Dior & I

"Dior and I" (2014 release from France; 90 min.) brings a close-up look at the fashion house of Christian Dior as it exists today. As the documentary opens (in 2012), the CEO of Christian Dior introduces a new creative director to the staff, a Belgian guy named Raf Simons. Raf is new to the "haute couture" as his background really is in "pret-a-porter" (ready to wear) and mostly for men on top of that. So this is a daring choice, and not one without risks. On top of that, Raf only has 8 weeks to come up with a new collection. And as if that isn't enough, Raf's use of French is okay but not fluent (he hails from Dutch-speaking Antwerp, Belgium, home of many other notable fashion designers). How will Raf do? Will his first collection be a success? To tell you more would spoil your viewing experience, you'll just have to see for yourself how it all plays out.

Couple of comments: first, this is the latest documentary from writer-director Frédéric Tcheng, who most recently brought us the delightful "Diane Vreeland: The Eye Has to Travel". Second, the challenges that Raf Simons is facing are significant from the get-go. Not only because of the ridiculous time constraints (normally a new collection gets started on 4 to 6 months out, not 8 weeks), but also because of Simons' personality, which isn't the easiest, and his transition to designing haute couture for women, rather than pret-a-porter for men. Along the way, we get to know many other characters, including Pieter Mulier, another Dutch-speaking Belgian who came with Raf and is his trusted right-hand man, and of course the French atelier workers. The tension builds up as we get closer to the deadline for presenting the new collection. Watching how Raf deals with the pressure on the day of the collection's premiere, that alone is worth seeing this documentary for.

I recently saw this at the Landmark E Street Cinema in Washington DC. The matinée screening where I saw this at was very well attended, somewhat to my surprise to be honest. But I guess it just shows there really is an audience for a top-notch documentary on fashion. If this is your kind of thing, I'd readily suggest you check this out, be it in the theater or eventually on DVD/Blu-ray.

Dior and I was nothing short of a mesmerizing glimpse into the working of the worlds most celebrated fashion house. This documentary captured eloquently the working of an artists mind. It shows Raf Simmons take a plunge into the couture work.Simmons, a ready-to -wear designer struggles with the art of mastering a couture line; that to, in a short span of 8 weeks. It also shows the language barriers between him (Belgian) and the workers. The behind the scenes gives you a beautiful glimpse into the creation of couture. These are not just garments, but the evolution of thought, love and effort. It portrays the love a creator has for his creation. The last bit was definitely the most enticing of all- the final moments where everyone waited for the models to walk the ramp- with tense faces and bated breaths. If you have a heart for fashion, this is definitely a must watch!

This film is in some ways hilarious because the subject of the film, Raf Simons, has no idea that the film exposes him as a complete loser. He grew up in Belgium but does not speak French fluently. He is the newly appointed artistic director of Dior but does not know how to draw. So why is he the creative director of a prestigious fashion house? Apparently because he steals all of his ideas from artists (even Jeff Koons, the con artist par excellence!) and calls everything produced under his direction "sublime". What a fraud. What a loser. I should probably stop watching films about alleged creative geniuses. What a sham. What a scam.

Several famous people appear accidentally, as it were, including Anna Wintour, Sharon Stone, Isabelle Huppert, Donatella Versace, Dianne von Furstenberg, and Harvey Weinstein. The producers are probably now wishing that the latter had been absent on the day of the show...

Dior and I didn't show you the glam, the gossips and the celebrity list, they just showed you their heartbeat taking an event as an example.

The sound track was brilliantly incorporated the mood and the pulse, now I'm looking at Ha-Yang Kim , and it was surprisingly mesmerizing that I cried when seeing the slow motion walk where the models walking down in sterling dress in the ocean of flowers, I can only imagine the heavenly smell of it, which is very clever as it resonated the memory of their fragrance.

If all a legend has is just stories then museum should be a better home for it, HEART is what people want to see being ripped open before they do the same with their wallets. Not sure how realistic the portrait is of the Dior House in the movie, but bravo producer Guillaume de Roquemaurel and writer / director Frédéric Tcheng, every angle and line mattered, and they brought such a big impact. It is not for everyone, but it is a good downside of it.

Dior and I is one of the best fashion documentaries, up there with "Iris" or "The September Issue." It covers the months leading up to the new designer's first collection. It really builds up the stakes of Raf Simons and his staff coming into Dior on relatively short time period until his debut fashion show, and gives you lots of insight into what couture really is, and the characters of the tailors working on constructing the designs really shine through. And of course there are lots of beautiful clothes and flowers, and shots of Paris. Worth watching if you're at all interested in fashion, but also a well made documentary for fans of the genre. Features some good content on the history of the company as well. A fascinating glimpse behind the scenes of one of the best known fashion houses.