Mar. 7 movie: Unzipped. Considering how much I enjoy fashion, I had to love this documentary about Isaac Mizrahi. The movie begins the day after his spring 1994 show, anxiously reading the (negative) reviews, and follows him through the creation of the fall 1994 collection. The movie follows the highs (a press conference with Eartha Kitt) and lows (being scooped by Gaultier, who bizarrely has the exact same idea to inspire his collection, but showed his first), and ends as it began, with Mizrahi reading the reviews the day after the show.
I didn't learn a whole lot about the fashion industry, but I did feel like I learned a lot about Mizrahi. I read that the director was Mizrahi's lover at the time, which explains the access (they filmed Mizrahi in the tub, and in bed watching movies) that you wouldn't normally expect in a film like this.
My favorite quote from Mizrahi: "Everything is frustrating except designing clothes. That's beautiful and liberating." Seeing this movie again reminded me how wonderful his ready to wear designs were. His clothes were so fun, and still so pretty. Not freakish or hideous which often passes for "fun" in the fashion press (John Galliano and Betsey Johnson, I'm looking at you.) I've been wondering if the goal of his Target label is to raise money towards reviving his ready to wear line. I hope so.
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