I would have thought the rise of haute couture, under the auspices of the likes of Jean Paul Gaultier, Yves Saint Laurent, Alexander McQueen and Karl Lagerfeld, and the post-photography fracturing of "high" art into its constituent (and conceptual) parts, would have done away with the distinction.
That doesn't appear to be the case; there are still a few fusty art dealers clinging to a more prestigious past. Andrew Rossi's documentary The First Monday in May probably isn't going to do the debate any favours, at least not in terms of polemic. If there's a compelling argument here, the leg-work is done by the designers and it is put forward by Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute, as curated by Andrew Bolton and puppet-mastered by fashion doyen, Anna Wintour. The thrust of this rather one-sided debate is dressed up in The Met's galleries for the Costume Institute's annual exhibition, the gala opening of which is celebrated by just about every top tier celeb in the world (be it fashion, film or philanthropy). This year's theme: "China: Through The Looking Glass".
Probably because of the self-evident nature of the point of all this, there's not much weight to Rossi's film. Apart from a slight diversion into the potential murkiness of artistic Orientalism (something possibly maybe cleared up with the help of artistic consultant, film director Wong Kar Wai), the engagement with the conceptual and cultural aspects of curation play second fiddle to the logistics of the whole affair. Still, it is interesting to see it all come together. Watching Bolton's delight as he jets to Paris to plunder a trove of vintage gowns is almost as thrilling as seeing him and Wintour completely discount the concerns of a parade of Chinese reporters. You can almost hear the "pfffft" as the point flies over their heads - which then begs the question how culturally tone deaf the resulting exhibition is. WKW throws some sly nods to that effect.
The film takes on those issues all too readily. Without real engagement with the exhibition's themes or the works themselves, The First Monday in May is ultimately an exercise in star-fucking. For those who are up for that, the stars (from all those aforementioned worlds) pony up at the gala. The red carpet is a treat to watch and the gowns are, as you'd expect, inspired. What's more, it is touching to experience the fondness with which some of the world's most famed designers reconnect with their past creations.
For a "see inside a different world" film, The First Monday in May hits the mark - and engagement will depend on how interested you are in peering in. It's very much a looking thing. The mind can rest. Everything else can be dazzled.
★★★☆
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