The restoration and rerelease of Unzipped—the ur-fashion documentary— with Janus this September has had the Vogue office abuzz for months. Ahead of its run in theaters The Run-Through co-host Nicole Phelps—who says the film was her “gateway drug to fashion,” met with inimitably charming Isaac Mizrahi, designer, performer, the film’s star and since June 2026, Target’s first Creative Director at Large, to talk supermodels, and not mixing work with love—or Ambien. “It was a very good moment in fashion,” conjectures Mizrahi about the continuing draw of the film. “I bet if you had substituted some other fabulous, funny people in that movie, it would've been good. Mm. You know? It was just a good moment. But specifically in my oeuvre, it was almost inevitable to tell a story of that kind, because I don’t know if their fittings were as hilarious as my fittings, you know? … I think that’s another thing, the interaction of [those women, those supermodels, and these designers. You know, it really was, it was photogenic. You know, the camera really loved this subject.” Nonetheless, Mizrahi has more of a bird’s-eye perspective on the impact of Unzipped than most of the rest of the world. “So as to Unzipped and it changing my life, you know, I don’t really feel it changed my life,” he said.Mizrahi identifies his transition from yeshiva to the Performing Arts High School as one of the tipping points in his life. Another was landing a job at Perry Ellis. “I have to tell you, my dear, that was an incredibly inspiring place and it would’ve changed anybody.” Unzipped had a similar effect on fashion documentaries, setting a bar that has rarely been reached since. The Run-Through with Vogue is your go-to podcast where fashion meets culture. Hosted by Chloe Malle, Head of Editorial Content, Vogue U.S.; Chioma Nnadi, Head of British Vogue; and Nicole Phelps, Director of Vogue Runway, each episode features the latest fashion news and exclusive designer and celebrity interviews.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
