The lady in black, Diane Pernet, sat front row in her soaring veil and iconic cat-eye frames at “A Shaded View on Fashion Film” festival at the Paris’ Centre Pompidou. Ms.Pernet, is a noted American bloguesse whose enigmatic, femme fetale persona gives her a certain je ne sais quoi that has attracted clothing lovers and creators alike. The film festival was founded by Diane in 2008 and is a homage to fashion cinema.
Highlights included Olivier Nicklaus’s feature “Fashion! Golden Eighties”, a documentary that profiles an era of ground-breaking couture, following the flourishing careers of designers: Azzedine Alaïa, Jean Paul Gaultier, Thierry Mugler and Claude Montana (who was present in the audience).
Pernet also showcased “Qui Êtes-Vous, Polly Maggoo?” a visually stimulating satire personifying the chaotic world of modeling and the absurdity of the media’s influence on society. The film was directed in 1966 by fashion photographer and filmmaker, William Klein, who was one of fashion’s first street style photographers, working in the late 1950s and 60s for Vogue. Klein spoke of his sardonic film and impressive métier after the screening, with Almodóvar muse Rossy de Palma. Other prominent guests included, fashion designer Rad Hourani, ex top model Viviane Fauny, and Daphne Guinness who appeared in two short films.
Ms.Pernet carefully selected works that convey both style and cinema as a revolutionary blend; proving that fashion film is a medium that functions hand in hand, to illustrate an artistic and cultural phenomenon that is very much à la mode.
Click here for information about the festival’s programming.
Written by: Chloe Rash
Paris Girl- You do such an awesome job of keeping your viewers abreast of all aspects of fashion. I thoroughly enjoyed this article about Cinematic Couture—fabulous B & W Photo of models from the 1960’s!