Canadian Gift Guide

February ain’t just for sweethearts – it’s also for style! With New York’s Fashion Week kicking off, I thought now might be an optimum time to highlight five films for the fashionista in your life (which also happen to be Valentine’s-friendly) should you be on the hunt for a unique, styleworthy gift.

1 – Valentino: The Last Emperor ($23 DVD on Amazon.ca)
As one of fashion’s most-legendary and longest-reigning fashion designers that actually still maintained the helm of his fashion house well into his twilight years, this all-seeing documentary is a casual, unstructured look at the man and the label, and how they intertwine. Watch the man in action as he sketches and oversees the final details of his breathtaking collections,  blows up at his closest compatriots, and says a gentle farewell to the world he’s ruled over for so many years.

2 – The Devil Wears Prada ($14 on DVD at Amazon.ca / $11 on Blu-Ray at Amazon.ca)
Based on the bestselling dishy insider’s look at the fashion industry,  this is the tale of a wannabe journalist that takes what she can get, in the form of a job ‘a million girls would kill for’ – assistant to notoriously demanding editor-in-chief of Vogue-doppelganger, Runway magazine. Anne Hathaway’s wardrobe is to die for, as is Emily Blunt’s bitchy assistant breakout role and Meryl Streep’s scathingly stunning portrayal of an Anna Wintour-esque fashion nazi.

3 – The September Issue ($21 on DVD at Amazon.ca)
The best offense is a good defense, at least that’s Anna Wintour’s response to the whole Devil Wears Prada thing. The September Issue promises a ‘real’ look at the world’s most famous magazine editor, from a decidedly gentler viewpoint. The film is as much about Anna as it is about the fashion industry, and what it takes to keep your magazine on the cutting-edge – the countless hours that go into the infamous September issue of Vogue. Given it’s an authorized film, don’t expect anything as dishy as the likes of Devil, but do expect a truly delicious treat for the obsessive-compulsive fashionista.

4 – Coco Before Chanel ($16.55 on DVD at Amazon.ca)
Always adorable Audrey Tautou stars as Coco (nee Gabrielle) Chanel, giving an insider’s peek at this fashion and design icon, and how her inimitable style came to be. What’s surprising is that a label now forever associated with chain-strap bags, tweed suits, and embroidered double suits came from such humble beginnings. Coco is often portrayed as a gutsy but homely gal, one who doesn’t engage in the if’s and what’s of fashion, but challenges them as others challenge her own modest beginnings.

5 – Unzipped ($17.99 on DVD at Amazon.ca)
Few times in fashion are as memorable as the era of the Supermodel – the likes of Naomi Campbell, Cindy Crawford, Kate Moss, and Linda Evangelista. Right in the thick of things back in the 1990s was the true inventor of cheap & chic, Isaac Mizrahi. Unzipped is a documentary directed by Mizrahi’s now ex-boyfriend (the movie was actually the catalyst to their split) as he brainstorms his 1994 fall line in amongst eyepopping model types that ruled the day.