Fashion in Film

Produced for the Starz Channel, Fashion in Film not only explores the symbiotic relationship between the fashion and film industries, but also serves as a primer on costume design. Viewers will learn that haute couture designer Jean-Paul Gaultier looks to Pirates of the Caribbean for inspiration, while fashion maverick Michael Kors references The Birds. Other interviewees include director Brett Ratner, model Tyson Beckford, actress Jennifer Beals, and a variety of stylists, designers, writers, photographers, editors, historians, and museum curators, all of whom make interesting observations (although it's unfortunate that designer Patricia Field doesn't participate since The Devil Wears Prada generates a fair amount of talk). If Fashion in Film is largely a celebration of these related industries, it also acknowledges various drawbacks. As Beals notes, actors are sometimes “better known for what they are wearing than their films,” which could be a reference to the annual parade of stars during the Academy Awards red-carpet preshow or to the customized sweatshirt and legwarmer get-ups Beals wore in Flashdance. Stylist Arianne Phillips adds that celebrities often receive compensation to wear certain outfits in public. While the first half of the documentary focuses on recent titles such as Legally Blonde and Atonement, the second trains the spotlight on older films like Bonnie and Clyde and American Gigolo. And, in terms of individuals, Marlene Dietrich, Katharine Hepburn, Audrey Hepburn, and Madonna all receive their due as style icons. Recommended. Aud: P. (K. Fennessy)