Tag Archives: fashion

“The Gospel According to Andre” Defies Fashion Boundaries

Directed by Kate Novack, the documentary The Gospel According to Andre is about Andre Leon Talley life. A fixture in the world of fashion for so long, it’s difficult to imagine a time when he wasn’t defining the boundaries of great style.

I found the movie as an intimate portrait that took me on an emotional journey from Andre’s roots growing up in the segregated Jim Crow South to become one of the most influential fashion and trend curators of our times.

Novack’s movie is fascinating as she explores between the elegance of André’s beloved grandmother and the Black Church of his youth and his work at publications like Women’s Wear Daily, W, and Vogue. The documentary shares a wealth of archival footage from moments in fashion history while noting André’s life and career.

Novack’s grandfather was in the dress business, and she visited his factory in Lowell, Massachusetts. “So, fashion was kind of in my DNA. I’d seen Andre in so many fashion documentaries—I think that my last count was fourteen. And he wasn’t just in them. He had these scene-stealing roles. But they always had the feel of a performance.”

“Andre talks about a hymn that he always loved in church, that still brings him to tears, called ‘Precious Memories.’ I listened to that song, and it was so moving. It’s about the way that memory can act as a sustaining force. That was really the entry point and the vision, and that song now plays a prominent role in the film.”

The Gospel According to Andre is Novack’s first attempt at solo directing. “It just felt like the right story at the right moment. It felt like a moment where the story of this African American man—because, in many ways, I view the movie as being as much about one African American man’s experience in America as it is about fashion—was important and urgent. There’s a line from Eboni at the beginning of the movie about how Andre is a legend in mainstream culture, and he’s also a tall Black man in America from the American South and that there would always be great tension there. That really became an organizing principle in the film.”

Mandatory Credit: Photo by Dustin Pittman/Penske Media/REX/Shutterstock (6905689a) Paloma Picasso and Rafael Lopez-Sanchez talk to Andre Leon Talley in the front row during a benefit runway show of Chloe by Karl Lagerfeld for the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, held at Christies. Chloe Benefit Fashion Show at Christies, New York

Andre saw the movie, and his first impression was elation, being with friends and viewing images. “Kate threaded the narratives through the sophisticated research she had done. Her research is phenomenal! She had gone back and researched, contextually, my life story from its humble beginnings all the way to Brown, my theses and reviews from when I went to Paris and the great shows of Yves Saint Laurent in 1978.”

Andre explains how it “was an enchantment, but, at the same time, an experience that I would consider—I’m not a vain person—microscopic.”

Mandatory Credit: Photo by John Bright/Penske Media/REX/Shutterstock (6906729e) Singer and actress Diana Ross in a full ruffled skirt dancing with Andre Leon Talley at a New Year’s Eve party at Studio 54 in New York New Year’s Eve at Studio 54, New York

“A documentary is meant to be truthful, and it is Kate’s story, it is definitely her story, but, being so creative in my life, and an editor, I would have, in hindsight, made a contract to have a full make-up artist on hand at all times. Having come from the world of Vogue, part of the armor is that you are professionally groomed and, on a cold, bitter morning in North Carolina, that was just me coming out and I… would have had a makeup artist.”

Despite showing Andre without makeup meant he is who he is. “I opened my heart, and I opened my life, and I opened my home, and I opened my history and opened all my friends. The people that are in the doc are the people that are of great value to my life.”

First Monday in May

firstmondayFirst Monday in May, directed by Andrew Rossi, is an experience I thoroughly enjoyed because I have never been a woman of fashion. It is nice to get a rare peek at the behind-the-scenes of the ultra-exclusive Met Gala.

I have produced videos with fashion experts, which is all fine and good, but this movie is unique because it centers on the celebrated event taking place annually at New York City’s Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City.

Rossi is a Yale graduate, who has been nominated for an Emmy, his door opener is the documentary Page One: Inside The New York Times.  His latest movie proves to be a fashion film not meant to be missed, follow Andrew Bolton and Gala co-chair and Vogue editor-in-chief, Anna Wintour during the crucial eight months before the show’s debut, as they travel from New York to Paris to Beijing to build support for their daring endeavor.

Revealing a fascinating look at the creation of The Met’s “China: Through the Looking Glass” exhibition, an exploration of Chinese-inspired Western fashions, the film explores how the gala continues to inspire high fashion, art, and culture. Diving into the debate of whether to view fashion as art, the documentary focuses on the creativity of fashion and brings it to life.

Rossi speaks with renowned creators including filmmaker Wong Kar-Wai as well as preeminent fashion designers Karl Lagerfeld, Jean Paul Gaultier, Guo Pei and John Galliano. They all offer a unique look at the relationship between art, craft, and commerce.

The epic fundraiser raises enough money to operate the Metropolitan Museum of Art for an entire year. In the documentary, we see Hollywood celebrities galore including Kate Hudson, George Clooney, Julianne Moore, Jennifer Lawrence, Gong Li, and Lady Gaga. Then, there are Alicia Keyes, Kim Kardashian, Kanye West, Justin Bieber, Michael Bloomberg and Rihanna, who literally brings down the house with a stunning live performance.

Do I recommend First Monday in May? Yes. Rossi dives into the debate about whether fashion should be viewed as art, which I find very intriguing because I know nothing about fashion. I only recently became interested when I started working with fashion consultants in video productions.