[4] The film features an extensive ensemble cast, including Anouk Aimée, Marcello Mastroianni, Sophia Loren, Kim Basinger, Stephen Rea, Lauren Bacall, Julia Roberts, Tim Robbins, Lili Taylor and Sally Kellerman.

Early on, Fashion Council head Olivier de la Fontaine chokes to death on a sandwich, leaving behind a wife, a mistress and a mysterious Russian companion who has fled the scene.

Three rival magazine editors from Harper's Bazaar, British Vogue and Elle vie for the exclusive services of Milo O'Brannigan, a trendy photographer who sexually humiliates the three; leading them to vow vengeance against him.

The film includes various cameo appearances from fashion industry figures, including designers Jean-Paul Gaultier and Björk modeling for him, Thierry Mugler, Sonia Rykiel, Christian LaCroix, Gianfranco Ferré, and Issey Miyake, and models such as Christy Turlington, Helena Christensen, Adriana Karembeu, Linda Evangelista, Claudia Schiffer, Carla Bruni, Naomi Campbell and Tatjana Patitz.

[2] For research, in the fall of 1993 Altman attended several fashion shows including those of Issey Miyake, Yohji Yamamoto, Jean-Paul Gaultier and Yves Saint Laurent.

[11] In reference to the scene in which Simone's models walk down the runway completely naked, Robert Altman said: "The actors knew, but most of the audience didn't, so I got the surprise reactions I was hoping for.

[20] Roger Ebert gave the film two-and-a-half stars out of four and thought it "should have gone further and been meaner; too many of [Altman's] jokes are generic slapstick, instead of being aimed squarely at industry's targets.

"[21] Gene Siskel gave it one-and-a-half out of four stars and called it "a true bomb as director Robert Altman, on a very hot streak, improbably finds absolutely nothing funny or fresh to say about the fashion industry and the 'journalists' who cover it with a wet kiss.

But there is a difference between creative improvisation and absolute chaos, and while those films were delicately balanced balls that magically stayed in the air, Ready to Wear, with a script credited to Altman and Barbara Shulgasser, has a haphazard 'Let's go to Paris and see what happens' feeling that wastes everyone's time and talent.

"[24] Owen Gleiberman of Entertainment Weekly gave the film a grade of C− and wrote: "Virtually everything that happens is held up for our ridicule, yet it's never quite clear what we're supposed to be laughing at.

"[25] John Simon of the National Review said Prêt-à-Porter was a picture that only a director's mother could love, and that the film, which has a runtime of over two hours, wears out its welcome in ten minutes.