The First Monday in May
A slick, stylish but ultimately superficial doco about the fashion industry's night of nights.
Overview
"Is fashion art?" asks The First Monday in May as it peers inside the couture-obsessed confines of the Met's Costume Institute. The answer may seem obvious, yet it's a much more complicated concept than it might at first appear. For starters, there's the sexist fact that all things clothing-oriented have traditionally seen seen as more feminine, and therefore deemed less worthy of serious consideration. Then there's the complicating factor that is today's focus on celebrities, drawing attention not just to fancy threads but to the famous folks donning the outfits.
Taking its name from the date of the party that opens the Costume Institute's annual exhibition, it's the second point that proves particularly pertinent to Andrew Rossi's documentary. On the one hand, the Met Gala raises money for a gallery space dedicated to championing the very best in fashion, and shines a spotlight on their yearly showcase, such as last year's China: Through the Looking Glass. On the other, it requires as much energy to fill the venue's walls with celebrity attendees for one single night as does to put on the actual exhibit itself.
It's an awkward balance, and one the film remains happy enough to depict without ever really dissecting. The film splits its time between chief curator Andrew Bolton and his passion for the artistry of garment making, and Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour in party-planning mode. The allure of celebrity is inescapable, as the film cuts from discussions regarding the influence of Chinese fashion on the West to whether Orlando Bloom is still famous enough to be invited, then wrapping it all up by following Kate Hudson through the exhibition and watching Justin Bieber watch Rihanna perform.
That it leans so heavily on Wintour and her famous guests says more about the documentary than it really should. An entire film could've been made around Bolton, who glows with inspiration when he's talking about why his work is important. Yet The First Monday in May seems desperate to spend as much time as possible with Wintour. She might be responsible for turning the event into the fashion equivalent of the Super Bowl, but she's the least interesting part about the whole affair. As such, when filmmakers Wong Kar-wai (In the Mood for Love) and Baz Luhrmann (The Great Gatsby) pop up – one acting as artistic director of the exhibition and the other as a creative consultant on the gala – their added perspectives prove extremely valuable.
As pinch-worthy as the backstage access undoubtedly proves to anyone who has ever wanted to attend the star-studded shindig, it's disappointing that it remains the film's main focus. With Page One: Inside the New York Times also on his resume, Rossi has peeked behind the scenes of a New York institution before, but that was a much more thorough excursion. Unlikely to recruit any new fans, and unwilling to delve too deeply into its stated topic, The First Monday in May becomes a slickly made, stylishly shot but ultimately superficial overview of a celebrated occasion, instead of a thoughtful exploration of the question it initially poses. Its savviest touch is actually its timing, releasing while news of this year's titular occasion is still fresh in the collective memory.
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