The Fashionistas

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.

John Stagliano wrote some very fine roles for his leading ladies but then sabotaged their performances by emphasizing interminable gonzo sex scenes. Result was an influential hit with porn audiences but a missed opportunity.

Shooting in 35mm, the Evil Angel release shapes up as a real feature film, except for its giving over so much of its 4-1/2 hour running time to XXX gross-outs. I wish to focus on the actresses in this review, as they certainly deserve praise.

Taylor St. Claire is nearly perfect as the fetish costume designer out to partner with mainstream fashion icon Antonio (played by Rocco Siffredi) and take advantage of him. She has a pair of lesbian lovers who she extremely dominates: Friday as her blonde employee and uninhibited sex slave, plus her idea lady and editor of promo videos Belladonna, who has the movie's lead role.

While Taylor and Friday excel at developing full-bodied characters, Belladonna gives a flat, rather uninteresting acting performace in what should have been the story's centerpiece. She plays the mousey, submissive underling who finally asserts herself -somebody the audience can root for. But in Stagliano's fetishistic (his fetish is not the movie's BDSM theme but rather ass-worship, as he has demonstrated in hundreds of videos under his aegis as "Buttman") universe we are supposed to root instead for Belladonna to constantly out-do herself in sideshow freak antics, the movie's selling point. Whether enjoying extreme anal penetration or having her nipples stretched (along with other body parts) to a scary degree, she is mistreated in the cause of impressing a jaded audience, which has only become more jaded and gonzo-oriented in the two decades since this influential movie was made. The sex in "The Fashionistas" is not erotic, but rather merely "spectacular" -something to gaze at in wonder

Alongside the other leading ladies, the best performance is given by fetish model extraordinaire Caroline Pierce as Rocco's ex, a buyer for a leading department store chain who more than holds her own in verbal sparring with him, and in later reels suddenly turns into an improbable sexual dynamo when dallying in the VIP back room of a BDSM sex club with Rocco's assistant Manuel Ferrera. Other femmes have juicy sex turns without being accorded dialog or characterization, notably Monique deep-throating par excellence in the VIP room and stunning fetish icon Star Chandler as the dominatrix who puts Belladonna through her paces.

Though the budget listed in IMDb for the movie is not credible (half a million dollars) the production is certainly lavish by Adult Cinema standards, and the cinematography credited to Don Crane (though the clapperboards list him as "F. Long") impressive.

John "Buttman" Stagliano makes great porn because he was a porn fan first...and is still a porn fan. He publishes Buttman" magazine (probably the best and most cutting edge out there), runs Evil Angel Video, has starred in an s***load of vids, and has directed some of the best vids still out there. He's proud of his achievements and he continues to push the edge. Thus...Exhibit A: "Fashionistas".

The film (yes, film) is difficult to categorize, but it is an exploration of perception and perversion. It stars the incredible Belladonna, the current Queen of Extreme, and Rocco Siffredi, the Italian actor/director who is a living porn legend. It has a strong Sadism/Masochism bent and, though released under the Evil Angel label, is not the typical Evil Angel product, though EE is not your "typical" porn shingle, either.

Clearly a labor of love for Stagliano, the film is very rough, fetishistic, realistic and psychologically confronting. The sex is as hardcore as it gets with an emphasis on anal.

The lighting and production design are top notch, and Belladonna's performance (as Jesse) is heavy going indeed.

Although I am not an S&M aficionado, I still found the journey itself a very worthy one. Prudes be warned, though.

Definitively the best John Buttman Stagliano film in years. Only to see the performance of Belladonna (new queen of adult films) is worth of it. Great and rough action only for really adult films lovers.Rocco is back as actor and he is good. Also the supporting cast is doing very good, especially Kate Frost and Taylor Saint Clair.Everyone is convincing and enjoy what are doing.Besides is a look to the bondage world but in a soft way: hard but no illegal. And over all the things: here is Belladonna (as say Stagliano in the advertising):¨'the woman with the most incredible sexual abilities I ever see¨ if you wanna know if that is true: watch the film you will be speechless.

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.