Antonio Lopez 1970: Sex, Fashion & Disco is the new documentary from director James Crump, exploring the beautiful work and outrageous life of one the 1970s’ most influential fashion illustrators. Lopez is a queer figure whose legacy is ripe for reassessment – though perhaps not as well-remembered now as he should be, he worked with some of the biggest names of the era and had a lasting impact on the fashion world.
Antonio Lopez (1943-87) was born in Puerto Rico, moving to New York City as a child and later becoming a major fashion illustrator, working for Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar, Elle, Interview and a host of other publications. His friends and associates ranged from Charles James to Andy Warhol, all whilst discovering new models and helping to define the high-fashion looks that came out of New York and Paris in the late 60’s and early 70’s.
Actress Jessica Lange is among the big names interviewed for the film, alongside legendary photographer Bill Cunningham, fashionista Grace Coddington and a host of Lopez’ models (Jerry Hall and Karl Lagerfeld declined to participate, the director admitted in the Q&A at BFI Flare). There is no central narrator and the story is told solely through these extensive recollections. If the chronology is a bit confused this feels like a deliberate choice, as the film works more as an overview of his career rather rather than a strictly narrative retelling of his life. Unfortunately there is very little moving image of Antonio himself, so that we rarely hear his actual voice. Apparently Lopez did not give a great number of interviews in spite of his reputation for flamboyance and self-promotion.
That being said, there is otherwise a wealth of great archive footage, including some sensational home movies from an extended trip Lopez made to St Tropez with Jessica Lange and Karl Lagerfeld. If occasionally the focus of the documentary seems to shift away from Lopez to the equally flamboyant characters around him – there’s a significant interlude on the rivalry between Yves St Laurent and Lagerfeld – this temptation is understandable given how much was going on in the fashion world of the early 70’s. Lopez’ work is juxtaposed with the staid haute couture of the 1950’s, and positioned firmly amongst the exploding counter-culture of the late 60’s and 70’s.
Documentaries often work best when they are a celebration of their subject’s work, rather than simply a sordid exposé of their personal failings and scandals. Lopez’ beautiful drawings and stunning photography get plenty of screen time, alongside glowing reviews from his muses and collaborators. Yet at the same time his bisexuality is refreshingly discussed and foregrounded rather than erased. Lopez was by all accounts an extremely sexual person and his long partnership with collaborator Juan Ramos is explored at length. His 1987 death from AIDS is dealt with briefly but touchingly (Ramos also died from the disease a few years later).
Antonio Lopez 1970: Sex, Fashion & Disco is a colourful and fun film on an under-appreciated figure, and it helps that the disco soundtrack is a joy.
Antonio Lopez 1970: Sex, Fashion & Disco screens at the ICA cinema from April 6th
