The Fashionistas

It is not possible to say how good I thought this film was. It has ruined me for any film of any kind now, not just porn. I am so much in lust for belladonna that it hurts - and I'm female and not gay (not completely anyway :) ) Anyway, if you only see one film, see this.

I'm still trying to get the soundtrack though. It doesn't come in the UK editions. This alone gives an indication of how good the film is.

As a warning, this is not suitable for the faint of heart, and maybe a first timer would be a little overawed - I'm flattened by it and I've had it for about three years now. Still not boring!

In a way, it's a shame none of the other people i it made any impression on me. I just keep thinking about her and her magnificent serpentine body!!!!!!!!

Spoilers herein.

Yes, this is porn, with some real negatives. One of these is its perversion, pretty much all the pain, bondage and fetish you can imagine.

But it is done as a parody. The watcher is being goofed on, tortured for fun. In fact, this is intelligent writing, and may be the only movie which you'll fast forward past the sex scenes to see the real movie.

The setup is a real fashion show of the ordinary variety. It is interrupted by gangsta cows in latex. This, it turns out is a DVD created by the very same gangsta cows.

So right away we have several folded layers:

• an erotic show (this movie) that's been hijacked by deliberately demeaning porn, featuring

• a similar women's fashion show similarly hijacked, within

-two DVD's showing the fetish fashions that are hijacked by the editor, Jesse, who places fetish fantasies that are as far out from those of the gangstas as their prancing is from the world of straight porn (which itself has exactly the same distance from real life).

And the thing is well acted and photographed on film with high production values. If you can stand it and transcend the material, this version of 'Clockwork Orange' will punish you for watching. Its all about the style.

The style that turns out to matter is the 'chameleon' line of clothes that start one way and shift levels.

Ted's Evaluation -- 2 of 3: Has some interesting elements.

John BUTTMAN Stagliano achieved the seemingly impossible with his multi-award-winning, endlessly lauded FASHIONISTAS in as much as that he has singlehandedly revolutionized adult cinema. Of course, this did not occur totally out of the blue – so to speak – when one takes the guy's track record into consideration with instant classics like SHADOW DANCERS, WILD GOOSE CHASE and FACE DANCE to his credit. But even those fine features could not prepare yours truly for the levels of searing sexual sophistication and sheer film-making brilliance on display here. Its narrative complexity, done absolute justice by Stagliano's subtle storytelling techniques and a trio of incredibly accomplished central performances, appealed to the art-house aficionado lurking deeply within this old carnally inclined carcass.

In as satisfying an illustration of the old adage concerning "getting the best of both worlds" as you're ever going to see, the production values are pure mainstream with gorgeous cinematography and lighting enhancing the ambiance, dreamlike dissolves and a superlative and richly varied soundtrack. Just in case you didn't catch on yet, this movie has Masterpiece stamped all over it…and then some !

Celebrated Italian fashion designer Antonio, played by the always imposing Rocco Siffredi, is trying to conquer the American market with his seductive but staid fetish clothing when he's contacted in a most unorthodox way (which I'll let you discover for yourself) by the fledgling yet groundbreaking Fashionista group run by the formidable Helena (Queen of Curves Taylor St. Claire in a career performance). His attention piqued, Antonio is further lured in with the incentive of a pliant slave girl (Kate Frost, who got her start in "young girl" videos à la VIRGIN STORIES and TEEN TRYOUTS) for the first of the film's many jaw-dropping sex sequences that may push your boundaries as well as your buttons. Despite Helena's elaborate orchestrations, which include the overwhelming blonde forces of busty Friday and ethereally pale Sharon Wild supplemented by her own surprise appearance for a draining group spectacle with constantly shifting distribution of power, Antonio finds himself increasingly drawn to the Fashionista's resident computer geek designer Jesse (exceptionally well- portrayed by the supremely sensuous Belladonna, perhaps the most incredibly intense porno performer since Chloe) who'll eventually prove to be a closet submissive relying on Helena's good graces for more than just a paycheck. With these three characterizations in place, Stagliano's saga is ready to roll as their motivations are gradually revealed. Speaking of which, this just about constitutes the entire amount of plot I am willing to divulge at this point.

Part of the film's pleasure resides in trying to guess where it'll go next and whether the age-old question of "Who's the master and who's the slave ?" will finally be answered to everyone's satisfaction. Maybe just a teeny tiny word of warning concerning the amazing Crevice Club sequence that takes up most of the film's second half with snooty Caroline Pierce forcefully indoctrinated into…no, no, no, I really must slap myself on the wrist and keep mum. Trust me, you'll thank me for it ! While adventurous couples may eventually enjoy the movie's heavily B&D/S&M-slanted sexual content, this is clearly not an adult film for the inexperienced first time viewer or, indeed, the weak of heart.

All the extreme goings-on are handled with such an impeccable sense of style and an unerring "eye" for the erotic however, that even those not so inclined will ultimately be won over. In perhaps another intriguing "first", Stagliano has married mainstream porn to specialty fare, taking the union much further than many surely expected. If the somewhat abrupt ending, following the awe-inspiring Antonio/Jesse encounter the whole feature's been building up to, gives the impression of leaving several loose ends dangling, viewers can take heart in the fact that the director has decided to continue the tale with the just-released THE FASHIONISTAS : SAFADO and the announced THE FASHIONISTAS : BERLIN. I, for one, await with baited breath.

Excellent Film on every level that Adult Films SHOULD be judged on! I won't get into the details but the film makers have broken many boundries and pulled more envelopes than the USPS. See it...preferably with friends - close friends

Warning to viewers - this movie is extremely rough and should only be viewed by the most jaded adult fan. A lot of money was obviously spent on this movie but that doesn't make it a great film. Good audio and video, but this will only appeal to the S&M crowd. This movie is also extremely long and would be very difficult to view in one sitting. The actors and actresses are attractive and seem to be enjoying what they are participating in. The acting is pretty good for an adult film but is still well below mainstream. Maybe the sound of Rocco saying "nasty, nasty" will do it for some viewers but not me. Maybe I just wasn't in the right frame of mind when I watched this one, though, because everybody seems to be praising this movie.