Fashionable Films

A slew of new flicks offer a glimpse into the lives of high-profile designers.

by

Since celluloid was invented, fashion and film have been intertwined. In the past year and a half, though, several films have centered entirely around fashion.

Two biopics—curiously, made around the same time—focus on French couturier Yves Saint Laurent. The authorized film, aptly titled Yves Saint Laurent, takes a conventional approach to telling the story of Saint Laurent’s life. French actor Pierre Niney plays the film’s namesake, seemingly embodying the designer. Saint Laurent, directed by Bertrand Bonello, is a glossier, sparkling biopic, taking more liberties than the other version. Variety described it as “pure haute couture.”

Dior and I is the follow-up to director Frédéric Tcheng’s documentary Diana Vreeland: The Eye Has to Travel. The new film focuses on the House of Dior and one of its most dramatic moments: the aftermath of designer John Galliano’s downfall and his departure from Dior. Enter Raf Simons, a young Belgian designer whose own eponymous line was just turning heads when he was plucked to be the new artistic director. Not only had Simons never designed haute couture, he also didn’t speak French. With little time to produce the fall/winter 2013 collection, the pressure was inevitable.

Released at the end of 2013, Mademoiselle C tells the tale of former Vogue Paris editor Carine Roitfeld and her attempt to launch a fashion bible, CR Fashion Book. While the film is somewhat reminiscent of The September Issue, the 2009 documentary about Vogue editor Anna Wintour, it is Roitfeld’s warmth that makes her the anti-Anna.

Not to be missed: McQueen and I, which chronicles the symbiotic relationship between Alexander McQueen and his muse, British stylist Isabella Blow. Both subjects tragically died too soon, leaving a void in the fashion firmament.

Finally, there’s the short film Cover Girl. Released earlier this year, it stars Girls creator Lena Dunham and legendary Vogue international editor at large Hamish Bowles as Dunham sits for her first Vogue cover. It illustrates the collaborative effort that Dunham brought to her nerve-wracking first experience in fashion. It’s choreographed as a sort of dance between Dunham and Bowles, a fitting intersection of film and fashion.

Get the Look

Where to find the retail in the reels

Yves Saint Laurent small Sac de Jour, $2,750. Saks Fifth Avenue, Plaza Frontenac, 1701 S. Lindbergh, 314-567-9200, saksfifthavenue.com.

Christian Dior leopard slingbacks, $179.99. The Vault by Women’s Closet Exchange, 2325 S. Brentwood, 314-736-6511, womensclosetexchange.net.

McQ by Alexander McQueen tartan dress, $825. Neiman Marcus, Plaza Frontenac, 1701 S. Lindbergh, 314-567-9811, neimanmarcus.com.

Dior 5 Couleurs Couture Colour Pied-de-Poule eye-shadow palette, $60. Sephora, multiple locations, 314-863-2600, sephora.com. Pied-de-Poule nail lacquer, $60. Saks Fifth Avenue. Rouge Dior Bar lipstick, $35. Nordstrom, multiple locations, 314-884-4900, nordstrom.com.

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