“The first cut, in her words, very mediocre,” laughed director Francesco Carrozzini about the eponymous subject of his documentary, Franca: Chaos and Creation, Franca Sozzani. The reason for the brutal honesty? Sozzani also happens to be Carrozzini’s mother, whom the director chronicled for four years as a way to celebrate her legacy and her time both as a person and as one of fashion’s vital figures. “I remember fighting moments between a mother and son,” said Sozzani of the filming process, “you change your relationship because you have to talk. And answer the questions.” And at last night’s screening, hosts Diane von Furstenberg, Baz Luhrmann, Jonathan Newhouse, Bruce Weber, and Anna Wintour were joined by Naomi Campbell, Vera Wang, Inez and Vinoodh in seeing the final result.
Taking in the scene upstairs over cocktails in the Metrograph’s lounge for the New York screening were a gaggle of CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund contestants, past and present, including Aurora James, Eddie Borgo, and Proenza Schouler’s Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez. But others like Catherine Martin in vintage Prada, Damian Lewis and Helen McCrory, Patrick Demarchelier, and Soko perused the snack area before taking their seats, eagerly awaiting the film. “There could not be a more personal aspect than a film made by a son about his mother,” said Luhrmann, adding, “that’s remarkable.” Afterward, an intimate dinner was hosted by Wintour celebrating the director and his subject, resulting in a poignant, and familial, conclusion to the evening.
