I’m not sure if this docu was originally created for MTV, but it follows Sean John (P. Diddy) as he makes his first foray into New York fashion week in five years. This shoes how intense preparing for a show is, no matter how big or small. He talks about how difficult it is to even gather your ideas and express them to a team of designers.
He sits down with cameras and talks about his relationship with fashion from a very young age. Shopping for patterns at Woolworth with his grandmother contributed to his attention to detail. In less than a month, Diddy’s team will have to work and rework an entire collection, something that is nearly unheard of in the industry. With an awesome team behind him, Diddy will have to work quickly to create a collection that is fresh and new, and also will create a new persona for the Sean John label. His enthusiasm is infectious, and while we see a very different (phony, imho) side of Diddy on MTV’s Making the Band, here, we see his real personality. A passionate guy who has a goal in the industry and refuses to be just a name attached to a brand.
Being the only “urban designer” to win a CFDA award, Diddy knows the industry and knows clothing, so this can only work to his advantage. The fashion producer talks about how Diddy knows fabrics. He knows silhouettes and cuts that suit a man, and more important, suit the modern man. I think this something that a lot of designers miss. The fashion forward man already has an idea of what he wants to look like. If he didn’t, he wouldn’t bother spending upwards of $500 on a pair of slacks. Looking at gobs of fabric, Diddy wants options. More options. The team splits up between Milan and Hong Kong to get the finishing touches on everything from luxury sweaters to jackets. With only five weeks left, the product is brought to New York for Diddy’s approval. It’s getting down to the wire, and there’s a show to cast and style.
When it comes to casting, Diddy makes it clear that he wants a variety of models. After a lengthy and testy call to the show’s producer, they decide that an open casting should be held.
This is where the show starts to drag. We’re about an hour in, and I think this documentary shows how fashion isn’t all glitz and glamour. I hope those hoping to go into the industry see this. Time crunch doesn’t begin to describe the situation, but know this also comes from poor planning. During fashion weeks, the factories are backed up with production, and while every name matters, it’s also as if no one matters. Ralph Lauren is interchangeable with Sean John, and a factory doesn’t care who you are.
One week before the show, Diddy decides he’s going to tackle womenswear. What is with this man?!
During the seating arrangements, many fashion heavy hitters are mentioned including Robert Cavalli, Anna Wintour, and Carine Roitfeld. The morning of the show, Diddy rolls into the office at 4am, and people are already there working. The womenswear has been dropped due to severe time constraints, and also the fact that Diddy didn’t really feel it was cohesive with the men’s collection. That afternoon, Diddy hits New York restaurant Cipriani’s for a pow-wow with his cast of all African American models. With different features, different skin colors, and a clear message, the men take direction from Diddy.
It all comes down to 10-12 minutes of blaring music, intense lighting and fabric. It always amazes me how so much thought and work is put into a major fashion show. And to think that the New York shows are just the tip of the iceberg. They don’t hold a candle to the shows that are produced in Milan and Paris twice a year. The show is amazing with a delicious color palette of navy, black, red, and glitter, all done in a very sexy, masculine way.
At the end, I’ve almost fallen in love with Diddy. The obnoxious man that narrates his own reality show, and reminded us all that we better Vote or Die has won me over. And I’m not all that embarrassed.
Tags: If I Were King, New York fashion week, P. Diddy, Sean JohnShare This
