You no longer need a front row seat at fashion week for an up-close look at the intricacies of a designer’s collection. Thanks to fashion documentaries, it’s easy for all of us to transport our spirits abroad and witness the magic of couture while also experiencing the magic of our pajamas. The latest flick that we’ve fallen in love with is Frédéric Tcheng’s Dior and I. The film, which is now available on iTunes, features commentary from the director along with 132 stunning images from the film (see our favorites below), follows Christian Dior’s Raf Simons as he creates his first haute couture collection for the house as its newly appointed artistic director in 2012.
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Set mainly inside the brand’s beautiful Paris atelier, the film not only chronicles the fears that Simons carries with him before his grand debut, but also highlights all of the seamstresses who happily (and sometimes restlessly) take on the heavy task of making Simons’s abstract, art-inspired view come to life. The film is replete with the cameos of fashion heavy-hitters like Donatella Versace, Marion Cotillard, and Jennifer Lawrence, but its most fascinating characters are the 54 floral gowns and modern, sportier looks that make their debut down the runway.
Simons’s emotionally complex personality also serves as a focus of the documentary. And while there are countless unforgettable moments, it’s the culminating scenes from the fall 2012 couture show—which, as you’ll learn, was meant to look like Versailles—that truly marvel. Fair warning: Be sure to have a box of Kleenex at your side. Watch the trailer for Dior & I below—and visit itunes.apple.com to purchase the documentary.
