The Story of Fashion

Eila Hershon and Roberto Guerra's 1987 three-part series chronicling a century of haute couture features historical background narration and running commentary by German fashion designer extraordinaire Karl Lagerfeld. The first volume, “The Remembrance of Things Past,” takes viewers from the innovations of original “Father” couturier Charles Worth and the old-time methods of separate workrooms for each of the different parts of dress construction, to the 1900 Paris World's Fair featuring trendsetters such as Redfern, Paquin, and Paul Poire (who, according to Lagerfeld, didn't completely free women from corsets but only modified them). Covering topics such as the un-PETA-friendly glamour of furs, the liberty of postwar fashions, hats and other accessories, and the elitism of fashion aficionados, the program also looks at the concept of hair design through the years: the perms by Antoine of Paris, the platinum blonde look of Jean Harlow, Veronica Lake's waves, the geometric choppy styles of Vidal Sassoon, and contemporary trends. Combining artwork, runway footage, interviews with insiders including Donna Karan and late New York Times style editor Carrie Donovan, The Story of Fashion suffers somewhat from a lack of onscreen graphics explaining who exactly we're seeing and why. Still, this series—which also includes “The Art and Sport of Fashion,” covering the 1920s-50s, and “The Age of Dissent,” following the 1950s-80s—is recommended, overall. Aud: C, P. (J. Williams-Wood)