Is fashion art?
Such is the question posed at the beginning of Andrew Rossi’s The First Monday in May, a documentary that takes viewers behind the scenes of the 2015 Met Gala, a multi-million dollar spectacle described as “the Super Bowl of fashion events”.
The film’s primary subjects, curator Andrew Bolton and Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour, answer immediately with an emphatic “yes”, and so they should. They’re preaching to the choir, after all, and the museum’s comprehensive fashion collection – the biggest in the world – would seem to confirm it by default.
Fortunately, Rossi is quick to turn attention to what really matters, as he and his team follow Bolton and Wintour in the eight month period leading up to the 2015 gala exhibition China: Through the Looking Glass.
It’s set to be the biggest exhibit yet. Bolton is well aware that his career-defining 2011 showcase Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty – a highlight of the great designer’s work less than a year after his death – set a precedent (and box office records) for these events that many feel he has yet to overcome, and this is ultimately his driving force.
The concept for the show does draw some controversy from those who fear it could be perceived as a celebration of the West’s stereotypical appropriation of Eastern culture. It’s interesting to watch these cultural and racial issues handled on screen, especially when the exhibition’s artistic director, filmmaker Wong Kar-Wai (In the Mood for Love), joins the discussion.
Unfortunately, the film sometimes fails to feel entirely respectful of the greater merits surrounding the exhibit. Most notably, a discussion on how the first ever Chinese American movie star, Anna May Wong, was forced to play such Asian cliches as ‘the dragon lady’ seems mostly to serve as a segue to a segment on Wintour’s own reputation as a tyrannical character of the fashion world.
Viewers of The First Monday in May are sure to find their most satisfaction when the subjects are outside the Met, making their own preparations. Wintour focuses on marshalling her team, and the seating arrangement that she’s strategically working on up until the day of the event, while Bolton’s visit to the vaults of Yves Saint Laurent is a particular thrill.
Wong Kar-Wai is there to ensure the team’s passion doesn’t carry them overboard. His relaxed but intelligent approach provides a welcome balance to such powerful personalities. “Try not to make the show too busy,” he advises. “Seeing too much is seeing nothing.”
When celebrities eventually begin to arrive on the red carpet, the film’s narrative takes a backseat to the gossipy nature of the party that brings it to an inevitable end. Shots of Justin Bieber saluting next to a traditional Mao suit, and stars dancing to Rihanna’s performance, are intercut with images of Bolton calmly strolling through the exhibit (which did end up breaking the records set by Savage Beauty) looking at beautiful designs that you can’t help feeling you still know so little about.
That won’t turn off an eager audience, and it shouldn’t. The First Monday in May does have a lot to offer those who are keen for insight into the iconic event, but not as much as the more critical viewer might have hoped.
The First Monday in May is in Australian and US cinemas now.