I’m a documentary enthusiast and I’ll be the first to admit I prefer them to reality television any day. Possibly because documentaries have the suspense of everything going totally wrong, and then serendipity occurs and things magically go as planned. C’est la vie, right? This brings me to the topic of discussion, have you seen the classic fashion cliffhanger documentary called Unzipped directed by Douglas Keeve? If not, make yourself a cup of tea, snuggle up, sit back and enjoy. Unzipped, is a documentary on Netflix that leaks the highs and lows of Isaac Mizrahi’s 1994 debut collection. This was way before most of us became addicted to the Target (pronounced: tar-jay, of course) lines run-way chic yet street trendy attire. Nevertheless, in 1994 Mizrahi was chain-smoking cigarettes, frazzling his hair, and completely stressed about his line hitting the runway. Let’s all remember that 1994 was before reality television took over so this documentary is one for the books. It's raw, real, art, and completely unscripted.
The artist reveals his nervousness, along with his equal anxiousness, of creating his line. To see the creative genius at some of his most vulnerable moments can help us appreciate the risks that is involved with anything worth having. His transparency makes you root for his success, but you’ll also cringe at the mishaps along the way. Now, the model cameos swept me off my feet! I won’t spill too much, but there is this moment when Linda Evangelista is trying on shoes during a fitting and she jokingly whines to Naomi Campbell, “You always get the best pair of shoes, it’s not fair Naomi!” As if this is a common theme of their friendship, Naomi doesn’t even bat a lash, and instead readies for the runway as LeBron prepares for the playoffs, sticking to cool demeanor in the midst of chaos.
If you’re a 90’s super model aficionado you’ll enjoy the infamous appearances of, Naomi Campbell, Veronica Webb, Kate Moss, Cindy Crawford, Linda Evangelista, and Helena Christensen to name a few. The line can be described as maximalist at it’s finest with a hint of fur and glitter to add some magic. From thought to conception the documentary is amazing. Don't take my word for it. Check out the two clips below and if you're not obsessed by the first one then feast your eyes on the fabulous Eartha Kitt trying on gowns and Mizrahi humbly gushing and impersonating her. Enjoy!
