Searching For Charlotte
Saint Laurent has added to its growing canon of experimental films with a short film directed by Jim Jarmusch featuring its spring collection, currently arriving in stores.
Brand regular Charlotte Gainsbourg is joined by Julianne Moore, Chloë Sevigny and Indya Moore in the film “French Water,” which sees guests wandering through a cavernous venue after a dinner party searching for Gainsbourg.
The French actress appears and disappears on screen like a genie, alternately playing chess, sitting on a Vespa or reading Edgar Allan Poe. “Don’t you wish Charlotte still lived here?” asks Julianne Moore. “I guess she likes Paris more than us, French b---h,” hisses Sevigny.
An impassive waiter, played by Leo Reilly, the son of actor John C. Reilly, watches as the characters cross paths, their outfits changing with every passage. One by one, he offers them a glass of water, specifying that it comes from France. “I love water,” they invariably respond.
Ever the outsider, Gainsbourg is shown chugging Champagne straight from the bottle and ends the film spinning by herself under disco lights. What does it all mean? The house offered no comment from either Jarmusch or creative director Anthony Vaccarello.
It’s the second short film inspired by the spring collection, following French director Gaspar Noé’s horror-inspired “Summer of ’21,” released in December.
Vaccarello has a history of collaborations with filmmakers, including Wong Kar Wai, as part of the house’s ongoing Self project, which taps creative figures to capture different aspects of the Saint Laurent personality through art and social commentary.
As part of the program,
Noé shot a 52-minute film, “Lux Aeterna,” which was presented out of competition at the 2019 Cannes Film Festival and featured Béatrice Dalle and Gainsbourg, who at one point is tied to a stake like a witch.
Last year, Saint Laurent tapped “Pink Flamingos” director John Waters to star in its fall campaign.
— JOELLE DIDERICH new platform dedicated to fair representation in the arts.
Part of the platform’s introduction is the Life Unseen Study, which was developed by the Institute for Quantitative Study of Inclusion, Diversity, and Equity. The study seeks to increase awareness of representational blind spots and systemic disparity across four major creative industries — fashion, film, music and visual arts — that impact those of diverse, underrepresented backgrounds, including people of color, persons with physical disabilities, the LGBTQ community and women.
The campaign also features 20 artists and creatives spanning fashion, film, music and visual arts. Each creative was asked to submit their own pieces of artwork, which will be featured on the Lifewtr brand’s largest bottle collection to date.
The Life Unseen Artist Collection features fashion creatives Bristol Studio, (creative directors Luke Tadashi, Jake Fenster, Rashaad Dixon and Maasai Ephriam); Christina Mallon, inclusive designer;
Desiree Scarborough, artist and designer; Pierre Davis, No Sesso, cofounder and designer, and Ginew designers and cofounders Erik Brodt and Amanda Bruegl.
In addition, there will be a Life Unseen launch video, serving as a visual representation of what happens when artistic works go unseen, featuring a range of creatives in front of and behind the camera.
Finally, Lifewtr and Rae are calling upon the next generation of creatives to share their own concepts using the hashtag #LifeUnseenContest, now through July 30, for a chance to receive exposure through the Lifewtr platform, mentorship from Rae and $10,000 to fund their future endeavors. Five creatives will be revealed later this summer, based on three criteria including Power of Story, Creativity and Originality. — LISA LOCKWOOD