Movie Guy
Fashion Set Wowed By New Show of Bourdin's Films
There was often a sadistic edge to Guy Bourdin's pictures, so the brilliant, late photographer might have got a kick out of the door scene at Le Bon Marché Rive Gauche, which toasted Guy Bourdin, Ses Films, its exhibit of his rarely seen 8mm, Super 8, and 16mm films, on Sunday night. The security staff was rude, the door girls were unhelpful, and the check-in consisted of a curious process whereby each person would write down his or her name on a piece of a paper for a snippy girl to present to three other list checkers, who would then give a prospective guest thumbs-up or -down. Some people were so irritated, they left for their next commitment—which turned out to be a major mistake. The top floor of the famed Paris department store housed an arresting series of moving images, including one sequence that was projected on the walls of a round room, essentially placing the viewer inside the photographer's world.
"Well, the French aren't celebrated for their work ethic," one fashion editor joked, pointing toward a slow-moving 1970's clip of a model in a silk camisole swinging off an office chair. "This is what they're good at." Rick Owens, Patrick Demarchelier, Gareth Pugh, Caroline Trentini, and Alber Elbaz were among the people taking it all in. "I can remember working with [Bourdin], and some of our pictures are in here," said Grace Coddington, who came on the arm of David Sims. "His work is iconic."
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