“The eye has to travel”, Diana Vreeland said in her trademark husky tone. And travel we did as Vreeland herself took us on a journey through her legendary life in this film directed by her granddaughter-in-law, Lisa Immordino Vreeland. With the help of taped transcripts, video footage with reporters (including a young Diane Sawyer), her family and those who worked closely with her; we get an intimate, candid testimony of Diana’s (pronounced “Dee-ah-na”) life, from her Parisian childhood during the “Belle Époche”, to the 1980s when she created groundbreaking exhibits at Met’s Costume Institute. Growing up feeling like an ugly duckling, she challenged others to see the beauty in their flaws, to make it the most wonderful thing about them. New ideas, like featuring diverse models and introducing bold new editorials, catapulted her to stardom; first at Harper’s Bazaar then at Vogue, where she served as Editor-in-Chief. Vreeland was the first to bring forth the concept of celebrities as models, an idea that has since become a mainstay in the industry. She helped start the careers of Lauren Bacall, Twiggy and Anjelica Houston. Even Jackie-O took fashion advice from her during JFK’s campaign and subsequent election. Vreeland captured the pulse of the changing times. In the midst of the swinging Sixties, she dug into the Youthquake era and spearheaded the new fashion movement. In addition to her creative views on fashion, another essential motif in the documentary centered on Vreeland’s sense of invention. She urged us to invent the person we wanted to be and while doing so, create the lives we’ve always wanted to live. And most of all — to have fun with our experiences along the way.
This documentary is an in-depth look into a talented, complex visionary that I think everyone will be inspired by. Almost 30 years after her death, her impact on fashion is very much still alive. And the fashion world is better because Vreeland was here to share her tenacious and unabashed spirit.
The Eye Has To Travel is now playing and can be seen at these theaters around the country.
Watch it and come back to share your thoughts!
-xox0-
Joy
