Nan Devitt Tremblay with Karl Lagerfeld.
Nan Devitt Tremblay has reinvented herself as a filmmaker in her mid-60s with her debut documentary Carton d'invitation.), the pioneering reality TV program that brought the glitz and glamour of the global industry right into their homes. Within a decade, the show had exploded into a worldwide phenomenon and helped make household names of its regulars, from supermodels to designers to magazine editors.
It didn't take long for her to pick up several years' worth of dinner party stories on that beat. One day, Boy George jokingly suggested that she "get a new hairstyle" at a press conference. Another, The Jesus and Mary Chain swore live on the air. And, possibly most brag-worthy: while profiling Leonard Cohen, the singer asked if she wanted to hear a new song.
Fast-forward to 2020, when she and Cressey found themselves taking part in a Zoom panel about their days with the now-iconic program, which finally ceased production in 2012. It was around then that Oonagh suggested someone make a documentary about her mother. After turning the idea over for a bit, Devitt Tremblay declared that said someone should be herself.
Things have been emotional for other reasons — not least that so many of the film's subjects are no longer with us. Throughout its runtime, now-deceased legends greet Devitt Tremblay as a familiar face. They also provide some of its more memorable soundbites, like Vivienne Westwood proclaiming that "the genius of the human race lies in its freaks," or André Leon Talley playfully scolding Devitt Tremblay for asking whether he found a new collection ugly .