Sbottonate

This documentary is reality before it tanked to the lowest common denominator, and worth watching.

For someone who has only been marginally exposed to fashion, (As when I admittedly shop at Saks NY and buy off the rack), I did find this documentary intriguing and the creative ideas of Mizrahi interesting and unusual. His talent for unusual color combinations and prints is nicely manifested on the runway.

Not too much pandering here to celebrity, though we do see some hangers-on in Mizrahi's daily life, his angst and ideas for a scrim (even imitated just this last week on a "Tyra Banks" show for Fashion Week) While I don't buy into all the hype and refuse to blindly follow fashion magazine trends, the models are lovely to watch, Cindy Crawford, Linda Evangelista, Naomi Campbell, Veronica Webb and a few others.

Could now have a wider audience, "Unzipped" is far less shallow than more recent comparable documentaries on the fashion industry. 8/10.

This movie is wonderful and I've been watching it over and over since I was about 11! An intimate look at what goes on as a designer creates a collection, Unzipped shows all the people in the fashion world that mix and mingle while we watch Isaac Mizrahi come up with his latest collection for 1994. Isaac himself is hilarious with his quirks and impressions, and the characters he deals with from Eartha Kitt to Miss Mellen are ridiculous! Don't see this movie only for the supermodels because while they are there, they aren't the main focus, if you want that set up go for Catwalk instead, but here lies the whimsical tale of a collection destined for greatness and a designer who is as entertaining as his is talented.

OK - so i decided to rent this because i get such a kick out of watching Isaac on his show. he's so funny and witty and entertaining - he could be that proverbial entertaining phone-book- reader. but the thing about this movie that is really so great and wonderful is not the "insider's look into the fashion world" or the "glimpses of stunning supermodels" or whatever - but rather the fact that this movie documents something rarely shown: how the creative process works, from the initial idea or spark, where it comes from and how it's developed (for Isaac - from movies and music - anything in the culture - and then he starts drawing and chatting about his ideas with family, friends and colleagues to develop it), all the way to making that idea into something tangible and concrete (and really, what i appreciate about what the movie shows, is how such a seemingly abstract or novel "idea" can be developed into an entire fashion collection). i study architecture, and the parallels are absolutely there for anyone in any creative or design field. i gave it a 9 out of 10 only because i wish it had been longer. PLUS another benefit of the movie: you get to see/hear Isaac play the piano. so fun. and his mother is a hoot! plus i really loved seeing a few of the really great style arbiters - Polly Mellen, Candy Pratts, Ingrid Sischy - on film. wish Andre Leon Talley had said more. and it was so fun to see mark morris and Sandra Bernhardt too! all in all a fabulous film for anyone in or interested in the creative and design fields.

I have seen few movies as ridiculously shallow and pretentious as this movie with the exception of maybe Jawbreaker or Titanic. Mizrahi is mistaken to think that his personality is enough to carry an entire film. We are subjected to bad singing and bizarre dance moves. He shows off his primadona authority by courageously demanding that a skrim be placed at one of his shows to reveal the models change clothes. This somehow makes him a pioneering innovator. The concept of a documentary about a fashion designer working on a collection is a great idea, but Mizrahi wants to show off his character and his connections. At times he shows us the various sources of his inspiration, but that doesn't seem to be the primary focus of the film. That primary focus is the rantings and ravings of a self-centered fool.

This is a documentary about Isaac Mizrahi at work; it's a celebration of him and the fashion world, and far more engaging than you would expect because Isaac is so engaging he almost convinces you that fashion can be interesting. It's a wild ride, and the only real problem is that there's too little Cindy Crawford (she doesn't turn up until about an hour or so into the film) and too much Naomi Campbell. But hey, that's what videos and fast-forward buttons were made for...