Five Fashion Documentaries To Watch (+ Five Honorable Mentions)
I have always been a fan of documentaries because I believe they are an important source of learning. I love watching documentaries on a wide range of subjects, from nature to historical figures.
As a huge fashion enthusiast (this was probably influenced by the fact that I work in the industry as a communication consultant and sales agent), I have a particular fondness for fashion documentaries, that I have been watching since I was a teenager and that have been of relevant importance in my studies. I love to immerse myself in a fashion documentary and find out everything I can about a designer’s life, their creations and the historical context in which they lived. In addition to classic documentaries, I have noticed that video-essays on different topics have become very popular on YouTube, where you will find many content creators doing an in-depth analysis on fashion trends, makeup, movies… I firmly believe that YouTube can also be a valuable source to deepen one’s knowledge because learning is a lifelong journey.
In this article I am going to include the five fashion documentaries I have most enjoyed so far; I am watching new fashion documentaries all the time so I will probably write an article in the future that includes new favorites.
1) McQueen (2018): I think this is one of the best fashion documentaries ever made. It is incredibly profound because it talks in detail about fashion designer Lee Alexander McQueen, who sadly passed away at age 40 in 2010. The documentary chronicles the British designer’s life and career; McQueen came from an English working class family and left school at fifteen, starting to work in Italy with designer Romeo Gigli. This marked the beginning of his legendary career. His darker sides, such as drug addiction and depression, are also highlighted in the documentary, and much of this is recounted directly by McQueen through some footage. The rest of the documentary consists of interviews with family, friends and business associates, who examine his creative genius and also recount the gentler sides of his personality; in fact, people talk about McQueen as someone who, despite his difficult background, was a caring person, loved to joke around and was sociable with others. It is an intimate look at the life of one of the most talented and charismatic fashion designers ever; a beautiful and sad documentary at the same time, which I found deeply moving and inspiring. I would like to recommend this very powerful piece of work to everyone, even to those who are not particularly fond of fashion.
2) The September Issue (2009): I saw this documentary about Vogue magazine and its editor in chief Anna Wintour when I was still in high school; I had discovered the UK edition of the DVD on Amazon by chance and was so intrigued by the subject that I decided to buy a copy. This documentary focuses on the preparation for the release of the September issue of Vogue US (September issues of fashion magazines are considered the most important releases in the editorial calendar and also the biggest, because they mark the starting of the fall/winter season, which is like the beginning of a new year in the fashion calendar); we get to see Anna Wintour dealing with the new trends to be included in the magazine. Notably, the September 2007 edition of Vogue US, featuring Sienna Miller on the cover, was the largest issue of a magazine ever published when it first came out. It was very interesting to see the whole team at work, led by fashion editor Grace Coddington and Anna Wintour herself. The documentary also features André Leon Talley, a fashion editor who worked with Vogue for numerous years before he passed away in 2019. Although slightly dated and from a different era than the one in which we live today, The September Issue will particularly appeal to anyone interested in the publishing industry because it shows much of the behind-the-scenes work during the publication of one of the most prominent fashion magazines ever. It is a great insight into Vogue and everything that revolves around its world.
3) House of Cardin (2019): among the most recent documentaries I have seen is one about the history and career of Pierre Cardin, one of the most successful fashion designers of the 20th century. With a look at the maison’s archives, House of Cardin includes many interviews with fashion personalities such as Jean Paul Gaultier and Naomi Campbell, tracing the French designer’s history from his early works and including his time as head of Christian Dior’s atelier before he went on to found his own label. This documentary is also about how Pierre Cardin revolutionized ready-to-wear fashion, making it less exclusive and establishing his own brand in popular culture. I found it visually stunning and full of never-before-seen material that deeply explores how Cardin was a forerunner of many fashion trends; the documentary analyzes his creations mainly through the brand’s archives. Particularly interesting are the anecdotes from the various interviews; for example, Jean Paul Gaultier recalls how Pierre Cardin was the first designer to arrive in the Far East with his brand, organizing fashion shows and opening new stores. I don’t know if this is a documentary that would be of interest to people who aren’t into fashion, but I think fans of 1960s and ‘70s fashion and design will probably enjoy it.
4) Iris (2014): it has been ten years since this documentary was released but in my opinion Iris remains one of the most distinctive ever because it focuses on a fashion icon who continued to influence popular culture until her passing last March at the age of 102. It recounts the story of Iris Apfel, an entrepreneur, interior designer (she renovated the White House decor under nine American Presidents through her textile company Old World Weavers, launched along with her husband Carl Apfel) and collector who became famous because of her eccentric style, charisma and witty personality, which she never stopped showing even in her later years. I especially loved how she would manage to mix accessories found at flea markets with fashion designer clothes; she always succeeded in finding original pieces by following her instincts and she used to remind me a lot of my own mother’s style and approach to fashion. The documentary on Iris Apfel is an inside look at the life of an incredibly modern woman with a unique personality, who lived life by following her own aspirations and did not let herself be influenced by the judgment of others, as evidenced by her iconic quotes, such as, “Fashion you can buy, but style you possess. The key to style is learning who you are, which takes years. There’s no how-to road map to style. It’s about self-expression and, above all, attitude.”
Iris Apfel was an intelligent and erudite woman with an innovative fashion sense and she was also gifted with incredible irony; the documentary does an excellent job of showing the different aspects of her personality. In Iris, both her career as an interior designer and her influence on the fashion world (many of her clothes and accessories have often been displayed in major museums such as the Met in New York City) are thoroughly explored. It is a documentary that will probably appeal to anyone who loves fashion, art and creativity in all its forms.
5) Lagerfeld Confidential (2007) : last but not least, Lagerfeld Confidential is the first fashion documentary I have ever watched in my life. When it came out I was still in middle school and I had just started researching books and movies online. At the time I was already fascinated by the persona of Karl Lagerfeld, a legendary fashion designer at the helm of fashion houses such as Chanel and Fendi, whom I discovered thanks to all the BOOK MODA magazine issues that my father, a fashion agent, would often bring home. This documentary is a portrait of Lagerfeld that follows the designer during his numerous work commitments around the world, especially fashion shows, presentations and photoshoots. In addition to this, there is a more intimate side of Lagerfeld that surfaces throughout some comments he makes on his childhood, the figure of his mother and various observations on life in general. It was interesting to discover his love of reading (he had a huge personal library!) and his thoughts on the fashion world (in the documentary he usually expresses himself in French, a language I speak fluently, but all these parts include English subtitles). Although it was released more than fifteen years ago, I have recently rewatched Lagerfeld Confidential and did not find it particularly outdated, probably because it focuses more on Lagerfeld’s persona as a whole than on his work as a fashion designer. If you are interested exclusively in his fashion career, there are more recent documentaries that delve into that aspect (including The History of Karl Lagerfeld, published by fashion journalist Odunayo Ojo on his YouTube channel Fashion Roadman). I think Lagerfeld Confidential still does a good job of showing the designer’s striking personality, and I still remember it as one of my first approaches to the world of fashion.
HONORABLE MENTIONS: in addition to the documentaries I have previously mentioned, I would like to recommend a few titles that I found particularly fascinating and well done. Halston (2019), which chronicles the life and career of one of the most influential fashion designers of the 1970s, and Diana Vreeland: The Eye Has To Travel (2011), a look at the life and work of Harper’s Bazaar’s former fashion editor, are great fashion documentaries because they excellently tell the story of how Halston and Diana Vreeland influenced the fashion industry in the 20th century. Scatter My Ashes at Bergdorf’s (2013) is a documentary about the renowned Manhattan luxury department store, chronicling its origins and evolution over the years, including a series of interviews to fashion designers, entrepreneurs and style icons. I really enjoyed the part about the making of the store windows because Bergdorf Goodman’s window displays have always been masterpieces of creativity. One of the best documentaries I have seen recently is The Gospel According To André (2017), an intimate portrait of larger-than-life fashion editor André Leon Talley (who was also featured in The September Issue), which traces his personal story from his origins to his becoming one of the most celebrated figures in the world of fashion publishing. I also recommend Manolo: The Boy Who Made Shoes For Lizards (2017), a portrait of shoe-maker Manolo Blahnik, whose luxury creations have had a profound influence on fashion in the last decades.