Recently I’ve been into watching Netflix documentaries on the fashion industry. I love that Netflix allows you to rate a movie that you have seen, and then gives you similar movies to watch.

A few that had popped onto my radar, that I ended up watching over the last few weeks were the following: The September Issue, The First Monday in May, Dior and I, and Yves Saint Laurent.

Image from IMDB

The September Issue

I ended up liking this movie a lot more than I thought I would. It really gives you a great “behind the scenes” feeling to Vogue, and I learned a lot about the process and timeline of making a magazine issue. I really enjoyed seeing the different dynamics between the different editors and Anna Wintour. I also loved seeing Anna interact with her daughter, who is most decidedly not going to follow in her famed footsteps.

Image from IMDB

The First Monday in May

I really enjoyed the cinematography of this movie. It follows Andrew Bolton who is the Costumes Institute Curator at the Met prepare the 2015 China Through the Looking Glass exhibit for the Met Gala. They did a beautiful job showcasing the amazing art in the collection, and the detailed and delicate process of curating such a large exhibit. It is a star studded event, so it was fun to see the drama of the seating chart dilemmas. I’ve always been a big fan of watching this event on television, so I liked seeing how intricate and how early they start developing a theme and plan for the Met Gala.

Image from IMDB

Dior and I

Dior and I followed the Christian Dior Fashion House as fashion designer Raf Simons prepares his first haute couture collection. This movie had none of the glitz and glamour of the first two movies, instead it showcases the labor of love the seamstresses and designers really have for the craft. My favorite part was seeing all the exterior shots of the different French buildings.

Image from IMDB

Yves Saint Laurent

I was really expecting to like this movie. Netflix had given me three hits, so why wouldn’t this movie be more of the same? Sadly, I didn’t really enjoy this movie. I struggled through watching it. The main character Yves seemed immature and odd. The only character I felt like was well developed was his business partner and lover played by Guillaume Gallienne. The famous designers demons are in full force in this movie, and I felt it really detracted from the great art of his work: designing his couture line. Sometimes movies with subtitles are harder to follow sometimes, and perhaps that added difficulty to understanding the scenes. The scenes where they filmed in France (The InterContintental and Avenue Marceau ) were gorgeous.  I would say if you have a bunch of free time, and don’t mind his vices of drugs, drink and sex, then go for it. Otherwise, skip this one. The first three movies were much better. Sorry Netflix, this movie was a total miss for me.

Have you watched any documentaries lately? Any that you would recommend?

Love,

-S