Oscar’s fashion faux pas
Two behind-the-scenes films are snubbed from best documentary nominees
When the Oscar nominations were announced last week, there were few surprises to be found. The sexy Smurfs of “Avatar’’ pulled in fistfuls of accolades. “Precious’’ tugged the heartstrings of the Academy - or maybe it was Mariah Carey’s mustache that moved them. And the little-seen “The Hurt Locker’’ became the must-rent DVD of the winter, because instead of wanting to see a thriller about war in the theater, people preferred to watch a cartoon character voiced by Ed Asner tie a bunch of balloons to his house.
But for fans of fashion, there were two glaring omissions in the best documentary category. Director R.J. Cutler’s “The September Issue’’ brought filmgoers behind the well-guarded chiffon curtain of the fashion world. Cutler managed to gain entrée into the universe of the nation’s most powerful fashion editor, Anna Wintour of Vogue. But “The September Issue’’ was more than a series of pretty dresses and fanciful photo shoots. The film succeeded in showing the passionate struggles behind the frocks, and turned the magazine’s creative director, Grace Coddington, into an adored treasure.
I dragged unfashionable friends to see the film. It wasn’t simply to have another excuse to watch it (OK, that was part of it), but mostly because I wanted them to see an extremely well-made, entertaining, and semi-educational film about the industry and just how powerful it is. But it was nowhere to be seen when the nominations were announced.
Also absent from the final list of nominations - although the film did make the short list of documentaries - was Matt Tyrnauer’s “Valentino: The Last Emperor,’’ which looked at the powerhouse designer’s touching relationship with his partner, as well as his final days heading up his label before his retirement. Like “The September Issue,’’ “Last Emperor’’ was more than a film about beautiful clothes. Both of these films helped crack the “Devil Wears Prada’’/“Ugly Betty’’ stereotype that the fashion world is made up of
“Valentino is pure talent,’’ Tyrnauer told me last spring (he was a bit uncomfortable chatting for this column). “He aspired to live like a king. It’s an extraordinary thing. I don’t think people are made this way anymore. He fulfilled a dream, and he came from nothing. This is an amazing story. Who could repeat that?’’
The fact that “Valentino’’ even made the short list of nominations seems like a breakthrough. A quick glance at past nominees doesn’t reveal a lot in the way of fashion. In fact, it reveals next to none. It seems that the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has something against the well-dressed. Past fashion documentaries, such as the amazing “Lagerfeld Confidential,’’ got little notice. I’m not downplaying the importance of this year’s nominated documentaries. “The Cove’’ and “Food Inc.’’ are powerful films. But the fashion snub feels like a cultural slap.
I can understand the assumption that fashion is frivolous and superfluous. There was a time I felt the same way. Long before I wrote about style, my eyes rolled back in my head whenever the topic turned to dresses. I didn’t know the difference between Karl Lagerfeld and Carl Weathers. My epiphany came when I had the opportunity to go into the workrooms at Chanel and
Before he started “The September Issue,’’ Cutler tells me he had a similar view of fashion. By the end of his shoot, he was a fan of Coddington’s gorgeous styling work.
Watching “Valentino’’ reminded me - in a strange way - of watching 1999’s best documentary winner “Buena Vista Social Club.’’ Like the musicians of Buena Vista, Valentino is a master of his art, and one of a dying breed. His work inspired people around the world.
Both “The September Issue’’ and “Valentino: The Last Emperor’’ showed movie audiences the humanity behind fashion; it’s just a shame that those who nominate films were unable to see that humanity as well.
Christopher Muther can be reached at muther@globe.com. 
