Dior and I director Frédéric Tcheng with the Film Society's Eugene Hernandez at the Walter Reade Theater. Photo by Julie Cunnah.
The Film Society of Lincoln Center's podcast series, The Close-Up, goes haute couture this week, spotlighting the new documentary, Dior and I, with an interview with Frédéric Tcheng, whose film began its theatrical run at the Film Society of Lincoln Center last weekend.
Dior and I goes inside the legendary fashion headquarters of Christian Dior, giving a privileged, behind-the-scenes look at the creation of the label's latest line of haute couture. This time, however, the new collection has only eight weeks before it is due to hit the runway, and it is being spearheaded by a new designer, Raf Simons, a Belgian with a background in ready-made wear, who is taking on his first collection as the head of the hallowed House of Christian Dior.
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As Artistic Director, he leads a dedicated group of collaborators who create his visions into a collection that will face the scrutiny of media and the fashion world as well as the ghost of Christian Dior himself, whose presence permeates the Paris home he created back in 1946. Dior and I combines the everyday, pressure-filled components of fashion with mysterious echoes from the iconic brand's past. The film is also a colorful homage to the seamstresses who serve Simons's vision.
Dior and I debuted at the 2014 Tribeca Film Festival and received a Special Jury Award at the Seattle International Film Festival last June. This is the second film by Frédéric Tcheng, who co-directed the 2011 doc Diana Vreeland: The Eye Has to Travel. His first foray into capturing a fashion icon on film was his work in the 2008 documentary by director Matt Tyrnauer, Valentino: The Last Emperor, on which he served as co-editor and producer.
Tcheng met Simons on the first day the designer arrived at Dior's Paris headquarters. Initially, media-weary Simons did not want to take part in the documentary, but the filmmaker was ultimately able to get him to take part.
The Film Society's Eugene Hernandez spoke with Tcheng this past weekend about putting the film together and being an eyewitness to the creation of haute couture at one of the world's most venerable labels.
