Dior and I

Filmmaker Frédéric Tcheng kibitzes on the Paris-based fashion empire founded by Christian Dior (1905-1957) in this engaging documentary. In 2012, new creative director Raf Simons—a young “minimalist”—has eight weeks to learn the mysteries of the atelier and produce a haute couture line for a vital catwalk premiere. Raf's hothouse travails (will this sleeve work with toile fabric?) and deadline stress are interwoven throughout this film that chronicles the buildup to the graffiti-influenced fashion show while also telling the story of the legendary Dior himself (including an assertion that his ghost haunts the workshop). Tcheng draws from Dior's famed published memoir, in which the designer complained that his brand-icon status had gone so far he could no longer relate (Simons says he found the book so troubling that he couldn't finish it). The underlying message here is that high fashion is hard work, and not all glamour. Undeservedly rated R for minor swearing, this is a solid profile (although Simons actually resigned from Dior in 2015, supposedly on amicable terms) that is sure to appeal to fashion buffs. Recommended. (C. Cassady)