Act da Fool

I try not to like something just because it's already glowing with a haze of "cool" or because the name behind it has done lots of "cool shit" in the past. I'm talking about Harmony Korine, the dude responsible for Kids and Gummo, who would not be the most obvious choice for a well-known fashion house when making a film to promote a particular collection. But Jack McCullough and Lazaro Hernandez of Proenza Schouler DID choose him, and the resulting 8mm collaboration called Act da Fool is one of the most refreshing and inspiring so-called "fashion films" I've seen lately.



The narrative alone is brilliant, floating over images of jaded teen girls passing the time in their Nashville neighborhood on traintracks and deserted parking lots, forties in hand. You almost forget that this whole thing is about clothes, Proenza's Fall 10 collection in particular, which I almost like more now after seeing this film. In a Q&A on proenzaschouler.com, Harmony talks about how the patterns and paint drips in the collection spoke to him, saying "go fuck up the world, burn shit, blow it up..." These girls definitely portray that attitude, and if something this raw and close to real can sell clothes, I've regained faith in this industry.