"The thing whole thing about fashion is that everybody wants that one moment where they look fabulous, they feel fabulous, when they step out of that limousine, when they make that entrance, when they slap that man's face, where everything is perfect.... it's about going for that one 'fuck you' moment, and we are all relentlessly trying to get it."

-Veronica Webb in Catwalk (1996)



I finally watched Catwalk. After years of trying to find it, I found it on youtube. It's akin to watching a french new wave film as we follow golden girl and Prom Queen of the modeling world Christy Turlington from show to show, Paris to New York -- it's largely plotless, but engaging nonetheless. I felt like I was actually a 90's era model catwalking and bouncing from one job to the next. Turlington doesn't exactly make for a completely engaging subject -- she's largely congenial and passive, but she doesn't need to be 100% engaging because there's so much going on and so much to see.

It's worth it just to get a taste of the golden era of modeling. For instance, we get to watch as Christy negotiates and schemes with her agent (on a car phone) to get her in and out of a show as quickly as possible, skipping the crucial dress rehearsal. We see her maybe not- so- inadvertently stir up some minor shit with Veronica Webb and Kate Moss to pass the time whilst waiting for the Versace show to start up; we get mildly uncomfortable with her as a make-up artist voices his open hatred for the magazine he's working for. We face palm with her as a young Helena Christiansen keeps putting her foot in her mouth as she continually and unintentionally insults Sharon Stone. These juicy tidbits are enough to satisfy from scene to scene.

All in all, I give it ***1/2 out of *****

P.S. Carla Bruni and Kate Moss are absolutely adorable in this. We also curiously see very little of Linda Evangelista for some reason.