British and Italian Vogue subject of new documentaries

Fashion documentaries seem to be in vogue, especially if the subject matter is Vogue itself. Last week saw the debut of British and Italian Vogue films, one which aired on the BBC and the other screened at the Venice Film Festival.

"Absolutely Fashion: Inside British Vogue," sees documentary maker Richard Macer gain unprecedented access to British Vogue over the course of one year. Macer captured how the magazine was put together from its front cover to reporting from the catwalk shows and producing its content and photoshoots. While it is a behind the scenes look at how one of the world's leading fashion publications functions, it also questions the challenges it faces in an uncertain future and how it will survive in the age of Instagram and social media.

Franca: Chaos and Creation is a documentary film directed by Francesco Carrozzini about the life and legacy of his mother Franca Sozzani, Italian Vogue's editor-in-chief since 1988. The film consists of intimate personal exchanges between the director and subject, as well as interviews with various industry figures discussing Sozzani's groundbreaking influence on fashion editorials, and archival footage.

As far as fashion magazines go, Italian Vogue has often had controversial covers that have broken the rules and set the bar for other industry publications. Sozzani has been instrumental in exploring subjects matters off limits to most, occasionally redefining the concept of beauty, such as the legendary "Black Issue," featuring only black models.

Carrozzini told Vanity Fair the film debuted without his mother having seen the entire footage, "the truth is she'd seen 70 percent." He added: "I worked really hard to give the best and most true image of who she is and what she has done. I think that truth came out, even if a shot was not super-pretty, that's what makes things real."

Absolutely Fashion: Inside British Vogue will see the second episode air on BBC this Thursday. Franca: Chaos and Creation has a limited cinema release.

Photo credit:Franca: Chaos and Creation, Wikipedia, Absolutely Fashion: Inside British Vogue, BBC website