DIANA VREELAND: The eye has to travel

 “Style is everything…style is a way of life. Without it, you`re nothing.” – Diana Vreeland

During Diana Vreeland’s fifty year reign as the “Empress of Fashion,” she launched Twiggy, advised Jackie Onassis, and established countless trends that have withstood the test of time. She was the fashion editor of Harper’s Bazaar where she worked for twenty-five years before becoming editor-in-chief of Vogue, followed by a remarkable stint at the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute, where she helped popularize its historical collections. DIANA VREELAND: THE EYE HAS TO TRAVEL is an intimate portrait and a vibrant celebration of one of the most influential women of the twentieth century, an enduring icon who has had a strong influence on the course of fashion, beauty, publishing and culture.

 

 Portrait of Diana Vreeland

DIANA VREELAND: THE EYE HAS TO TRAVEL is an intimate portrait and a vibrant celebration of one of the most influential women of the 20th century, an enduring icon whose influence changed the face of fashion, beauty, art, publishing and culture itself forever.

Along the way, the story of Vreeland illustrates the evolution of women into roles of power and prominence throughout the 20th century, and travels through some of the century’s greatest historical and cultural eras, including Paris’ Belle Epoque, New York in the roaring twenties, and London in the swinging sixties. It also spans such historical events as the great wars, the flights of Lindbergh, the romance of Wallis and Windsor, the Kennedy inauguration, and the freewheeling spirit of the 1960′s youthquake, and the advent of countless fashion revolutions from the bikini to the blue jean.

 Diana in the Vogue office

Director’s statement: “I fell in love with Diana Vreeland as a young college student, mesmerized by her pages in Harper’s Bazaarand Vogue. I later fell in love with her grandson and became a member of the Vreeland family. Although I never got to meet Mrs. Vreeland, I became fully immersed in her world. I have been given the confidence and trust of her family and friends, as well as access to Diana Vreeland’s archives, and the archives of Harper’s BazaarVogue and The Costume Institute.

When I was conducting research for a book I wrote on Mrs. Vreeland, I realized that her real strengths and subtleties needed to be conveyed in a three-dimensional platform in which she could come alive. Film is the most obvious and effective medium to communicate Mrs. Vreeland’s unique and visual journey, so I decided to make a documentary about her fabled life.

DIANA VREELAND: THE EYE HAS TO TRAVEL is more than just an intimate portrait of the legendary fashion icon. It captures Vreeland’s life visually through a multitude of media including film, photography, animation, graphics, text, sound, and music. Vreeland’s own voice and persona — strong, eloquent and often much exaggerated — guides us through her life, adventures, accomplishments, and passions.

Diana Vreeland was much more than just “the empress of fashion.” She used her magazines and costume shows as a platform to convey her imaginative perspective on life. Her philosophy was much deeper than what she put forward in her pages at Harper’s Bazaar and Vogue. Her perseverance and determination showed us that we could dare to think in a different way. She has reminded us that it is important to imagine how life can be different. She lived for new experiences and new ideas, and was able to transmit that to us. She used her passion for the world as an instrument to let us expand and enrich our minds, as I set out to do with this film.” – Lisa Immordino Vreeland

 

 Diana with Marissa Berenson

All images and info via: http://www.dianavreeland-film.com/

 

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