Mademoiselle C (2013)
IMDB Rating: 5.8/10
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 50%
Michel Magazine Rating: 9.25/10
Having patiently waited for Mademoiselle C to arrive at my house after ordering it in early December from Amazon UK, I was mentally and emotionally prepared to watch a fashion documentary that has been relatively inaccessible compared to the explosive buzz when The September Issue was released in 2009.
The documentary chronicles Carine Roitfeld's CR Fashion Book, her newest endeavor. CR is a blend between a fashion magazine and a fashion book, published bi-annually. Any self-proclaimed fashion-obsessed individual should know that Carine pulled herself up the fashion ladder by working closely with Mario Testino and Tom Ford, before holding Vogue Paris's editor-in-chief position for 10 iconic years.
I came in to the documentary knowing quite a bit about Carine's career, the people she had been associated with, and CR Fashion Book. What I did not expect, is the honesty that comes across for her as an individual. After having seen Vogue's The September Issue many many times, I expected a woman who was cold, decisive, and rich. Mademoiselle C took those expectations and threw them back at me.
Carine, at nearly 60-years-old, is full of compassion and understanding. She is never too renowned to say thank you to the taxi driver and make sure her models are well-cared for, all while balancing multiple tasks and projects at once. She is knowledgable, is connected to everyone who matters in the industry, but in a scene of the documentary freely admits that she will wear an outfit more than once.
The documentary brings you to each individual shoot and event that Carine attends during the course of CR Fashion Book's creation, and even in the most stressful moments (ex. a model cancelling right before a crucial shoot) she remains calm and collected.
The fashion industry in general always comes off as a bit exclusive and closed off. The film made you feel like you were part of it. In one deleted scene, Carine helps two random guys standing outside a fashion show by sneaking them in as if they were part of her group. She also reveals secrets about the industry that even I wasn't aware of - like how editors during couture week used to pick out looks during the day and shoot their magazine editorials at night, to make sure they could secure the pieces before the clients or other editors. She even employed this couture-snatching technique herself for a CR Fashion Book editorial.
Carine is a woman riddled with experience. She lives and breathes fashion. The documentary made me want to sit down and have a cocktail with her, and discuss her favourite couture looks - not that she would have time in her crazy schedule to do so, though.
The film left me feeling inspired, enlightened, and ready to watch it another 100 times.
"Fashion is a bit about changing yourself into the person you dream of being." - CR
