The Extraordinary Evolution of a Couturier

Today I started off writing quite a serious dissertation about the frivolous (or not) obsession with fashion today’s society has… but then I realised that was hardly a fair introduction to a master of lightness and joie de vivre.

Yves Saint Laurent was a man who loved to create beautiful garments, and you will see this nowhere so well as in the two documentaries Yves Saint Laurent: His Life and Times, and 5 Avenue Marceau.

The first biographical film is a capsule of his career, beginning with his astonishing debut and following his meteoric rise to becoming one of last century’s most influential couturiers. It is not just a film about fashion, but really a historical document, featuring extensive interviews with the designer.

But for me, 5 Avenue Marceau was truly an ode to the beauty of fashion and the passion that goes into its creation. It opens with the intimate scene of a fitting with Catherine Deneuve which I found fascinating (including an amusing conversation about the disgusting habits of foxes and murder most fowl); but what comes after is even more so.

To say that the film is a behind-the-scene glimpse of the creation of Saint Laurent’s final spring line is to belittle the intimate view we are privileged to. We are witness to an extraordinary evolution, from fashion sketch to finished garment. Saint Laurent collaborates closely with his staff, whom we see cutting and sewing, before fitting models whom they bring before ‘monsieur’ to parade the toiles to be critiqued; for final fabrics and accessories to be chosen. He is always gracious whether offering fairly considered criticism or unstinting praise, and it is obvious how highly his staff respect him. I only wish there had been more footage of the final runway show.

Kenneth Turan, of the Los Angeles Times said, “A timeless portrait of an artist at work… A celebration of human endeavour.” I couldn’t have put it better myself.

Buy the DVD here.