Film Review: Dior and I
Yes it's another fashion documentary, no it's not just another fashion documentary
Still from the film. Image courtesy of Dogwoof Ltd. and DiorandImovie.com
Frederick Tcheng's new masterpiece, "Dior and I" captures the essence of the house of Christian Dior while giving insight on it's new creative director. Tcheng captures the house in the midst of a changeup as Raf Simons is sworn in and has to quickly design a couture collection.
Filmed over the span of just 8 weeks, the film explores the process of creating the garments as well as putting on a runway. Theng's approach is from a business perspective to document the living and breathing cells that make up the Dior DNA. He isn't trying to sell the Dior brand, he's merely observing it.
There isn't a reliance on the flashiness of bold and bright print speeding across the screen in an effort to garner attention. The aesthetic of the documentary are refined, a little daring but tasteful, much like the garments themselves. Celebrity is also not a factor within this film which is refreshing though there are a few guest appearances at the show. Simons himself doesn't present himself as one to care for publicity and at one point being adamant about not walking the full runway post-show.
Unlike other documentaries, there is an unspoken parallel shown between Simons and Dior. It's not pointed out bit by bit in comparison but is determined by the viewer. At one instance Simons notes that after beginning to read Dior's memoirs he had to stop because of how similar he felt to the late designer that it freaked him out. The film does an astounding job of bringing the people involved in creating the pieces and their relationships to the forefront.
Displaying the inner workings of the atelier, Tcheng manages to document the decades long relationship between the staff in a personable manner. Many of them stayed with the house through the various changes in creative directors proving to be the backbone of the Dior brand. Some believe in the higher presence of the late designer stating "he is still here" about the atelier.
What it doesn't do is sensationalize fashion. There's little glitz and glamour depicted within the film because that's not the overwhelming process of creating a couture collection. And what a couture collection it turned out to be! The garments themselves are wearable sculptures and are just enough to get keep the attention of the fashion phanatic without having it become a documentary solely about pretty dresses.
