A great fashion documentary has the power to delight and inspire, as well as to confirm career aspirations. In recent years, some of the world’s most prestigious maisons have opened their doors to the cameras, and the results are as fabulous as the gowns created within them. Take Dior and I, an emotive, sensitive look inside the Christian Dior Paris HQ, as Raf Simons prepared for his debut; or Martin Margiela: In His Own Words, which offers a rare insight into the mind of the famously private designer. Then there are the documentaries which focus on the industry’s most impactful models and muses, from Catwalk to the upcoming Apple TV+ docuseries The Super Models, which will recount the incredible rise of Naomi Campbell, Cindy Crawford, Linda Evangelista and Christy Turlington, all of whom appear together on the cover of British Vogue’s September 2023 issue. As we count down to its release on 20 September, swot up on your fashion history with our pick of the best fashion documentaries to date, below.
7 Days Out (2018)
Photo: Patrick Kovarik
An insight into the house of Chanel is always promising but, given that its late custodian Karl Lagerfeld is no longer with us, this film now feels even more poignant. Netflix’s 7 Days Out focuses on the week leading up to the maison’s SS18 couture collection and sees Karl at work through fittings, castings and backstage at the Grand Palais on show day.
Catwalk (1995)
Photo: Catwalk
Catwalk follows the supermodel Christy Turlington over the course of the spring/summer 1994 shows, whizzing from backstage at Versace in Milan to attending fittings for Chanel in Paris. Turlington is not alone on the journey, with Catwalk offering an intimate look into the early years of the careers of household names such as Helena Christensen and Kate Moss, too, as well as glimpses of industry titans like John Galliano and Gianni Versace at work.
Westwood: Punk. Icon. Activist. (2018)
Photo:…
