How the production of "haute couture" recreated the atmosphere of the Dior workshops

The fashion world fascinates again and again.But there are few feature films to be interested in fundamentals: the work of small hands without whom no fashion week would be possible.In her second film, Haute Couture (in theaters on November 10), the writer and director Sylvie Ohayon highlights this artisanal approach under the guise of fiction.It is a question of a workshop first within Dior, Esther (Nathalie Baye), who takes under her wing a lost girl, Jade (Lyna Khoudri), to teach him the rudiments of the profession.

For maximum realism, production called on the Justine Vivien consultant.Regular collaborator of the seventh art (a long Sunday of engagement, Yves Saint Laurent, etc.), this expert also works within Dior Hérite, service dedicated to the restoration of the old rooms of the house."I have a historic costume training.So I know everything about the techniques of the 50s and 60s.I also did temporary missions at Dior during haute couture week, "she explains.

With her different caps, Justine Vivien was therefore the ideal candidate.At her first meeting with director Sylvie Ohayon, she speaks fabrics and haute couture, "lightning in the eyes".She gets involved in the film from the start of production, chatting with the decorator in the best way to reproduce the Dior workshops.The Haussmannian apartment, fitted with old furniture, is very different from the real premises of the house.But the essential elements are present, in particular the almost identical work tables to those used in reality by the technicians.

Cutting lace, putting on a needle, readjust a natural fabric ... These movements cannot be improvised.So Justine Vivien taught actresses the art of good gesture.From the helping hand guaranteed to the handling of the dedication ... everything is in detail.For Nathalie Baye, who embodies the first in workshop, learning was different: "She does not sew.So it was above all necessary that it was able to adjust a model on a model, to prick a fabric with pins, and to appreciate the beauty of a fall, "explains the consultant.For the pieces, manipulated abounded by the casting, the production of the film was able to count on the help of Dior.The French house provided 2018 haute couture dresses, signed Maria Grazia Chiuri, which were kept during the filming in a secure space.To these creations are also added white canvases, sketches or even ready to be dismantled models.Because the virtuosity of the gesture goes hand in hand with the nobility of materials.