Dior and I

**Spoiler Alert**

Director: Frederic Tcheng

Films about fashion designers; a genre that has come into its own the last decade, has a new entry called Dior and I by director Frederic Tcheng. Though one might expect the film to be a Christian Dior biopic, Tcheng uses the famed designer's career as a point of departure to tell a more contemporary story. The focus of the film is Belgian fashion designer Raf Simons; the former Creative Director for the Jill Sanders label, as he takes on a career-changing role as Creative Director for Dior. With little experience in haute couture, Raf's move from ready-to-wear fashion to dress design for the world-renown label is seen not only as a bold and risky personal venture, but a creative leap of faith for the design house as well.

We're given some background on Christian Dior and his founding of his fashion house, which has its origins in post-war France in 1946. Having established the name the world knows today, it is interesting to learn Christian was only involved with the house for a mere ten years before his untimely death in 1957. But this biographical information only serves as a prelude to the story at hand.

Tcheng makes us immediately aware of what's at stake for Raf as the daunting task of designing a line of dresses has far-reaching implications in the fashion world. The enormity of what lay before him is enough to make even a lay person like myself shudder with acute anxiety. Tcheng establishes suspense early as we see Raf meet the staff of Dior; an impressive, industrious assemblage of men and women who help bring the designs to life. A ticking clock is always a useful narrative tool in fictional films and it is no less effective in documentaries. The fact that Raf must have his collection completed and ready for the fashion world's judgement in 6-8 weeks creates a situation that is tailor-made (forgive the expression) for this story-telling device.

So we know the who and the what, all we need is the how, which makes up the rest of the film. Watching Raf in action is quite astonishing. He draws not only on his feverish imagination to realize his vision but on inspiration, as we see Raf wander art galleries, drawing ideas from paintings. We see him become enamored of a Sterling Ruby painting, whose colors and patterns he appropriates for one of his own designs.

But Tcheng's film isn't only about Raf, we also meet his collaborators and staff, who work long hours and must demonstrate exceptional flexibility to contend with the demands of the designer's caprice.

I was particularly pleased with how Tcheng avoided the conventional and intrusive talking head approach to his documentary, which would have stunted the film's natural kineticism. Conversations with Dior staff provide us behind-the-scenes exposition without stunting the film's rhythm. He also doesn't drown the film's natural sounds with voice-over narration.

That Dior granted the filmmakers so much access to the production is particularly astonishing.

The preparation for his show is just as fascinating and we get a sense of Raf's expansive, creative mind as he imagines the physical space for the show. We also see the show's emotional impact on Raf and of course, we see his creations on the runway itself, which is quite exciting and nail-biting; knowing how much rides on a successful outcome.

Tcheng doesn't spoil the afterglow with yammering interviewees or platitudinous, fawning praise from industry luminaries; the images and reactions are enough.

In showing us Raf Simons' first collection for Dior, we learn something about the fashion house's lofty ideals and standards and why it has shared the couture summit with few peers. The thrills and anxieties of creative pursuit are here, as are the glimpses of the indispensable work of those who don't get to walk the post fashion show runways in triumph.

Dior and I illuminates a world seldom seen and makes for a compelling and satisfying film.