In my last "influencers" post, I wrote about Loïc Prigent who is easily the best director of fashion documentaries. Since I focused more on his art of directing and persona in the last piece, I promised to give you an overview of his work in another post. However, I have decided to present to you a broader look on fashion documentaries that showcase different facets of the fashion world. Nevertheless, you can be sure that a great amount of these movies will be directed by Monsieur Prigent.

Signe Chanel


Signe Chanel_ Episode 1 Anticipation Part 1 of 4 from Peter Phan on Vimeo.

This masterpiece of a fashion movie was one of Prigents first documentaries and covered the entire creative and artisanal process of the Chanel Haute Couture line back in 2005. It was aired as a mini-series for French/German TV channel ARTE who has been a great supporter for many of these fashion documentaries. The series consists of 5 themed parts that cover different aspects of the work and thought that goes into a collection. Of course the highly entertaining mixture of Prigents filming and Karl Lagerfeld's persona makes this one a classic, but what isbest about the movie is the focus on the petits-mains in the background as well as some of the suppliers that produce features and garments. Mme Pouzieux who is featured in the fourth episode is all about the artisanal work that goes into making fashion and lives on a farm outside of Paris. Her lifestyle has nothing to do with the glitzy fashion world and yet she is one of the essential suppliers of Chanel. This is a perfect example of how contradicting fashion can be: on one hand you have a larger-than-life designer and celebrities from all around the world, on the other hand you have the workers who work extremely hard to get every little detail right!
I think that everyone who has an interest in fashion should watch this movie because it presents the essence of what it's all about, passion and dedication!

Watch the other episodes online here!

The September Issue

This R.J. Cutler-directed movie came out in 2007 and chronicles Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour's preparations for the 2007 fall-fashion issue which always marks a high-point in the fashion world as it is by far the most important publication of the year.
In contrast to Prigent's movies this documentary has a different look and feel to it as it's very "Americanized". However, it is certainly one of the standout releases as it gives a great insight into a completely different side of the fashion world, the publishing sector with all its magazines that market looks and collections which makes them largely responsible for the extreme trend-affinity in our modern society!
The in-depth look at Anna Wintour's worklife and some of her peers such as the incredible Grace Coddington or André Leon Talley provides great insights into the power that some of these people excert as well as how involved they are with designers and celebrities. The movie is great entertainment and interesting not only to those who are obsessed with fashion, but for everyone as it is basically the real life version of "The Devil wears Prada".

Get the movie here!

Marc Jacobs and Louis Vuitton

This one is another great example of Prigent's work and showcases his great people skills. He is able to build an ever-growing relationship to the somewhat shy designer Marc Jacobs throughout the filming process and therefore gets insights into the studio as well as the designer's lifestyle that are quite intimate. Nevertheless he is also able to portray the sometimes funny and uncommon behaviour of Jacobs without sacrifizing the designer's aura of being a creative mastermind.

Get the movie here!