Christian Dior not only left his mark on the universe of haute couture, but also in the way of imposing his signature to make it very lucrative. In the 1950s, for a great Parisian couturier to accept that his name be associated with fashion items intended for the general public and at a competitive price was heresy, even barbarism. Given the extent of its commercial success, all the others quickly followed the recipe.
This strategy was not inspired by Dior thanks to the insight of a certain Ada Harris, a modest Englishwoman overflowing with candor and kindness. Yet it is one of the many fantasies found in Mrs. Harris Goes to Parisby Anthony Fabian (Louder Than Words, Skin). The actress Lesley Manville marvelously embodies this woman who looks like an angel descended from heaven, a presence that is always warm with Mike Leigh (Another Year,Vera Drake, All or Nothing), or staggeringly cold in Phantom Thread, by Paul Thomas Anderson. She played there the guardian of orthodoxy of an English haute couture house, under the boot of a prodigious Daniel Day-Lewis.
Here she is now on the other side of the mirror in this new adaptation of a novel by Paul Gallico, which already had a television re-reading in the 1990s with Angela Lansbury in the title role… and Lothaire Bluteau! Once again, the needy Ada only contemplates, and rubs, the wealth of others, a conscientious housekeeper, a bit naive, immensely helpful, personality traits that do not escape her spendthrift or stingy clientele, beautiful areas of London. One of her clients even has a sparkling Dior dress, and to the touch, Ada, alone since the death of her soldier husband during the Second World War, finally believes that she caresses happiness. Listening only to her determination, her recklessness, and holding all her money preciously in her hands, she rushes off to Paris, towards the Maison Christian Dior.
The quest for the perfect dress
We suspect it: it is both the clash of classes and the clash of cultures. This lady, having nothing of a socialite, quickly rubs shoulders with Parisian arrogance, symbolized by Isabelle Huppert in a role similar but less subtle than that played by Manville in Phantom Thread. Her arrival in this world with implicit codes, and with a well-displayed contempt for the working masses, will seduce a good part of the staff, precious allies in her conquest of the ideal dress. For a few days, between fittings and social events (with the imperial Lambert Wilson), Ada plays matchmaker, union revolutionary, marketing consultant, gradually understanding that if Paris is a party, it can also be an illusion. Which will not prevent her from getting what she wants, on several fronts, at the cost of a thousand narrative detours.
Anthony Fabian, he has nothing to do with revolutions, coating this fairy tale with a ton of frills – otherwise magnificent – and above all good feelings. In this postcard Paris, where even the garbage scattered everywhere seems sanitized while Paris is afflicted by a garbage collectors’ strike, everything exudes elegance. Accountant, model, seamstress or starlet, each character displays an irreproachable look, worthy of a fashion show.
First an apology for fashion as an object of worship, then the virtues of self-determination, Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris delicately scratches the pernicious effect of social divisions, celebrating those who want to free themselves from their condition, if possible with flamboyant clothes. The conquest of Ada, constantly made with a cute smile and radiant generosity, suggests that it is within everyone’s reach. For nearly two hours, you can almost believe it.