Haute Couture: The Great Designers

It's hard to define her. And that's precisely the way Lady Gaga wants it. Yes, Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta had a plan to remake herself into an outrageous icon. It began with Italian Catholic New York City roots then expanded to glam pop, electronic rock, burlesque and even jazz alongside nonagenarian crooner, Tony Bennett. Piano lessons began at age four and taught Stefani to create music by ear. There were lead roles in high school standard Broadway show productions then open mic nights at downtown clubs and 1 1/2 years of formal training at N.Y.U.'s Tisch School of the Arts. Even a rape at age nineteen slowed but did not stop the mission that would yield over 200 million combined album and song sales. No wonder that Gaga's fans call her "Monster Mother." An outrageous fashion sense has wrought costumes made of plastic bubbles and raw meat. While elaborate videos and spectacular stage sets are the norm,

Sportswear dominates everyday street wear; but so does haute couture: what began a hundred years ago as functional clothing for playing tennis or golf has revolutionized the way people dress.

Short film by Willy Bogner. Created as an advertisement for the 1997 Bogner ski clothing collection. Featuring alpine ski and snowboard champions. Filmed at St. Moritz, Switzerland and Island Lake, Canada.

M2M's first original long-form documentary, Battle at Versailles, follows an event in 1973 at Palace of Versailles where top French designers such as Yves Saint Laurent and Pierre Cardin faced of against American newcomers Oscar de la Renta, Bill Blass, Anne Klein and Halston. That pitted France’s best designers against the best America had to offer. It was the first time the fashion world's gaze was fixated on American design.

The life of Swedish designer Wanja Djanaieff is explored in this documentary made from 25 years of material recorded by her son.

In 2008, after a show celebrating the 20th anniversary of his fashion house, Maison Margiela, visionary designer Martin Margiela left the fashion world for good. Throughout his career, the Belgian designer remained anonymous, refusing interviews and never being photographed, leading some to call him the fashion world’s answer to Banksy. Now, more than a decade after his departure, Margiela digs into his meticulous and idiosyncratic personal archives to reflect on his revolutionary career and legacy.

If what you know about male models comes straight from Zoolander, Pedro Andrade's special will give you a very different picture. It's a world of photo shoots and international travel, but there are also tiny models' apartments and even tinier paychecks.

Doubling as a cartography of the ever-changing city, Bill Cunningham New York portrays the secluded pioneer of street fashion with grace and heart.

An intimate, unconventional portrait of Marc Jacobs, crafted by Sofia Coppola to capture the genius and singular universe of the iconic American designer.

RiverBlue chronicles an unprecedented around-the-world river adventure, led by renowned paddler and conservationist, Mark Angelo, who ends up uncovering and documenting the dark side of the global fashion industry.

Today, few people's clothes attract as much attention as the royal family, but this is not a modern-day paparazzi-inspired obsession. Historian Dr. Lucy Worsley, Chief Curator at Historic Royal Palaces, reveals that it has always been this way. Exploring the royal wardrobes of our kings and queens over the last four hundred years, Lucy shows this isn't just a public fascination, but an important and powerful message from the monarchs. From Elizabeth I to the present Queen Elizabeth II, Lucy explains how the royal wardrobe's significance goes far beyond the cut and color of the clothing. Royal fashion is, and has always been, regarded as a very personal statement to reflect their power over the reign. Most kings and queens have carefully choreographed every aspect of their wardrobe; for those who have not, there have sometimes been calamitous consequences. As much today as in the past, royal fashion is as much about politics as it is about elegant attire.

Follows 20 outstanding artists as they strive to make the iconic VS platform their own. The entire world is their stage, blending documentary with fashion fantasy.

Stockholm Syndrome chronicles the meteoric rise of contemporary trendsetter A$AP Rocky, capturing the exuberance of youth and urgency of hip-hop in equal parts, before taking a detour into darkness. With amazing access, the film reveals Rocky’s experience with the inequities of the Swedish judicial system and the dangers of stardom and scapegoating through a series of twists and turns, ultimately paralleling the need for prison reform in our own backyard. Directed by The Architects, the film blends archival footage with contemporary interviews, animation, and electrifying live concert footage to tell the astonishing story of how one of rap’s biggest superstars became embroiled in an international incident, leading to an unexpected political awakening.

WXXI captures the story of Rochester’s garment industry and the people who contributed to it in this documentary that showcases the rich history of Rochester’s clothing industry. From Michaels-Stern & Co. to the Button Factory, to Hickey Freeman, it tells of the clothiers who revolutionized the garment business and the immigrant workers who made Rochester a key player in the industry.

Fate of a Salesman is an intimate portrait of a way of life on the verge of disappearing. In its 60th year of business, Men's Fashion Center in Washington, DC has come to represent identity, legacy and redemption for salesmen Willie and Steve and owner Jerry. But business has crawled to a halt in the face of a tough economy and changing neighborhood, pushing the store to the verge of closure. Set amidst racks of pin-striped suits and feathered hats- the clothing of a bygone era- the men struggle to redefine themselves as the place with which they have long identified begins to vanish.

In the 1920s, the rivalry between fashion icon Gabrielle Chanel and her stylistic rival Elsa Schiaparelli gave rise to innovations in haute couture.

Rochas AW22/23, under Charles de Vilmorin, blends gothic romance with theatrical elegance—sheer gowns, winged sleeves, and rich, moody textures. Jewel-toned velvets and metallics evoke a medieval dream. It's dark, poetic sophistication for the modern muse.

This short focuses on the job of the costume designer in the production of motion pictures. The costume designer must design clothing that is correct for the film historically and geographically, and must be appropriate for the mood of the individual scene. We see famed costume designer Edith Head at work on a production. The Costume Designer was part of The Industry Film Project, a twelve-part series produced by the film studios and the Academy. Each series episode was produced to inform the public on a specific facet of the motion picture industry. Preserved by the Academy Film Archive in 2012.

Whether famous or anonymous, stars or prisoners, models or sex workers, women have always been at the center of Bettina Rheims' photographic work since her debut in 1978. Both subversive and glamorous, trashy and sophisticated, her photographs mark and bear witness to the upheavals of the era, which this leading photographer both anticipated and accompanied.

Rick Owens' Spring/Summer 2026 menswear collection, titled Temple, was a theatrical exploration of legacy, transformation, and raw sensuality. Staged at Paris' Palais de Tokyo, the show featured models descending a towering scaffold into a fountain, immersing themselves in water before ascending again—symbolizing rebirth and resilience. The collection showcased Owens' signature elements: slashed Tuscan leathers, studded straps, voluminous flight jackets, and towering platform boots, all rendered in a monochrome palette. This presentation coincided with his Temple of Love retrospective at the Palais Galliera, offering a poignant reflection on his career and the enduring themes of love and mortality.