DIOR AND I

“Raf Simons” a dignified man who has made it clear throughout that he is uncomfortable with being followed by a camera, is being filmed on a Parisian rooftop, weeping with nerves just before the most important show of his career: his first for Christian Dior”

Ref: Telegraph 27th March Lisa Armstrong

There’s always a collective intake of breath when a new fashion film hits the big screen and this one certainly will be causing a stir. The film DIOR AND I charts the nail biting process of the eight weeks in which newly appointed Belgian designer Raf Simons created his first collection for the house of Dior in 2012, alongside the dedicated and talented artisans and couture seamstresses at the Maison in Paris.

The screenplay and direction is by Frederic Tcheng who previously has worked on films Valentino: The Last Emperor and Diana Vreeland: The Eye Has to Travel , is no stranger to the world of fashion and manages to captures tension and emotion as the newly appointed designer tries to pull the collection together under extraordinary circumstances. He had never worked with such a large team nor designed couture.

This film reminds me of the moment when I became hooked on couture, and this was it : I recall when at only 19, I was privileged to see a Chanel Couture show at the Maison on Rue Cambon in Paris , watching transfixed as the models descended from the infamous mirrored staircase. As they wafted gently past the audience they looked so spectacularly beautiful, otherworldly, that this thought remained firmly imprinted in my mind ; that they looked as if the dresses had not been “made” by human hands but just instead just magically appeared. That’s the spell of couture- its a fairy tale.

Behind that of course is the incredible process that goes behind that fantasy and this film really is interesting as it shows the pressures and process and the sheer man hours of thought and design then pattern cutting, draping and intricate sewing talented cutting and embroidery that goes into creating these dresses. They are like works of art. The film then follows the frenetic preparation for the show and the pressure of the final catwalk presentation- and the tears of relief and joy. To manage to do that in just eight weeks is nothing short of a miracle and I’d be in tears too.

Screen play and direction by Frederic Tcheng
Music by Ha-Yang Kim
The film is released in cinemas today.