Inspirational Fashion Documentaries

Lately, I’ve been starving for some inspiration. I’ve been turning to fashion documentaries to gain some inspiration, and the following is a list of my favorite ones so far. Most of these documentaries are available on Netflix, and some you can watch instantly on your computer.

1. Valentino – The Last Emperor
This documentary was absolutely fabulous. The film follows Valentino as he preps his fashion shows in the seasons. I was enthralled with Valentino and his charisma. The man definitely knows what he wants. The man is an absolute legend, and there isn’t one second of this documentary that isn’t inspiring.

This movie is available on Netflix instant Queue, and I definitely recommend it to anyone looking to get inspired, or anyone who wants to learn more about this fashion legend.

2. 11 Minutes

11 Minutes is a documentary following fashion designer, Jay McCarroll as he prepares for his first fashion show since he won the first season of Project Runway. In this documentary, Jay talks about how he feels he needs to prove himself to the fashion world, that he didn’t win the show because of his personality but because of his talent. I found Jay to be really honest and open about his fears and doubts. It was very interesting to get a peak into the life of a new up-and-coming fashion designer who is working on a limited budget, and has a lot to prove. They have this documentary on Netflix, but it’s really hard to find.

3. Unzipped
Unzipped follows the life of Isaac Mizrahi as he prepares for his fashion show in the 1995 Fall/Winter Collection. I found this documentary to be very intriguing and entertaining. Mizrahi is very humorous and honest, and his creative process is very inspiring. Also, the documentary showed the behind the scenes of a fashion show in that era. It was amazing seeing Cindy Crawford, Naomi Campbell, Linda Evangelista, and Kate Moss all in the same room talking and laughing together. It was also really interesting to see the heavy hitters of the time from Vogue and Armani.

4. The September Issue
This documentary follows the staff and advertisers of Vogue Magazine as they put together their biggest, most influential, and most anticipated issue of the year. The September Issue of Vogue is the biggest issue of the year and can make or break people in the industry. Ana Wintour is often considered “The Ice Queen,” but this documentary shows that she is a driven, capable woman who has her finger on the pulse of fashion and is the big boss lady of the fashion world. No one is more influential or powerful in the industry, and this documentary shows the artistry, politics, and inspirational work ethic that goes into making the bible of the fashion industry.

Film Genres Explained

I love films and movies but until recently I didn’t really know what the different type of genres where so I’ve written the following article to inform anyone else who may be a little confused as to what the main film genres are. I hope the following article helps.

Action Films- This style normally has impact, high energy with gun fighting, car chases, stunts, chase scenes, car racing and adventurous heroes. Sometimes this type can have very little story line but can be very fun and easy to watch. Examples: Mission Impossible, The Fast and The Furious.

Adventure- exciting stories and often in exotic locations but are very similar to action films. This style of film can be energetic and contain conquests and the heroes often have to struggle with baddies creating a empire. Example: Tomb Raider, The Three Musketeers, Zorro

Comedy Films- This style are designed to make you laugh with light hearted humour and can be enjoyed by the whole family and can be easy to watch. They don’t often contain a complex story line but can be good fun. Examples- Friends, The Simpsons, Ace Venture, The Mask and Doctor Dolittle

Movie Crazy

How popular are movies? Well, the keyword “movies” boasts a mind boggling 1.1 billion and growing number of searches on Google’s search engine alone. And the keyword “movie trailers” has collected a whopping 127 million plus searches. Watching movie trailers on the internet has become a popular past time for many. I know my husband’s one of them. He loves to watch his movie trailers.

This past year alone has brought in an astonishing box office revenue of 29.2 billion dollars worldwide just for Movies are watched and made worldwide. The language gap has been dissolved due to the addition of subtitles. Now we can all share in the universal movie experience. As well as being universal, movies are made for everyone young and old. Why you can even see generations at most Disney or kid movie showings. There is something out there for everyone no matter what your age.

We celebrate movies and we celebrate the stars in our movies. We bring them into our homes by way of TV shows dedicated to stars like ET, ET Canada, Access Hollywood and TMZ to name a few. We grab supermarket tabloids like The National Enquirer and Star scanning the latest celebrity gossip and stuff them into our shopping carts when no one is looking.

We have Oscar parties like we do Superbowl parties and even bet or at least announce our opinions on who the winners of the Academy Awards, Golden Globes, MTV Awards, etc. will be. Then there’s the classic TV shows like ‘Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous’ that we turned on faithfully oohing and aahing over the content like it was fine wine. The show ran for over 10 years (March 1984 – September 1995). What a run! What a concept! We actually got to tag along and drool over the extravagant homes, lifestyles and dream vacations spots of the stars. Today, you can watch similar shows like MTV’s ‘Cribs’ and VH1’s ‘The Fabulous Life of….’

If you’re more of a home body you don’t have to leave the comfort of your own home to see a movie. You can literally channel movies through your TV’s regular cable or on specialty movie channels like Thrill, The Movie Network, HBO, Movie Central, Showtime, Turner Classic Movies, etc. And that’s after you’ve clicked through the TV movies of the week, recorded movies on your PVR or sent your kids to the video store to rent one of this week’s new releases. Oh, and not to mention you can buy movies from your brick and mortar video store down the street or even online on eBay or Amazon.

How do we get our golden tickets to these grand palaces? We buy cereal boxes and cut out cardboard vouchers, we use our air miles points or exchange reward points to turn cash into movie tickets. We fill out contest forms in hopes to be chosen as the lucky few to attend pre-screenings to our favourite movies before they even hit theatres. We also line red carpets around the world and tune into celebrity interviews on our favourite daytime and night-time shows like The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, Late Night with David Letterman, Oprah and Regis & Kelly.

What beats the movie experience? Nothing. We cue up for our tickets, purchase our favourite goodies, grab the latest Famous or Tribute magazine for casual light reading before our movie (while devouring our real buttered popcorn or bag of liquorice). The lights go dim, the screen widens and the picture and sound arrive simultaneously. We anticipate the movie previews while watching the nuisance commercials and then there they are. Those big beautiful coming attractions in all their glory. We whisper yeas or nays or give a thumbs up to our pals seated beside us for the next movie adventure we’ll be planning. Then if we’re lucky, that is, the guys will get to hear the bellow of the THX sound effect that roars around the theatre. (Hey, guys you can hear it on YouTube or download it as a free mp3 or ring tone). Then the wait is over. Whoopee! And the adventure begins…

Again, why are we movie crazy? Could it be because movies are inexpensive; a cheap date; or an economical family outing. Is it that the encounter can be even more enhanced through the Imax or 3-D experience. Or does it go deeper. A chance to escape the real world if only for a few hours. Movies evoke emotion whether it’s excitement, laughter, terror, sadness, inspiration, faith, love, etc. Maybe you’re on an unpredictable adventure, figuring out a mystery or watching a family deal with loss. Movie’s take us away; anywhere we want to go. Even the theatre itself is an experience as we’ve discovered. The lights, sound, feel, big screen, comfy oversized fabric chairs, convenient cup holders, popcorn and munchies from the snack stand, etc. The movie experience really touches on all our senses. What movies have stirred you emotionally lately?