The Director

Gosh it's been a turbulent couple of weeks with Raf and Alber leaving.

It seems that more and more designers are leaving behind the hugely demanding schedules of the big houses to allow them to enjoy a greater work/ life balance.

Although I'm not sure that fact would have been much of a consolation to Frida Giannini from Gucci at the start of the year when she was ousted after a decade at the helm.

With these departures it dawned on me at the weekend that I had never got round to watching The Director. The fact that I had not tracked it down and eagerly watched it was very atypical behaviour for me.

That fact alone should have set alarm bells ringing...

 The film which was made in 2013 offers a behind-the-scenes look at Frida Giannini’s creative process at the helm of Gucci. For over 10 years, Giannini quietly controlled all aspects of the label, from discovering—and rediscovering—fabrics to casting models for its runway shows. An up-close portrait of her artistic process is the focus of The Director 

Directed by Christina Voros and produced by James Franco (former classmates at New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts) the film, composed in three acts, spans 18 months with Giannini and shows how she transitions between her role as the public face of the company and the creative brain of the brand—as well as her ability to conquer the feminist hurdle of balancing a demanding job with a fruitful family life.

Much as it pains me to say, I didn't enjoy this film at all.

There is a chilliness at the heart of this film that makes it deeply unappealing. I didn't engage with any of them. There was no sense of wonder or magic . The joy and creativity seemed absent. In it's place a tired matter of factness about it all.

At one point Frida says she feels an emptiness in her life that maybe needs filled by a child. Hopefully with the arrival of her daughter Greta that has been filled.

Interestingly much is made of the fact that being so steeped in the brand, she had the vision and the commitment to totally let the brand shine rather than make it all about her, the way Tom Ford did.  Yet I can honestly say that during her tenure Gucci did nothing for me.

In stark contrast it looks like Alessandro Michele is already bringing a spirit of joie de vivre and fun that seem to have been lacking over at Gucci.

Check it out on Netfilx for yourself.

At least then you can watch Dior and I and The September Issue straight afterwards and cheer yourself up.

Queen Marie