A doc with a strong fashion sense.
To start off the Boulder International Film Festival (B.I.F.F.), my cousins and I got a look at “Happy Clothes: A Film About Patricia Field.” It’s a documentary on the iconic costume designer, who has worked on “Sex and the City,” “Emily in Paris,” “The Devil Wears Prada” (which she was nominated an Oscar for) and “Ugly Betty,” among others. And it admires her fashion sense and her personality.
She has a happy taste in clothing (hence the title: “Happy Clothes”), a cavalcade of friends and collaborators, and she also has her decisions regarding on her career and life. She was just a happy person, so it makes sense. And we also see how colorful and exuberant she likes to see in costumes, and how they change the way people look at fashion on television or movies. “I love color. People need color these days. I like combinations that are interesting,” she says. Meaning she had clothing combinations that mixes patterns and colors. They can be mismatched and people might think they make no sense. It’s her passion and spirit that really defines the material.
The interviewees in this movie include Lily Collins, David Frankel, Sarah Jessica Parker, Kim Catrall, Darren Starr, Michael Urie, Bresha Webb, Daphne Rubin-Vega, and Vanessa Williams. And they all talk about Field’s ideas and designs, and how iconic they became through the years.
Before I saw this documentary, I’ve never heard of Patricia Field. However, since it would talk about her involvement with hit shows and movies, I just had to see how she designs those gorgeous outfits. But it’s also about her feelings and her experiences, and what she learns throughout her 82 years (and this doc celebrates her 80th birthday, for the record).
Director Michael Selditch (“Queer Eye,” “Catfish: The TV Show”) helps tell Field’s story with vibrance and enthusiasm, like we want to get to know more about the fashion designer and how she lives her life. Even if some segments go on a little long, we’re still able to enjoy seeing how her taste in fashion works, how the colors work, and how the celebrities are able to wear these clothes.
“Happy Clothes: A Film About Patricia Field” is a movie made for people who love fashion and the designers behind them, because they can acknowledge what the artist represents in the clothes. I’m no fashion critic, but I still think Field has great taste, especially the ways she distinguishes the colors and patterns. If you love the designer, and/or if you love the costumes she designed for shows and movies, then you’ll love this doc. There’s plenty of fabric to work with here.
In Select Theaters This Friday