)
'Après moi, le déluge'. Spoken by Mr Valentino himself in his documentary’s trailer, these fabulously arrogant words are to an extent coming to fruition, given the current state of the fashion industry. An inimitable force in the world of couture, the mononymous Valentino led his label from 1960 until he retired in 2008, designing countless gowns and the wedding dresses of Elizabeth Taylor, Anne Hathaway, Jennifer Lopez and Princess Madeleine of Sweden along the way. A lover of women and of beauty, Valentino is shown in this film as an unswayable character, locking horns with new investors after the label was bought in 1998, and weathering the industry’s increasingly stormy climate.
Watch the trailer here.
