Diana Ross in Mahogany, Courtesy of the Everett Collection
Mahogany (1975)
When it comes to on-screen portrayals of fashion designers, they don’t get much more decadent than Diana Ross’s Tracy Chambers, an American design student whose clothes become unexpected hits in the high society salons of 1970s Rome. Directed by Motown Records’ Berry Gordy, the film celebrates fashion at its most flamboyant and outrageous, and also contains a political message that remains relevant today, as Tracy struggles between her love for a black activist fighting gentrification in her hometown of Chicago and the glamorous but ultimately empty promises of a modeling career in Europe. Featuring a timeless soundtrack, Mahogany is a fashion fantasy that’s both over the top and surprisingly conscientious. —LH
Marcello Mastroianni and Sophia Loren in ready-to-wear, courtesy of the Everett Collection
Ready-to-wear (1994)
Nothing is as it seems in Robert Altman’s epic, glamorous, satirical ode to the fashion industry. Employing the director’s trademark mockumentary style, the film features cameos from celebrities like Julia Roberts, Sophia Loren, and Lauren Bacall playing the various fashionistas who arrive at Paris Fashion Week following the death of Olivier de La Fontaine, head of the city’s fashion council. The film was a critical and commercial flop, but the fashion industry’s initial bewilderment has turned to affection over the years. There’s no better film to document the high point of the 1990s runway shows. —LH
