Iris Apfel isn’t a household name, but YSL certainly is. Branding and marketing of this influential designer brought fashion to a whole new level. In the film “Saint Laurent,” Bertrand Bonello depicts Yves Saint Laurent’s tumultuous life and his influence in haute couture. Starring Gaspard Ulliel (Saint Laurent) and Louis Garrel (Pierre Berge), we witness the tragedies of drugs, parties, and loneliness. The film takes us on his journey to give the world a sense of style. The performances are hauntingly real, giving a deeper beauty to this cutting edge designer.
As they say, beauty is in the eye of the beholder and Rick Guidotti, famed New York fashion photographer, allows us to see beauty as it is reflected from the inside out. Joanna Rudnick’s documentary “On Beauty” follows Guidotti as he is frustrated with the restrictive parameters in the superficial fashion world and sets out to create a new definition of beauty. Children and adults with congenital differences such as albinism are photographed the way high fashion models are and the results are stunning: Guidotti captures happiness. The film highlights stories of mothers, children, and adults who struggle with judgmental looks, but a transformation occurs that will remove your own prejudicial blinders and make you smile. Now, that’s beautiful.
On April 13th, New York’s 2016 Tribeca Film Festival will debut the film “The First Monday in May,” directed by Andrew Rossi on opening night. The long-argued debate of “Is fashion art?” comes to the forefront as this film takes us behind the scenes of The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s record-breaking gala, “China: Through the Looking Glass.” Rossi follows The Met’s curator and visionary, Andrew Bolton, in the tension-filled days before the event and we are privy to the keen insight of those responsible for combining high fashion with art. Touted as the “Superbowl of fashion events,” the interviews and discussions will allow you to see fashion in a completely new light.
Fashion has been an integral part of film since the advent of movies. These films are just a sampling of the films that show just how influential designers are, not just in the film industry, but in what we wear today.
Saint Laurent photo from thefilmstage.com.