“Before you leave the house, look in the mirror and take one thing off.”
Coco Chanel’s timeless guidance on restraint resonates profoundly in Soraya Arrabal’s short film Bird (Pajarito). Yet in Arrabal’s vision, the principle transcends style. Here, clothing is stripped of ornament and identity — it becomes a piece of textile, shaped into a tunic or dress, evoking ritual, devotion, and sacred presence.
Simplicity as Statement
In Bird, there are no designers, no labels, no fashion in the conventional sense. What remains is essence: the interplay between fabric, body, and light. Each frame transforms cloth into a living entity — a vessel that carries weight, gesture, and emotion. The fabric moves with the body as if breathing, absorbing light and shadow, reflecting quiet human vulnerability.
The power of the film lies in its restraint. Arrabal demonstrates that beauty and meaning often emerge through subtraction, echoing Chanel’s philosophy. The textile is never decoration; it is a conduit for storytelling, a silent witness to fleeting moments of devotion, contemplation, and intimacy.
Textile as Ritual
The tunics and draped fabrics in Bird suggest ceremonial acts. Their simplicity evokes religious or spiritual resonance without narrative exposition. Arrabal’s minimalism allows viewers to project their own interpretations, elevating each scene into a contemplative meditation on the human form, presence, and perception.
Here, light is as vital as fabric. Its interaction with the textile accentuates folds, textures, and movement, transforming ordinary material into something transcendent. In this film, the ordinary becomes extraordinary, and every gesture carries poetry.
A Cinematic Reflection
Bird (Pajarito) is not a fashion film; it is a study in restraint, in essence, in the transformative power of textile and light. Arrabal reminds us that sometimes, less is infinitely more — and that a single piece of fabric, approached with intention, can hold the weight of story, ritual, and emotion.
In a world of excess, the film stands as a quiet manifesto: simplicity, when observed and honored, is the ultimate luxury.
