One of my posts recently was the fiftieth List Mimsy post, so that was exciting. And I think keeping up with it amidst the cyclone that is college is going pretty well. And also I’ve had time to watch movies (sort of) which is why I can still write posts like this.
Basically, I had wanted to write that list of my favorite fashion documentaries and then I stumbled on a whole lot more of them that had been released since my first favorites were amassed. Clearly it was time to hold some new auditions.
So what is this second cream?
McQueen and I, 2011:
McQueen and I was very good. I was very happy to learn more about him and his disturbing/haunted aesthetic, as well as his rise to high fashion and relationship with tastemaker Isabella Blow. They both seemed very interesting and rather tragic figures. The works of theirs that are discussed in the film really drive home the artistic talent, even genius, that was lost through their suicides. I have fond memories of going to the Met’s McQueen show while I was in high school- it was pleasant to be reminded of the different garments I had seen there, because it was quite a trip.
Advanced Style, 2014:
I love the Advanced Style blog and the women it introduces. I have a theory that while the fashion world might favor younger women who have the modish body type, whatever it may be (oh, and metric shit tons of money), style favors the people who love aesthetics, dream aesthetics, and who are willing to push envelopes to bring their vision to the world. In other words, fashion is an industry while style is a personality. And it seems like very often the people who really epitomize being themselves (in many ways, not only style) are older. The women you are introduced to and spend time with in this film have this beautiful sense of comfort with themselves and excitement about what they can create on and with their bodies. They’re in love with their sense of expression. Happy to be who they are, whether that’s zany, stubborn, or grande dame-ish. It’s a place I really hope I am in if I’m lucky enough to live a long life. And it’s a place I would be very happy to be in now.
Iris, 2014:
Iris Apfel is extraordinary. You may know her from her great owlish spectacles or the sheaths of bangles she sports on her arms (“How many bracelets can a woman wear? It depends on how long her arms are.”) I never knew much about Iris Apfel , beyond the fact of her unquestionable fabulousness, before I watched this. You get to learn about her history, her projects, her friends, her very sweet adorable husband who she also buys clothes for… And you learn a tiny bit about how she creates her style- how she puts things together and discovers what she loves.
Sorry the writing is a bit more mediocre today- I do really recommend the movies even if my words aren’t flowing so well.
List Mimsy 