House of Z

Zac Posen isn’t really a designer on my radar. Of course I have heard OF him but I’ve never really known much about him- he was one of those American designers whose name I felt wouldn’t be out of place next to Steve Madden’s in Debenhams. I didn’t hate House Of Z, it filled a rainy tuesday afternoon, although I wouldn’t call it a masterpiece, nor would I say that it's the best fashion film I’ve ever seen.

I felt as though the cinematography was dull and could’ve been more inventive for a film supposedly centred around the arts and the beauty of creation- but maybe that's just me being picky. In the words of Vogue Runway director Nicole Phelps the start “He’s the designer who we got to watch fall.” His own flamboyance, his seemingly undeserved rise to fame and the 2008-’09 stock market crash, took the rug from under his feet- exasperated by his move to Paris- which may have just been the nail in his coffin. worse still, it led to a deep rift between Posen and his mother and sister, who’d soon leave the company.

When watching the film I couldn’t help but feel as though that Zac had personally funded the project in order to polish up his image. I admit I did begin to warm to him as the documentary progressed - but this wasn’t without my doubts. Call me cynical but i felt like the whole film was h9im making excuses for his behaviour in order to gain some sympathy. Although he seemed perfectly lovely in interview and at home with his adoring family, i just got the impression that he was a bit of a prick for want of a better word, and that his downfall was largely self induced.

I’m not sure that House of Z really had the desired impact on me. Maybe I’m too cynical, or maybe Posen should’ve chosen a more creative and innovative way of restoring his image than a low budget Netflix documentary.