A lot of today’s style can be attributed to the never-ending vault of popular culture: the Internet. Whilst there isn’t a distinct fashion sense for the 2000’s, the reincarnation of fashion from old movies is a popular source of inspiration. Here are some iconic fashion films, some recent, and some not-so-recent, that are relevant in the fashion realm.
When researching for the film, costume designer Patrik Milani looked up the most invaluable source for style inspiration – Instagram. The characters in Dope wear button-up shirts, sweaters, tight pants and vintage Air Jordan sneaker, the uniform for a lot of the kids today living in Inglewood, California. The film is a refreshing take on 80’s and 90’s hip-hop fashion without seeming gimmicky.
Despite the fact the film was released 20 years ago, The Craft still holds resonance today due to its style: witchcraft-meets-goth outsider-meets-catholic school girl. Plaid skirts are matched with knee-high socks and doc martens, chokers are worn alongside rosary beads, and the character Nancy (fiercely played by Fairuza Balk) rocks a PVC black coat like no other. In an interview with Dazed, costume designer Deborah Everton said, “The film still looks good today, I watched it not too long ago and do you know what, it doesn’t look like a 20-year-old film. The clothes are clothes people today still wear.”
Woody Allen’s Annie Hall has been revered as one of the most iconic films in fashion. The title character, played by Diane Keaton, wore many of her own clothes throughout production, which included the iconic look of layering a long waistcoat with a men’s shirt and tie, high waisted trousers, and topping it off with a bowler hat. It’s disheveled done well, making Annie Hall the ultimate cool girl and style icon.
The style in Clueless has served as the inspiration for other teen films, Halloween costumes and Iggy Azalea’s Fancy music video. Who can forget the iconic yellow plaid schoolgirl outfit Cher Horowitz (Alicia Silverstone) wears whilst giving a speech about refugees in America? The fashion in the film is bright and loud, with an influx of colours, patterns, and is essentially a never-ending montage of the 90’s hyperbolised.
This film about girls, who mysteriously disappear whilst away on a school trip, has been touted as one of the most iconic fashion films in Australian cinema. The costumes in Picnic at Hanging Rock aren’t over-the-top, but its dreamy aesthetic, and vintage white-lace dresses, has gone on to serve as inspiration to filmmaker Sofia Coppola (The Virgin Suicides), fashion darling Chloë Sevigny, and also to the Sydney based fashion label, Lover.
In an interview with The Guardian, Nick Briand, one half of the Lover designer duo, referenced the importance of the film. “Whenever we go overseas and people describe Lover, they say it has a Picnic at Hanging Rock feel to it. Which is perfect. I’m very proud that the film is Australian and we can reference it as an authentic part of our culture.”