A visit to Sonia Rykiel's fashion show in 1984 gave director Robert Altman the idea of making a film about the fashion world. However, it would take another 10 years before READY TO WEAR (original title Prêt-à-Porter) could be seen in cinemas. Like several of his previous productions, it is an ensemble film: a large number of characters and different storylines that come together at the end.
Shooting took place from 6 March to 18 May 1994. The opening scene was filmed in Moscow's Red Square, including credits in Russian. The remainder of the film was shot on location in Paris, mainly during the Paris Fashion Week of March 1994.
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| Ready to Wear, 1:20:41 |
Fashion illustrator Gladys Perint Plamer was often present on set and produced more than 100 drawings, some of which can be viewed on her
website. As a result I was able to find out on which day what scene was filmed.
Almost all roles are played by well-known actors, including legendary names such as Sophia Loren, Marcello Mastroianni, Lauren Bacall and Anouk Aimée. In addition, fashion designers, models and other famous faces from the fashion world feature as themselves.
The film received a lot of criticism: the story was missing and as a satire it was not mean enough. Personally, I think this retelling of 'The Emperor's New Clothes' is a fun film where fiction and reality mix wonderfully.
On the Pont Alexandre III, a fashion shoot is photographed with top models Helena Christensen and Tatjana Patitz playing themselves. They are photographed from a distance by Fiona Ulrich (Lili Taylor), a photojournalist for The New York Times. The coat made of teddy bears that Helena wears is a creation of Moroccan-French fashion designer Jean-Charles de Castelbajac. The scene was filmed on 13 March.
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| Ready to Wear, 0:16:48 |
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| Pont Alexandre III, Paris, 3 March 2022 |
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| Ready to Wear, 0:16:51 |
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| Pont Alexandre III, Paris, 3 March 2022 |
Cars on the bridge are stuck in a traffic jam. In one of the cars is Olivier de la Fontaine (Jean-Pierre Cassel), council head of the Paris Fashion Week, with the mysterious Sergei (actually Sergio, Marcello Mastroianni). When Olivier chokes on his sandwich, Sergio runs out and jumps off the bridge in a panic. The Pont Alexandre III has since been renovated.
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| Ready to Wear, 0:17:00 |
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| Pont Alexandre III, Paris, 3 March 2022 |
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| Ready to Wear, 0:18:45 |
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| Pont Alexandre III, Paris, 3 March 2022 |
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| Ready to Wear, 0:18:45 |
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| Pont Alexandre III, Paris, 3 March 2022 |
Louise Hamilton (Teri Garr) arrives at her hotel. Hôtel Splendid Etoile at 1 Avenue Carnot, near the Arc de Triomphe.
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| Ready to Wear, 0:25:41 |
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| Hôtel Splendid Etoile, Paris, 1 March 2022 |
Despite the death of Olivier de la Fontaine, fashion week goes ahead as planned. The first show will be held at the Louvre Museum. Kitty Porter (Kim Basinger), reporter for FAD-TV, interviews Elsa Klensch, then a fashion journalist for CNN. Her assistant Sophie (Chiara Mastroianni, daughter of Marcello) looks on. I did not recognize this location until I we had visited the Louvre. This underground corridor, now decorated with neon signs, connects the museum to the metro. The scene was filmed on 7 March
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| Ready to Wear, 0:25:41 |
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| Metro, Louvre Museum, Paris, 2 March 2022 |
Meanwhile, Sergio arrives at the Louvre, where Kitty is filming a presentation in front of the pyramid. He walks past the Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel at Place du Carrousel where road work was going on at the time of shooting. We did not manage to photograph the triumphal arch together with the Eiffel Tower.
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| Ready to Wear, 0:42:39 |
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| Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel, Paris, 2 March 2022 |
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| Ready to Wear, 0:42:43 |
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| Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel, Paris, 2 March 2022 |
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| Ready to Wear, 0:43:05 |
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| Louvre Museum, Paris, 2 March 2022 |
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| Ready to Wear, 0:43:09 |
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| Louvre Museum, Paris, 2 March 2022 |
It turns out that Sergio and Isabella de la Fontaine (Sophia Loren), widow of Olivier, were once lovers. This was the fourteenth (and last) time Sophia Loren and Marcello Mastroianni starred in a film together, the first being in 1950's Cuori sul Mare. Sergio and Isabella meet at the sculpture 'Le Penseur' (The Thinker, 1903) in the garden of the Rodin Museum at 77 Rue de Varenne. This scene was filmed on 14 May. To see the garden, a ticket for the museum must be bought but it is worth it, especially for those who want to avoid the large crowds at the Louvre.
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| Ready to Wear, 1:39:06 |
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| The Thinker, Rodin Museum, Paris, 2 March 2022 |
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| Ready to Wear, 1:39:16 |
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| The Thinker, Rodin Museum, Paris, 2 March 2022 |
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| Ready to Wear, 1:39:33 |
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| The Thinker, Rodin Museum, Paris, 2 March 2022 |
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| Ready to Wear, 1:39:49 |
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| The Thinker, Rodin Museum, Paris, 2 March 2022 |
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| Ready to Wear, 1:39:54 |
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| Rodin Museum, Paris, 2 March 2022 |
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| Ready to Wear, 1:39:57 |
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| Rodin Museum, Paris, 2 March 2022 |
Screenshots © Miramax Film Corporation
