Rialto Documentary is filled with fabulous films about fashion this month, and it got me thinking about how well suited the industry is to the documentary medium. There’s no need for The Devil Wears Prada when there’s The September Issue! For most of us, the fashion industry is a fantasy world, a world we will never be part of and therefore venturing into it satisfies our curiosity and provides great escapism. It’s an industry that also happens to be filled with fascinating, unique and quirky characters that are so much better than anyone you could ever conjure up in a fictional world. Interestingly, this list is filed with documentaries about individuals rather than the industry in general.

Please note the documentaries Diana Vreeland: The Eye Has To Travel and Mademoiselle C are both must-see fashion documentaries, but as they are playing on Rialto Channel this month, you’ll already know that.

Rialto Documentary is filled with fabulous films about fashion this month, and it got me thinking about how well suited the industry is to the documentary medium. There’s no need for The Devil Wears Prada when there’s The September Issue! For most of us, the fashion industry is a fantasy world, a world we will never be part of and therefore venturing into it satisfies our curiosity and provides great escapism. It’s an industry that also happens to be filled with fascinating, unique and quirky characters that are so much better than anyone you could ever conjure up in a fictional world. Interestingly, this list is filed with documentaries about individuals rather than the industry in general.

Please note the documentaries Diana Vreeland: The Eye Has To Travel and Mademoiselle C are both must-see fashion documentaries, but as they are playing on Rialto Channel this month, you’ll already know that.

BILL CUNNINGHAM NEW YORK (2010)

Vogue editor Anna Wintour is quoted as saying she always gets dressed for Bill, and you’ll want to too after watching this documentary about New York Times fashion and society photographer Bill Cunningham. An affectionate and feel good film, Bill Cunningham is one of the New York Times’ most charming, fascinating and, more than likely, oldest employees who spends his days and nights riding his bicycle around the streets of New York snapping sharp dressers on the street and wealthy sharp dressers at charity soirees. While octogenarian Cunningham would prefer to remain behind rather than in front of the camera, his passion for photography and individual fashion flare is clear. He humbly downplays his encyclopedic knowledge of fashion, impact on the fashion industry and remarkable work ethic, but there’s no doubt Bill Cunningham is utterly unique, a genuine character and one of life’s real good guys.

THE SEPTEMBER ISSUE (2009)

According to Vogue publisher Tom Florio, Anna Wintour the Editor in Chief of American Vogue, sees herself as the “director and producer” of the fashion world, and, with unprecedented access, this behind the scenes look at the 2007 production of the biggest Vogue issue of the year reveals just how powerful, influential and regal her reign is. Astute and highly respected, she also has a reputation for being an Ice Queen, a notion she does little to dispel in this compelling documentary from director R.J. Cutler (The War Room). While Wintour is the big name, the unexpected star is Creative Director Grace Coddington. Her styling of the clothes and photos is as crucial to the success of Vogue as Wintour’s overall vision and she’s the most open participant about the challenges of working with Wintour. Initially she refused to be filmed, but it’s a much more rewarding film for her participation.

ANNIE LEIBOVITZ: LIFE THROUGH A LENS (2006)

OK, so not strictly a ‘fashion film’, but thanks to Leibovitz’s creative contribution to Vogue and Vanity Fair, this documentary makes the list. Leibovitz has been chronicling American life and culture since the early 70s and has gone on to worldwide fame for her portraits of rock stars, politicians, actors, artists, in fact, anyone of note. We are all familiar with her many memorable images, but Leibovitz has always been very private about her own life. This documentary is directed and shot by her younger sister Barbara and it means she opens up on her childhood, her drug addiction, which started when she was working as a photographer at Rolling Stone magazine and her relationship with Susan Sontag.

VALENTINO: THE LAST EMPEROR (2010)

Directed and produced by Vanity Fair magazine Special Correspondent Matt Tyrnauer, this intimate documentary about the last two years of Valentino Garavani’s reign at the Italian fashion house he established in the early sixties is resplendent with old school charm, tantrums, tasteful extravagance and the struggle of art against commerce. This well shot and engaging film explores his relationship with his long-term business partner Giancarlo Giammetti and his fashion philosophy, as well as taking us inside his many opulent residences where he lives an eye-poppingly luxurious life. The most appealing thing about this documentary though is being able to view behind the scenes of a world very few have access to.

PICTURE ME: A MODEL’S DIARY (2009)

OK, so my final film on the list should be the classic Isaac Mizrahi film Unzipped (1995), but I’ve decided to go for something more recent. Picture Me: A Model’s Diary follows Sara Ziff’s journey to becoming an international top model. It has none of the slickness of the other documentaries on this list, but we do get to see inside the fashion industry from the unique perspective of the model. Using unobtrusive high definition video cameras, Ziff and her boyfriend at the time Ole Schell shoot behind the scenes at castings, show fittings, and fashion shows; it’s gritty, raw and real. The most revealing material comes from the candid conversations between the models themselves as they discuss the pressures of the job and difficult positions they’ve found themselves in.