Isaac Mizrahi is buzzing about the restoration of “Unzipped,” the iconic 1995 documentary that captures a pivotal moment when he emerged as one of fashion’s hottest designers. However, the veteran designer admits he’s not exactly enthusiastic about watching it. “I have to say I hate looking back,” he shares candidly. “I hate this whole process, a little bit of looking back.”
The Challenge of Nostalgia
But what’s so daunting about revisiting the past? For the 64-year-old Mizrahi, it’s a matter of aesthetics and age. “I looked so cute, and I look so shitty now,” he quips. “I was so agile, and I’m not as agile anymore. My knees hurt. My back hurts. Even my hair. I had such cute dark hair. Oh, well. But it’s not just vanity. It’s more just about the experience of your life. Thirty years! Man, that is crazy.”
A Glimpse into ‘Unzipped’
Directed by Mizrahi’s then-boyfriend Douglas Keeves, “Unzipped” chronicles the designer’s meticulous planning and execution of his fall 1994 collection. The film, which was acquired by Miramax after making waves at Sundance in 1995, features cameos from fashion luminaries like Cindy Crawford, Linda Evangelista, Naomi Campbell, Kate Moss, and the late André Leon Talley, among others.
Clocking in at only 73 minutes, Mizrahi recalls that they hadn’t intended for it to be so short. “We wanted it to be longer,” he explains. “There were about 10 minutes of Faye Dunaway that got out because we couldn’t get the rights to run footage from ‘Mommy Dearest.’”
Faye Dunaway and Reflections on Youth
According to Mizrahi, the multifaceted actress had quite the presence during her fitting with him for the film. “She came to a fitting. She was doing a TV pilot, and she needed a lot of suits,” Mizrahi remembers, clearly still captivated by the experience. “Being the big gay that I am, I was enthralled by every word out of her mouth. One really hilarious thing that I do remember about Faye Dunaway was that she would look in the mirror, and when she liked something, she’d go, ‘Oh, that’s very Faye. Very Faye.’ Talking about herself in the third person was so fantastic. And I do that now. If I like what I look like, I go, ‘Oh, it’s very Faye.’”
Mizrahi also reflects on a piece of advice he would give his younger self. “You’re not that fat! Swear to God, that’s what I would tell myself,” he laughs. He recounts how he used to wear high-waisted pleated pants, which he made himself, attributing his earlier insecurities to his past as a “really fat kid.”
Health and Career at Sixty
Today, Mizrahi is open about his journey with weight management and health. “I’m on a GLP-1. I love it,” he coos. “I’m in my 60s, darling and I recently just got so big. I’m usually very good at keeping it under control, but it’s incredible and the rest of your health benefits, it’s incredible.”
At the height of releasing his eponymous collection, he dressed an A-list clientele including Sarah Jessica Parker, Nicole Kidman, and Natalie Portman. Although he closed his main shop in 1998, Mizrahi has continued to create collections under various names, designed for other brands, and even ventured into show business with a cabaret act. His recent appearance in “Marty Supreme” as Gwyneth Paltrow’s press agent showcases his ongoing versatility.
Comments on Modern Fashion
When reflecting on contemporary fashion, Mizrahi expresses skepticism. “I don’t know if those giant spectacles they have in Paris and Milan are necessarily supposed to be influential in the way people dress six months later,” he remarks, exhaling. “That is why that speech in ‘The Devil Wears Prada’ about cerulean blue makes me want to kill somebody because that is so not the way things work. They want you to believe that’s the way it works. I want to shout that from the rooftops, ‘It never has worked that way — never!’” To him, these events serve to enhance the brand image to increase sales rather than to dictate fashion trends.
The John Galliano Controversy
Recent discussions in the fashion community have been highlighted by The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s announcement that they would not proceed with a planned retrospective for John Galliano due to controversies surrounding his past racist remarks. Mizrahi, who considers Galliano a “genius,” also expressed concern regarding the potential reception of the retrospective, noting, “When they announced [the Galliano Met Gala], I thought to myself, ‘Wow, who’s going to that?’” He doubts that prominent figures would express support for Galliano on the red carpet. “No one is going to say, ‘I love John.’ Who’s going to say that?”
Looking Ahead
Turning to future projects, Mizrahi is excited about the prospect of producing a television series centered on the life of the legendary and controversial paparazzi photographer Ron Galella, collaborating with producer Christine Vachon. “We’re doing it with the Ron Galella estate,” he shares. “It’s very exciting. We’re in the first, first, first stages, so we haven’t even pitched it or anything yet. But it’s really such a great idea, only because of what it means culturally to our country.”
“Unzipped” is currently screening at the Film Forum in New York City and is set to open at Laemmle Royal and Laemmle Glendale in Los Angeles on October 9, followed by a nationwide rollout.
