Fashion 2.0 | Top 10 Fashion Films of the Season

Fashion 2.0 | Top 10 Fashion Films of the Season

NEW YORK, United States — What makes a successful fashion film? Is it a strong visual concept? Content that can be quickly parsed? A savvy distribution strategy? Humour? Provocation? A famous model or a catchy soundtrack? Creating compelling fashion videos has always been more art than science. But as we set about compiling our ranking of this season’s best films, we saw some interesting commonalities.


While Cartier’s 3-minute CGI epic “L’Odyssée de Cartier” — which has appeared on network television and earned 14 million views on YouTube in just over a month — is a clear exception, the average length of the most successful films has dropped noticeably from just a few seasons ago. Indeed, several of this season’s top picks, including films from Lanvin, Prada, ASOS, Alexander Wang and Balenciaga, are better attuned to the short attention spans of today’s internet users and last no more than 1.5 minutes, a length that could shrink further in seasons to come.


This season’s Prada film, shot by Steven Meisel, presents a 1950s Americana fantasy, featuring Natasha Poly, Guinevere van Seenus, Elise Crombez, Ymre Stiekema, Katryn Kruger, and Meghan Collison slinking around an old-school gas station, which, according to the brand, “is cast as a central symbol in this post-modern crossroads of new horizons and economic fulfillment, a stage set where fashion, fantasy and the promise of new discoveries collide.” The slow-motion shots are merchandising dream that beautifully show off the details of Mrs. Prada’s collection. But perhaps the most clever element is the retro car radio that tunes into music from Duck and Cover, Tobacco and Tom Recchion, Sleigh Bells, and Ariel Pink, introducing each girl with her own soundtrack.


Unlike the Cartier film, many of the season’s best videos also avoid cost-intensive cinematic grandeur in favour of the unconventional techniques and quirky aesthetics that seem to resonate most online.




Some of this season’s most popular films also offer audiences early access to emerging music. Alexander Wang’s short and sharp fashion film for T by Alexander Wang doubles as a music video featuring South African rap-rave crew Die Antwoord and their new single ‘Fatty Boom Boom,’ while Steven Meisel’s video for Lanvin features ‘Cookieman,’ the first single from 18-year-old, Bronx-born Maxine Ashley’s forthcoming debut album.


Indeed, a closer study of the Lanvin video reveals a number of winning attributes at work: 60 seconds or less in length, a quirky and humourous animation technique, exclusive new music, and a touch of provocation in the form of a hedonistic and decadent dinner party, full of slithering snakes.


But as LVMH-owned Spanish luxury goods firm Loewe learned this season, ill-conceived provocation can come with consequences. The brand’s ORO Collection 2012 film — which some suspect was calculated to provoke a certain degree of reaction with its naïve “rich kid” sensibility — set off a powerful viral wave that drove over 730,000 views on YouTube. Eventually, thousands of young Spanish people joined the conversation about the video, which became a nationally trending topic on Twitter and sparked parody videos, hundreds of blog posts and national newspaper articles. The video has a share of negative YouTube ratings that currently hovers around 94 percent — higher than Rebecca Black’s infamous “Friday” video — creating a serious reputation crisis for the brand.


So, when it comes to fashion film, many brands are still learning what works and what doesn’t. Of course, the nature of viral media means that success is not always easy to predict. But consistent winners are emerging. Prada and Lanvin have come away with BoF’s first and second ranked online fashion films for the second season in a row. Both films were made by Steven Meisel, whose film for Balenciaga is also on our list. Who said photographers couldn’t translate their skills to this exciting new medium?


Now sit back, turn up the volume, and enjoy our selection of The Top 10 Fashion Films of the Season. And don’t forget to let us know which ones you like best.
font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"While Cartier’s 3-minute CGI epic “L’Odyssée de Cartier”which has appeared on network television and earned 14 million views on YouTube in just over a month — is a clear exception, the average length of the most successful films has dropped noticeably from just a few seasons ago. Indeed, several of this season’s top picks, including films from Lanvin, Prada, ASOS, Alexander Wang and Balenciaga,

ASOS Revive by Zaiba Jabbar