Robert Altman’s film ‘Prêt-à-Porter’ 1994

Background: I was fashion editor at SF Examiner, sitting next to film and theatre critic Barbara Schulgasser. Robert Altman had just opened ‘The Player’ to rave reviews. Barbara interviewed him. Altman asked her to write the script for an upcoming, film, ‘Prêt-à-Porter’. Barbara introduced me to Altman. Looking at my work, he said, “Your drawings are like ‘The Player’”and invited me to illustrate ‘Prêt-à-Porter’. For American audiences it was renamed ‘Ready-to-Wear’ in case it was confused it with Port-a-Potties. Whilst in Paris, I watched all the filming, attended the dailies, and drew/wrote in Rosita Missoni’s apartment on the rue du Bac.

There are 109 drawings and an 18,000 word daily journal (full of mischief and politics).

‘Prêt-à-Porter’ is a wonderful combination of film and fashion. The costume mistress (No 46) Catherine Leterrier, sister of a former French prime minister, selected real clothes from the 1994 collections.

This collection, drawings and journal, is now at Academy Museum of Motion Pictures in Los Angeles, California.

Anne Coco, director of Graphic Arts Collections wrote: “I have been using images from your collection in presentations and tours that I am giving online so your work is alive and well and finding new fans”