The First Monday in May

Director: Andrew Rossi

In the last decade, two documentary genres have come into their own: films about the world of fashion and museums. We've seen films on many major fashion designers as well as those who are prominent names in the industry, like Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour. And we've seen films about museums; the Hermitage, the Louvre and the narrative/doc hybrid; Russian Ark; to name a few. Documentary director Andrew Rossi, who brought us the gems Le Cirque: A Table in Heaven and Page One: Inside the New York Times, has melded the two genres in his staggeringly beautiful new film; The First Monday in May. The film goes behind the scenes to capture the preparations for the Metropolitan Museum of Art's annual Gala; one of the fashion world's biggest and most glamorous events, and the museum's Costume Institute Curator Andrew Bolton's painstaking efforts to create the fashion exhibit: China: Through the Looking Glass.

Such a unique film experience is made possible by Rossi's almost unlimited, all-access freedom, which allows him to document the conceptual development behind both projects.

But Rossi's film is much more than planning and logistics, for it addresses a pertinent question posed in the film; why isn't the critical regard for fashion as rarefied as other artistic media? Another question the fashion industry has long pondered; why isn't fashion considered an art form? By the film's end, both questions are indirectly but compellingly addressed.

For the exceptionally talented Bolton, China: Through the Looking Glass, which explores the Chinese influence on western fashion, the exhibit presents a formidable challenge. We learn that his extremely successful 2011 exhibit on the work of fashion designer Alexander McQueen; Savage Beauty established a level of excellence his subsequent exhibits have been unfairly measured against. The pressure to create something as successful is palpable.

As the exhibit take shape, we see some costumes slated for viewing from China's past. One particularly beautiful costume is from the 16th century, which, along with many other costumes, has been shipped with the utmost care.

We see a lot of Amy Wintour; Met museum trustee and gala organizer; overseeing details for the Gala, which involves much hair-pulling over where to sit high-profile, prospective attendees--fashion luminaries and personalities from the world of entertainment--and decisions about whom they will share a table with. Rossi is able to capture Wintour's input on the delicate task, which entails keeping tabs on who have RSVP'd and those destined to be snubbed.

Seeking cultural guidance on an exhibit the museum directors fear could be dismissed as exploitative or stereotypical, Bolton wisely seeks the counsel of consultants from China's art world. One unexpected sage is Chinese director Wong Kar-Wai, whose films and ideas prove to be an invaluable resource.

As the film progresses, Rossi allows us to feel the hectic excitement of the formative process as the exhibit and gala preparations eventually come together.

What we see on Gala night is breathtaking. Bolton's talent for exhibition design is conspicuous. Video screens share space with sculpture and dazzling garments from China's past. A massive mock vase, a story or two high, is improbably covered in 250,000 flowers.
The gala itself is as wondrous, as we see shots of fashion icons Karl Lagerfeld, John Galliano, Jean-Paul Gaultier wondering among the exhibits; marveling at the presentation, while outside the museum, celebrities enchant onlookers on the red carpet.
The procession is overwhelmed by the arrival of Rihanna; the Gala's designated entertainment, whose stunning, otherworldly, yellow gown and sprawling train proves to be a work of art in itself.

Rossi's documentary is refreshingly free of talking heads, who might have intruded on the film's privileged fly-on-the-wall, shot-as-it-is-happening perspective. We feel we are at Bolton and Wintour's sides throughout. But Rossi doesn't deny us the spectacle of artistry and pageantry the event promises.

We learn in the end subtitles the exhibit drew more attendees than Bolton's Savage Beauty, thus ensuring its eclipsing success. As for Wintour's Gala, which raises funds for the Museum, the take was $12.5 million, but we never are told the cost of the event. That factual disclosure is discreetly avoided.

Rossi's film is intoxicating, stunning and and in many ways, a cultural event on its own. By the end credits, we are certain The First Monday in May knows the answer to the question; is fashion art? Does fashion belong in a museum; sharing space with sculpture and paintings? The answers will be clear to everyone who sees this film.