Unzipped (1995)

Douglas Keeve's witty, energetic 1995 documentary about his then-lover, fashion designer Isaac Mizrahi, begins with Mizrahi reading mixed reviews of his 1993 show of new outfits and then follows him for the next year as Mizrahi seeks inspiration for his next public showcase. Sardonic, witty, and immensely likable, Mizrahi sets about finding his new muse, which turns out to be a lively but unlikely marriage of "'50s cheesecake meets Eskimo fake fur." Keeve shows us most stages of the production process and the related disasters and heightened anxieties that attend. He also gives us a big finish with a fly-on-the-wall look at the backstage mania that fuels those celebrity-packed rituals, where leggy supermodels walk dispassionately down long runways. Some of the best, bitchiest stuff is in the way the busy models deal with the presence of Keeve's cameras: Naomi Campbell comes across as a crab while Cindy Crawford could easily be anybody's swell, flirty pal. But we already knew that, didn't we? Shot mostly in black and white, with color stock reserved, quite wisely, for the climactic big show. --Tom Keogh Amazon.com

Unsung heroes

In 1995, Isaac Mizrahi, his A-list supermodels, and celebs like Sandra Bernhard were a fabulous sight to see working behind the scenes. How would they interact? Where does each find key inspiration? What past events brought them to this position? What do they wear? Are they as nice as they appear? We learn all this and more.

But a decade later, I am more fascinated at the quiet presence in this movie of people who have since become semi-famous:

Robert Best, from Season 3 of Project Runway, is present throughout Unzipped as Mizrahi's unsung assistant. Tricia Helfer of Battlestar Galactica and Padma Lakshmi of Top Chef appear as then-unknown models. Mizrahi praises another ever-present assistant, Nina, but we learn little about her.

Thanks to shows and movies such as Project Runway, The Devil Wears Prada, and Ugly Betty, audiences know more about fashion than they did in 1994. And so, while respecting that only so much ground could be covered in one movie, I am left wanting to know a bit more about the activities and inspirations of the workers that made Mizrahi's success possible.

This information as well as followup information about Mizrahi and the supermodels could have been provided as extras on the DVD but sadly, the DVD has no extras. December 12, 2007

A stylish movie for the ladies, with gorgeous glamor for the guys.

Fashions move through this movie (1995) as they did 12 years later with The Devil Wears Prada. And the stars of Unzipped are still in the fashion and celebrity news today, 2007, providing this zippy movie with an enduring quality.
In 2007 who has not heard of Cindy Crawford, Kate Moss, Naomi Campbell, Linda Evengelista? And here they are in Unzipped with unabashed glamour and style.
For that reason alone the movie is worth watching, and the DVD worth keeping in your library for later viewing. One thing is for certain - the stars of Unzipped are not going away and will be in the Celebrity news for many years to come.
And you can decide - have fashions changed so much in 12 years? Be the judge. March 19, 2007

Peek behind the scences of a hard working fashion designer.

Not only becasue he is a fellow New Yorker, I feel Mr. Mizrahi is one of the best fasion designers. More props to him. February 18, 2007

This Changes EVERYTHING!

Oh, how I love this movie. I originally saw it in one the art house movie theaters here in Denver and was just laughing to tears half of the time. I love Isaac Mizrahi, and this movie is the primary reason why. Why is this man not my best friend?

This movies is the perfect mix of haute couture, the characters that inhabit the fashion world, Isaac's witty sensibility, the most amazing soundtrack, and great camera and directing work from Isaac's then boyfriend, Douglas Keeve. I love all of Isaac's references and influences. I want to call him irreverent, but in actuality he is anything but. He holds his influences in such high regard, and his fashions are always executed as a respectful nod to those social and pop cultural trigger points.

Even if you know nothing about fashion, or even Isaac himself, I would recommend this movie on its exceptional eye candy alone. This movie is a time capsule for the early 90's reign of the supermodel. Cindy Crawford, Naomi Campbell, Kate Moss, Linda Evangelista (warning! you'll never be able to get Linda's grating, shrieking voice out of your head after seeing this), Carla Bruni, Amber Valleta, Patricia Velasquez and Shalom Harlow are all here, front and center, working Isaac's catwalk.

LOVED Polly Mellon in this. She and Isaac's interactions are hilarious. And I loved when Isaac and Amber were talking about Polly and her "this changes everything" catch phrase. Why is she no longer with Allure magazine? Did she just retire? I pray she didn't pass away.

And I'm sorry for John, the previous reviewer, who was extremely disappointed with Patricia Velasquez's brief appearance in this documentary. John, you do know that Patricia is gay and that she and Sandra Bernhard dated for some time (presumably they met through Isaac since Sandra is prominently featured as Isaac's friend and confident), allegedly, don't you? Not saying you can't still have love for the girl, but still, FYI in case you didn't know. May 20, 2006

Patricia Velasquez??????

Well this was apparently supposesd to be funny, I don't think so. What a waste of money. It said that Patricia Velasquez was staring in it, main motive for purchase, she appears briefly before she goes on the catwalk and for a few seconds at the end.

Disappointed person!!!

October 13, 2005

More reviews at Amazon.com ...