>> Today, Valentino: The Last Emperor, Matt Tyrnauer's fly-on-the-wall documentary that follows the designer from June 2005 to June 2007, debuted at the Venice Film Festival. Valentino favorite Natalia Vodianova was in attendance, and Valentino successor Alessandra Facchinetti even showed up for support. 

The designer says that during filming, he didn't try to hide anything from the cameras, even when he got into a disagreement with his longtime business partner Giancarlo Giammetti:

When I work and I create, I am not very approachable. To . . . know everything I say was being recorded did irritate me. There were moments of anger, when somebody says something that I don't like, but I was completely myself from the beginning to the end and nothing was edited.

Director Tyrnauer praised Valentino for his willingness to be "wired" for two years and allowing himself to be depicted on film "warts and all," adding that there were very few times when he asked that the cameras be turned off: "They only screamed at us occasionally and we put most of it in the film."

One such moment?  When Valentino, exasperated by the chaos backstage at one of his shows, proclaims, "People must learn that they have to follow me. They must be down on their knees in front of me!"

Valentino had no editorial control over the film, and apparently isn't always portrayed in the best of lights, but Karl Lagerfeld seems to think the world of his fellow designer: “Compared to you, darling,” he says in the film, “the rest of us are making rags.”
*image: source

>> Need more proof that Anna Selezneva is Carine Roitfeld's new favorite? Check out "Hor la Loi" ("Outlaw"), the September 2008 Vogue Paris editorial in which Carine styled Anna as herself, complete with sky-high heels, leopard print, and of course, lots of the requisite black.
*image: source

We think it's interesting to paint the fashion picture from all perspectives. You know, when we meet someone interesting in the fashion industry, we interview them. As far as we're concerned that person has just as important a perspective as the designer or brand themselves. That said, when we began work on our Fall's Top Five: Past & Present photo shoot we knew right away that we would want to interview our photographer Shannon Sinclair for the site. A young mother, an accomplished photographer, a leggy gal whom, at first glance, you might confuse for the model, we thought her insight would be interesting to share in a post. As things progressed, her husband, Bryn Bowen, who happens to work in our office, got involved. His company, We Are Rocket Science, builds world class sets and installation pieces for fashion editorial. Before we knew it, both Shannon and Bryn were committed to the shoot, and we had quite a little production on our hands. Below, a few questions answered from the talented pair, and, below that, some out-takes captured by Shannon.


What are the advantages to working in the same industry?
B. Knowing where each of us are coming from when dealing with outside work. We don't get the opportunity to work together very often, so knowing the highs and lows of the industry helps with understanding each other.
S. The industry has a tendency to be very word-of-mouth. At times, we have been able to be each other's PR manager.

What are the disadvantages?
B. The inconsistent income.
S. The Hours! Some days he isn't home until late! We have a 2 year old so I find myself wondering where my break is.

Do you often bring in each other on board to the projects you are working on?
B. We always look at each other's work and critique it. Everyone needs that extra opinion sometimes even if they don't want it. She sees things I don't and vice versa.
S. I value Bryn's opinion. I always ask him what he thinks of my concepts for shoots. We agree to disagree!

Shannon, how has Bryn made you a better photographer?
S. He has a wonderful creative eye. He always brings ideas to the table when I am shooting with him. He also keeps me grounded and calm.

Bryn, how has Shannon made you a better designer?
B. I wouldn't know to think about a crop, movement, or when to stop working if it wasn't for her.

What inspired the set for the trend shoot?
B. There were so many shots and so many different looks. The simplest idea was to take inconspicuous walls and add texture, depth, and color. Do it in a way that wouldn't take away from the clothes but, instead, compliment.

What inspired the lighting and photographic techniques?
S. I wanted to go back to the way of shooting that I like which is more on the conceptual side. The last several shoots I have done I have kept the lighting
pretty straight forward. I wanted to be more creative with the mood of the shoot. We were going to be shooting clothing that had a lot of texture and color
and I wanted to enhance that. I decided to use several different lights to create a sort of blurred effect, with the feeling of movement and fluidity. I think the lighting brought a lot of life & color to the shoot.

What don't people realize about the fields that you work in?
B. That I can still make a living at making art.
S. It's hard work being a photographer! It isn't as easy as you would think it would be. The photographer wears many hats. We don't just stand there and push a button. We are orchestrating an entire job. Oh, and we control the ipod.

What don't people realize about the fashion industry at large?
B. Its a huge stone that we each have to chip away at to get ahead. I think what ever people think about it is true. It can be fast, creative, and fulfilling at all the right times. One can always find either a city or a designer that inspires them to either create or think outside the box.
S. That there are hundreds of people doing different jobs to make the fashion industry go round. There is much more going on than just pretty models, cool magazines, and a fancy party.