Haute Topic: 5 Fashion Docus That Show The Seamier Side

Haute Topic

These five documentaries go beyond the sheen to uncover the stories at the heart of the world's biggest and most luxurious fashion brands, and the people who made them.

THE BEHIND-THE-SCENES of the world of fashion is rarely as elegant and finished as the apparel that makes it to the runway and retail spaces. The designers who are giants in the field — both creatively and commercially — have had oft captivating, oft controversial journeys to founding the most sought-after labels around the globe. These five documentaries, available to stream on Docubay, make sense of how the seams came together in the stories of these legends.

SEAM-IER SIDE

A Front Row Invite

By Ryan Gomez

Chanel No 5, the Legendary Perfume | The iconic Chanel brand was founded in 1910 by the trailblazing Gabrielle Coco Chanel, one of the first female entrepreneurs of the 20th century. The documentary Chanel No 5, the Legendary Perfume discusses the brand's most iconic product, Chanel No 5 — the women's perfume created by Ernest Beaux for Coco Chanel and her company in 1921.

Manolo: The Boy Who Made Shoes for Lizards | Spanish shoe designer and self-proclaimed 'cobbler' Manolo Blahnik is widely regarded as one of the greatest high-end shoemakers in the world today. The documentary chronicles the life and career of the visionary who designed the shoes that many simply call Manolo(s). The documentary also offers in-depth access to the man himself, via interviews, as well as celebrities and other prominent public figures who have become enamoured with the brand.

Yves Saint Laurent — Fire Starter | One of the most influential fashion designers of the 20th century, Yves Saint Laurent had a very complicated rise to the top. The Frenchman's life as a novice in the '50s and his eventual rise as a revolutionary fashion designer in the '60s and '70s, who broke stereotypes and embraced progressive ideas through his clothing line, is explored in this documentary.

Christian Dior: The Man, The Label | Christian Dior wasn't just the founder of one of the most exclusive designer brands in the world, he was also instrumental in re-establishing Paris as the global fashion capital after the ravages of World War II. Other prominent fashion designers like Yves Saint Laurent and Karl Lagerfeld were once part of Dior before they launched their own labels. Christian Dior: The Man, The Label, chronicles the life of the man behind the brand, and his legacy.

Karl Lagerfeld, The Kaiser of Fashion | Nicknamed the emperor of fashion, Karl Lagerfeld had an identical rise to the top as his old friend (and rival) Yves Saint Laurent. Unlike Saint Laurent, Lagerfeld did not start his own brand but instead took over the reins of Chanel in the '80s during the post-Coco era. This documentary focuses on the enigmatic German who established himself as one of the biggest names in the world of fashion in the 20th and 21st centuries.

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