Dominique Swain, best known as Lolita in the 1998 Adrian Lyne remake and the knife-wielding daughter in Face-Off, shows off her gift for romantic comedy in this lightweight little confection. Interning at glossy fashion magazine "Skirt," her inexperienced but plucky and charming Jocelyn jumps at the often outlandish commands of her editors and nurses a crush on the magazine's assistant art director (Ben Pullen) while waiting for her big break, specifically a paying position. The high-strung editorial staff includes Joan Rivers (who barks up a storm with new ideas on wheelchair chic), Peggy Lipton, Kathy Griffin, Anna Thompson, and Paulina Porizkova as a former model who can't shake her starvation diet. "She had an apple two days ago," someone comments after she faints. "That can't be it," nods another.
The ostensible plot involves industrial espionage and the campaign to flush out "the Yuri," a spy sending all their upcoming ideas to arch-rival Vogue that Jocelyn vows to uncover, but that's just another complication in the wacky world of haute couture. Crammed with insider jokes, industry potshots, and an army of cameos only fashion devotees will recognize, from Diane von Fürstenberg to Tommy Hilfiger (for the rest of us there's Gwyneth Paltrow for a few brief seconds), it's an old fashioned romantic comedy with a new wardrobe. It's Swain's engaging performance and Michael Lange's genial direction that mellow the caustic barbs and invest it with a sense of heart. --Sean Axmaker
2.
Jocelyn (Swain), fresh out of college, has gained a coveted internship at Skirt, a hip, trend-setting New York-based fashion publication that has a complex about being second only to Vogue. A talented photographer, she has been reduced to the whims of a stereotypically catty, bitchy bunch of fashion hounds who would much rather see her fetching their iced cappuccinos (skim milk only please!) than showing them what she is really capable of. To top it all of she is developing a serious crush on dashing Paul, the only heterosexual man in the office, who also happens to be the magazine's art director. Paul and Jocelyn get alone extremely well, but his beautiful, spoiled model girlfriend seems to appear at the most inopportune moments. When it is discovered that someone in the office is acting as a spy, selling Skirt's top stories to Vogue, Jocelyn decides to make it her purpose to uncover the mystery and show the folks at the magazine her true abilites. Followers of fashion will have fun spotting the handful of designers and stars who put in cameos (including Tommy Hilfiger, Kenneth Cole, and Gwyneth Paltrow), but Swain's (LOLITA, FACE/OFF) warm presence carries this breezy romantic comedy.
3.
In The World Of High Fashion Anything Can Happen
Dominique Swain (star of Lolita) plays Jocelyn, who has always wanted a career in publishing. At last, she lands an internship working for the ultra-hip fashion magazine, Skirt. Suddenly, she's hip-deep in the crazy, fast-paced world of high fashion, icons and egos. When Jocelyn comes across evidence of a spy at the magazine, she teams up with the art director to uncover the spy, only to find herself falling head over heels in love!
Cameos abound in this romantic fashion comedy, featuring a host of New York's top designers and editors: Tommy Hilfiger, Kenneth Cole and Dianne Van Furstenberg.
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