Two Fashion Movies I'm Dying To See

1. Valentino: The Last Emperor

Although Valentino has never graced my list of favorite designers, there is no denying the respect the man deserves. He was a true artist, a coutourier in all sense of the word. As the director of the documentary, R.J Cutler, puts it:

"Valentino is the last of his breed, really. I mean, he is the last coutourier, he is the last person who apprenticed in the fifties and has still been at work up until only a few months ago. He does something that no one else in the world does anymore. So, when he stepped down that was the end of the era, of a dynasty, really. So we called it The Last Emperor as an homage to his mastery of an exquisite art, that really can't exist anymore in the way that he practiced it."

Even though the film was only shot in 2006, it will truly be like taking a glimpse back into another time and another world where the name of a fashion house was still at its head. And Valentino is so clearly passionate about his life's work and I want to see that play out on the screen. I love his line from the sneak peek I saw : "I love beauty, it's not my fault." And I can't see this film being anything but beautiful.
Or, maybe it's just the promise of Valentino's beloved herd of pugs getting massive amounts of screen time that's intriguing me...

2. The September Issue

Well, I watch The Devil Wears Prada bimonthly, I watch Ugly Betty every week, and I was one of the only loyal viewers of Stylista, but still my craving to know what happens inside the Vogue offices is still not satisfied. Perhaps because I know these are all fantasy versions of the real thing, so when I first heard about the documentary that follows the progress of the largest issue of Vogue ever to be made (the September issue of last year, hence the title), I basically peed myself. (On a side note: how perfect is the poster for the movie?) Anna Wintour, and the whole Vogue enterprise really, is such an enigmatic icon that the promise of a glimpse of the truth has all us fashionistas chomping at the bit. And, as Vogue's reign is drawing to an end in so many of our eyes, I think this film will serve as a lovely, if not tragic, obituary.

I'm still unsure as to when and where civilians can see these movies, but I would love to spend an afternoon with both of them back-to-back. How perfect of a day would that be: watching a designer create beautiful clothing and then watch the process of that clothing being brought to the people?

Sigh.