Associated with allure and magic, the fashion world remains one of the most fascinating industries. One of its more interesting features is the fashion houses because they are mysterious. Many people don’t know much about what happens behind the scenes. This is where documentaries come in because they allow the viewer to peer into inaccessible spaces.
Dior, one of the most prestigious houses, was founded by Christian Dior. It pioneered the New Look, a revolutionary era for women’s fashion. “Dior and I“, a 2014 documentary film, followed the fashion house as it headed into its first show under Raf Simons in 2012. With the Dior brand being over sixty-six years old in 2012, the documentary sought to bring the historic house into a new age.
At the heart of every documentary are the people who live inside its focus.
While a documentary may center around one person or place, what makes it come alive is the people that make up the community. Though “Dior and I” takes us into Dior through the eyes of Raf Simons, it spends equal or more time with the ateliers and Dior’s executive staff. Making the directorial choice to split the film’s time between three places gives the documentary depth. The people who work alongside Simons are not nameless faces but are instead given time in the film to showcase their personalities. This makes the documentary feel like the viewer is watching the workplace in real time rather than a curated film to fit the brand’s image.
One of the unique parts of “Dior and I” is the juxtaposition of the traditional and the contemporary. The traditional side of Dior is shown through old videos of Christian Dior plus a voiceover of his memory. Combined, they tell the viewer how he felt about fashion.
The the contemporary comes in during the rest of the film. Although the documentary shows people changing things at Dior, the juxtaposition works because it conveys how the brand is still built on the foundation laid out by its founder.
“Dior and I” makes the argument that changing things long rooted in place is not something that should be frowned upon. Rather, it says change should be celebrated because it allows the things we love to get better. This message is then sewn throughout the film even if, at times, the documentary stalls.
Though one of the better fashion documentaries out there, “Dior and I” assumes that the greater audience has certain knowledge. This can be found in how haute couture is never fully explained to the viewer. While some backstory is given about the house, much of the so-called “traditions” or “heritage” relies on implication. The source of this problem is a product of the film’s focus because it tells the story of the upcoming first show of Raf Simons as head designer. Given the core narrative of the film, it is perhaps inevitable that time to explain who Dior as a brand is in a clear manner is lost. A director can only focus on so much. Regardless, the film could have used more context to truly drive the emotional parts.
“Dior and I” is a documentary that sticks its landing for the most part. Unfortunately, it lacks the context and emotion to make it one of the great fashion documentaries. It fleshes out the personalities of its stars and has a clear message, but limits its relatability through its lack of explanation of fashion specific phrases thrown around within the film. Although “Dior and I” lets the viewer into its world, it still keeps the viewer at an arm’s length.