The Eye Has To Travel

Overview

Some people were born fabulous and Diana Vreeland is certainly one of them. Not even an unsupportive mother telling her she was ugly as a child would stop her drive and ambition.

This is an entertaining and intimate portrait of the Harper's Bazaar and Vogue fashion editor whose magazine career lasted from the late 1930s to the early 70s. The director, Vreeland's  granddaughter-in-law Lisa Immordino Vreeland, uses archival interviews of  Diana Vreeland effectively to portray her innate sense of style and gift of the gab. With one golden one-liner after another, this fascinating woman speaks candidly on her life and work. To call her a trendsetter in the world of fashion doesn't do her justice. "Give them what they don't know they want yet" was her motto.

Part of what made Vreeland such an intriguing character was her creative view on the facts. She would say it was better to make something up than say something boring and was unapologetic when caught out. These were not lies to Vreeland but more like an improved version of the truth, what she liked to call "faction".

Interviews with people who worked with her such as Angelica Houston, Oscar de la Renta and the countless models whose careers she helped propel into the limelight give an informative picture of what this perfectionist / slave driver was like to work with. Importantly, this film not only marvels at her achievements but also casts a critical eye over her apparent lack of interest in anything that was not her work. Her sons rather poignantly lament the lack of family life she provided. This is a woman who lived to work and what a profound effect she had on the world of fashion around her.