Movie review: Dior and I

A scene from the film Dior and I.

Frederic Tcheng, who co-directed Diana Vreeland: The Eye Has to Travel and co-produced Valentino: The Last Emperor, steps out with his solo directing debut, Dior and I.

Although Tcheng's previous films told the personal stories of fashion legends, Dior and I is strictly business, taking us behind the scenes of Christian Dior's new artistic director Raf Simons' first ever haute couture collection. The level of access is impressive, and surprising.

Simons begins his job only eight weeks before the collection is to premiere, hasn't previously designed haute couture and, as we discover, is clearly not keen on the limelight.

Despite this, Simons allows Tcheng to be a fly-on-the-wall throughout the process, and although we don't ever get to know him personally we do get an insiders' look into the way he works.

Unlike most designers, Simons doesn't draw; rather, he folds fabric on live models and prepares mood sheets with photos, fabric and art work references.

It's then up to the head seamstresses (Florence Chehet and Monique Bailly) and their teams at the ateliers (workshops) to interpret his ideas.

It's a nerve-racking step in the creative process.

Simons is a restrained gentleman but, thankfully, the seamstresses, tailors and Pieter Mulier, his right-hand man, are more open and add the personality and colour. Tcheng adds another layer of storytelling with the inclusion of archive footage montages paired with readings from Christian Dior's 1956 memoir, Christian Dior and I. It successfully breaks up the workplace drama, and provides an understanding of Dior's signature style and legacy that Simons is trying to honour and modernise with his collection.

What's fascinating is that for all the celebration of creativity and extraordinary technical expertise that goes into creating a collection, there's always a heightened awareness of money and that this is a luxury goods business.

It makes for a surprisingly grounded and realistic look at life at House of Dior.

Cast: Pieter Mulier, Raf Simons
Director: Frederic Tcheng
Running Time: 90 mins
Rating: M (offensive language)

Verdict: A grounded, realistic behind-the-scenes look at the creation of a collection.

- TimeOut