The Cultural Services of the French Embassy, the French Institute Alliance Française (FIAF) and The Museum at FIT (MFIT) are thrilled to announce Reel Fashion at FIAF and MFIT, a special week-long series of four recent insider documentaries on fashion. The series, presented in collaboration with the European television network ARTE, will be shown from February 21–27, 2012.

Presented between New York Fashion Week and Paris Fashion Week, Reel Fashion provides an intimate and candid glimpse of life behind the scenes of visionary fashion labels, shedding light on both the star designers and the unsung heroes who toil in relative obscurity to create the magic behind the world’s leading brands—while capturing the backstage pandemonium of the hours before a new collection is unveiled on the runway.  A special week-long series of four recent insider documentaries on fashion; director Loïc Prigent will introduce three of the documentaries and participate in a Q&A session following the screenings.

The series begins with three documentaries from renowned fashion-world chronicler Loïc Prigent, who turns his witty and insightful lens on four of the world’s most influential fashion houses. Prigent’s acclaimed film Marc Jacobs & Louis Vuitton, a fly-on-the-wall portrait of the Creative Director of the venerable French house Louis Vuitton and his eponymous American line, documents, for the first time ever, the very modern mix of chaos and glamour behind the designer’s creative process. The Day Before: Fendi by Karl Lagerfeld follows the celebrated designer over the course of 36 hours—including a very long night—leading up to the fashion show for one of the world’s oldest brands. The Day Before: Proenza Schouler explores the dynamics between Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez, the visionary young American design team behind the label, as they set out to seduce buyers and press at the debut of their Fall 2009 collection.

The series concludes with David Teboul’s And ELLE Created Woman, presenting iconic images from the legendary magazine alongside clips of interviews with notable personalities. Teboul explores the remarkable role of ELLE as an arbiter of fashion and culture and its impressive shared history with the women’s movement over the past 60 years.

Curated by the Cultural Services of the French Embassy, FIAF, and The Museum at FIT.

Marc Jacobs & Louis Vuitton · Tuesday, February 21

The Day Before: Fendi by Karl Lagerfeld · Wednesday, February 22

The Day Before: ProenzaSchouler· Thursday, February 23

And ELLE Created Woman · Monday, February 27

About LoïcPrigent

Loïc Prigent was born in 1973 in Brittany, France and became interested in fashion at age eleven. Mostly renowned for his cinematic work in the fashion world, he has directed a documentary on Marc Jacobs, Marc Jacobs and Louis Vuitton, a series on Chanel, Signé Chanel, and the documentary series The Day Before, commissioned by Arte and the Sundance Channel. In this documentary series, Loïc Prigent follows ten great fashion houses the day before their shows in 2009 New York Fashion Week. Loïc Prigent also produces a weekly TV show on fashion, Prêt à Porter Tout de Suite (Ready-to-Wear Rightaway), broadcast on Stylia. Twice a year, he directs Habillés pour (Dressed for), a program on seasonal fashion shows. He has also written for French Vogue since 2003.

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Marc Jacobs & Louis Vuitton

Tuesday, February 21 at 6pm

Katie Murphy Amphitheatre at FIT

Loïc Prigent, 2007. Color. 82 min. With Marc Jacobs, Naomi Campbell, Sofia Coppola, Uma Thurman

A witty portrait of Marc Jacobs balancing his roles as artistic director of his own American line and of the French house, Louis Vuitton. Followed by a Q&A with director Loïc Prigent.

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The Day Before: Fendi by Karl Lagerfeld (Le jour d’avant: Fendi par Karl Lagerfeld)

Wednesday, February 22 at 7pm

Tinker Auditorium at FIAF
Loïc Prigent, 2009. Color. 52 min. With Karl Lagerfeld

In Paris and Rome, Karl Lagerfeld prepares for a show in Milan of Fendi furs, ready-to-wear, and accessories. Followed by a Q&A with director Loïc Prigent.

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The Day Before: Proenza Schouler(Le jour d’avant: Proenza Schouler)

Thursday, February 23 at 6pm

Katie Murphy Amphitheatr eat FIT

Loïc Prigent, 2009. Color. 52 min. With Lazaro Hernandez, Jack McCollough

Lazaro Hernandez and Jack McCollough, the designers behind the edgy and elegant Proenza Schouler label, prepare to debut their Fall 2009 line. Anna Wintour loves them, the models walk for free, and New York is at their feet. How do they deal with the pressure? Followed by a Q&A with director Loïc Prigent.

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And ELLE Created Woman (Et ELLE créa la femme)

Monday, February 27 at 7pm

Tinker Auditorium at FIAF
David Teboul, 2006. Color. 84 min.

A rich exploration of the creation of ELLE magazine, from its shared history with the women’s movement to its presence in the constant evolution of fashion trends.

About The Cultural Services of the French Embassy:

The Cultural Services of the French Embassy is dedicated to creating new models for exchange in the arts and education from French and American perspectives. It provides a platform and resources to facilitate cooperation and engagement. (http://www.frenchculture.org)