Fashion documentary fans watch out – the annual Vogue/CDFA Fashion Fund competition is to be televised come December. Vogue and the CDFA have announced that the documentary will take the form of a six part series following 10 finalists as they compete for the $300,000 prize money and year-long mentorship.
Fashion documentaries are always exciting as they lift the veil on what is often an elusive and fiercely private industry, and the Vogue/CDFA venture promises to be no different. Each episode will be an hour long and will take viewers behind-the-scenes on studio visits, a Vogue photo shoot and catwalk shows. Think a high fashion Project Runway.
Unfortunately for us Brits the documentary is to air on US channel Ovation, but fingers crossed it’ll find its way to our shores shortly after. Whilst we wait, here are three equally fantastic fashion documentaries to check out…
The September Issue – it came as a shock to most when the ever private Anna Wintour decided to allow a film crew exclusive access to the production of Vogue’s September Issue (regarded by most to be the most important issue of the year). The resulting documentary gave us a glimpse behind the trademark sunglasses and made stars out of Anna and her fellow creative directors Andre Leon Talley and Grace Coddington. It also features a great moment in which Anna refers to Sienna Miller as ‘toothy’. Proving no celebrity is beyond Anna’s critical gaze.
Valentino: The Last Emperor – This 2008 documentary offers a follows Valentino Garavani last two years as head of his design house. The film takes a retrospective look back at the designer’s career, culminating in a tribute to his career held in Rome, which might just bring a tear to the eye.
Unzipped – Since the 90s are back in a major way it’s well worth checking out this documentary which offers backstage insights into the production of designer Issac Mizrahi’s 1994 collection. Unzipped also features cameo appearances from top 90s supers Cindy Crawford, Naomi Campbell, Linda Evangelista and Kate Moss. It’s pure 90s fashion porn. (It’s also available on Youtube, so you have no excuse not to watch
Words: Kimberley Fishwick
