Binge on Fashion
10 beauty and fashion docs to stream now
Dior and I
This 2015 documentary follows designer Raf Simons during his early days at Christian Dior as he prepares his first couture collection to present at Paris Fashion Week. As the New York Times aptly put it, Dior and I “unfolds like an episode of Project Runway with better clothes and bigger budgets.”
(available on Amazon Video)
Scatter My Ashes at Bergdorf’s
A behind-the-scenes look at one of Manhattan’s most esteemed luxury department store, Bergdorf Goodman. Scatter introduces you to some of the people—the Bergdorf buyer, an in-house personal shopper, the man who creates Bergdorf’s infamously elaborate window displays—who make the retail magic happen. The 2013 documentary also features glowing testimonials from the likes of Karl Lagerfeld, Giorgio Armani and Marc Jacobs.
(available on Amazon Video)
Bill Cunningham New York
A fascinating and heartwarming portrait of Bill Cunningham, the photographer who chronicled street fashion for the New York Times. Cunningham—who died in June at the age of 87—was infamous for riding his bike through midtown Manhattan capturing the latest, on-trend looks of both the rich and famous as well as the city’s average, everyday fashionistas.
(available on Hulu)
Vidal Sassoon: The Movie
The 2011 biographical documentary on the most famous and successful hairdresser in history. Known for his angular, close-cut hairstyles (think Mia Farrow and Mary Quant), Sassoon was the first hairdresser to turn his business—which included a chain of salons and hair products—into a worldwide conglomerate.
(available on ITunes and Amazon Video)
The Director: An Evolution in Three Acts
Produced by James Franco, this 2013 documentary follows the then-creative director of Gucci, Frida Giannini, focusing on the impact she had on the brand—touching on everything from the design process to interviewing models and choosing the specific looks for runway shows.
(available on Amazon Video)
About Face: Supermodels Then and Now
A 2012 documentary by photographer Timothy Greenfield-Sanders who interviews some of the most revered models—Christie Brinkley, Jerry Hall, Paulina Porizkova, Beverly—and gets them to reminisce about the highs and lows of their career.
(available on HBO Go)
Valentino: The Last Emperor
Granted wide access to the legendary designer as he prepares to unveil his 2006 spring/summer collection, Vanity Fair writer Matt Tyrnauer directed this film that gives you a look at just how doggedly Valentino—the man who dressed such fashion icons as Audrey Hepburn, Jackie Kennedy and Princess Diana—rules his fashion kingdom.
(available on ITunes)
Diana Vreeland: The Eye Has To Travel
Renowned for having a sharp wit and endless creativity, Diana Vreeland was one of the nation’s most powerful fashion forces from the mid 1930s well into the1980s, thanks to her perch (first as a writer then as an editor) inside Harper’s Bazaar and Vogue. This 2011 documentary details Vreeland’s life and career.
(available on ITunes and Amazon Video)
Jeremy Scott: The People’s Designer
A look at the rise of American fashion designer Jeremy Scott who’s known for his eccentric creations. The film features cameos by such Scott devotees as Rihanna, Lady Gaga, Miley Cyrus and Jared Leto.
(available on Netflix)
Mademoiselle C.
The “C” in the title of this 2011 documentary stands for Carine Roitfeld, who forged her career in fashion as a model, a writer and the editor-in-chief of French Vogue. In the 1990s, Roitfeld was Tom Ford’s muse at Gucci, inspiring him to define the brand’s sexually daring designs. The film follows the launch—over a period of nine months—of Roitfeld’s magazine CR Fashion Book.
(available on ITunes and Amazon Video)
