The First Monday in May

What I like about this documentary is that it unabashedly shows Anna Wintour and her colleagues express their perceptions of what is fashion, what is art and what is important in their lives. We observe Wintour's meetings with trembling underlings pushing endless cups of coffee at her, waiting to hear her snide comments about who is important and who is not and what will be done that day according to what she wants. Its hard to take Anna and her withering looks and Bolton's ill-fitted Thom Browne suits seriously. However, every industry is like this -- you could have a documentary about the New York Yankees, and everyone there would be just as serious about winning the pennant as these people are about creating a blockbuster exhibition.

Questions are raised from watching this film that make you think: Is fashion an art form? Does art have to be relevant to be taken seriously? Is it fine art or is it a commercial product?

There were lots of editorial points-of-view that would have been worthy of an interesting documentary. Some of the dresses were fantastic. Even when I did not care for the style, I was impressed at the craftsmanship that went into them. I would have liked to hear more about the history and construction.

Although I know little about her, Anna Wintour strikes me as someone whose life might be interesting to learn more about. We got a glimpse of that, but that would have been worthy of a documentary of its own.

The Met Gala is an interesting social gathering. I had heard of it through mentions from people like Stephen Colbert, but knew little about it. It was that reasons that I watched this. We got some of that, too, but not in the way that was interesting in the least.

What resulted is an epic failure of direction and having an editorial point-of-view. Much of the content that did make it into the documentary was not relevant - or its relevancy made unclear due to the poor story-telling.

It bounced from topic to topic, missing context, and failing ultimately in telling any story.

"It's quite easy to dismiss a fashion designer's engagement with China as being inauthentic." Andrew Bolton

The First Monday in May sumptuously depicts the activity surrounding the 2015 China Through The Looking Glass exhibit at The Metropolitan Museum of Art. The star is Bolton, curator of the museum's Costume Institute, who engineers everything from costume production to how wide the train on a gown should be displayed.

In addition to that micromanagement, he has to deal daily with trustee and fashion icon, Anna Wintour, who seems blessedly serene and helpful with suggestions. In other words, everyone defers to Bolton, a genius in whom anyone would trust for the right taste and talk.

The show itself seems more interested in catching celebs (Justin Bieber appears more than once) than deconstructing the cross cultural richness implied by the title. In fact, I couldn't find many Asians around any of the events or work. "appropriating Chinese symbols" is the point made by a Wintour questioner.

But then, execs must have been more worried about the outlandish sum they paid to Rihanna to perform. BTW, her costume took two years to make, and it's a true spectacle. Kim K's butt is also generously displayed.

Any cultural inauthenticity didn't seem to hamper the spectacular displays, right down to a dress covered with dishes. As one of the thousands who saw the Alexander McQueen retrospective in 2011, I commend the museum for the splendor of which it is capable.

ANDREW BOLTON!!! Rules = grace under pressure + he hit the High Note w/o making anyone feel unimportant in the 'process' Props to Kar-Wai Wong + the Mets' Asian Curator for keeping it 'real' BIG props for Baz Luhrmann & his vision = less Dragons? More Bamboo?

& calming Anna W. D o w n = Never let the 'Party Planner' get in Your way.. she's just selling tables LOL BIG shout-out for Bill Cunningham (gone, but not forgotten) reminding us Diana Vreeland WAS genesis of the "Met Costume Institute" / although AndreLeonTalley seemed to forget his 'muse' while sucking-up to 'Celebrities' (quickly gone / now forgotten) tho Anna w o u l d make a good Wedding Coordinator... IF she could work w/o sucking java in her face repeatedly.

A very good documentary that perhaps unwittingly reveals the shallowness of the participants. To me, Andrew Bolton is the only person who appears to have any substance at all. Watching Justin Bieber screeching in the hallway, people sniping at each other, sycophants gurgling over Rihanna's bizarre outfit which she caresses like some exotic animal and proudly announces that it took two years to make. What for? The dominant feeling of the entire movie was displacement and, for me, depression. I don't think one person laughed, took a walk, relaxed, or expressed an original thought in the whole movie. All this effort, all this tension, for what? To pay Rihanna twice the amount that any other celebrity has ever asked for? Why not just make a contribution to the Met? It was really an eye opener into excess, narcissism and a kind of professional, daily misery. I felt a little ill after watching it. The excesses of preening, posturing and vanity were all too much to bear. But the strangest thing is not one of these people except for Mr. Bolton, had anything remotely interesting to say.