Fashion in films is rarely just a backdrop. It is an attitude and a statement – sometimes also a camouflage. It decides who is seen and how. Films about fashion therefore never only talk about clothes, but also about identity, power and the art of self-transformation. These films have shaped fashion cinema:
Fashion as power
The devil wears Prada
As editor-in-chief of a fashion magazine, Miranda Priestly (Meryl Streep) pushes her young assistant Andy (Anne Hathaway) to the limits of what is acceptable. The cult film by the American David Frankel, whose sequel now follows, shows the glamor world of the fashion industry and the price you pay for access to it. Between assistant stress and couture crises, fashion becomes a question of power here: who decides what is popular – and at what price? Online on Amazon Prime Video or Apple TV, among others
Ready-to-wear
The international fashion world gathers in Paris for Fashion Week: designers, models, stars, journalists and puppeteers meet while cameras capture the splendor of the catwalks. But behind the glittering facade of American Robert Altman’s ‘Prêt-à-Porter’ it’s less about style than about power, influence and intrigue. Online at Rakuten TV, Apple TV, among others
House of Gucci
Milan, 1970: Gucci heir Maurizio Gucci (Adam Driver) falls in love with the ambitious Patrizia Reggiani (Lady Gaga) and marries her against his family’s wishes. What begins as a glamorous love story for British director Ridley Scott quickly develops into a bitter power struggle within the fashion dynasty. As the marriage breaks down, the conflict escalates until Maurizio is finally found murdered. Online on Google Play, Apple TV, among others
Zoolander
The film is a satire by the American director and actor Ben Stiller, who also plays the celebrated top model Derek Zoolander. His career is shaken by his up-and-coming rival Hansel (Owen Wilson). When he is about to retire from the fashion world, the eccentric designer Mugatu (Will Ferrell) lures him back into the spotlight with a new job. Derek unintentionally gets caught up in an absurd conspiracy with global political dimensions. Online including Apple TV, CANAL +
The Neon Demon
The thriller by Dane Nicolas Winding Refn is set in the fashion world of Los Angeles and tells the story of young Jesse, who wants to make a career as a model. Her extraordinary beauty quickly attracts attention – and envy in an industry that is heavily influenced by competition, youth and the pressure to be perfect. Over the course of the plot, the fashion world is shown as a cold, almost cruel system in which beauty becomes a commodity and rivalry becomes existential. Online on Apple TV, Rakuten TV, among others
Designers, divas, legends
Coco Before Chanel
In the film biography, the French-Luxembourgish director Anne Fontaine sheds light on the early years of the later fashion icon Coco Chanel. Coming from a humble background, the strong-willed Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel (Audrey Tautou) develops step by step into a woman who will fundamentally change the fashion world. Instead of glamour, the focus is on deprivation, independence and an unwavering will. The portrait depicts a woman who leaves conventions behind and lays the foundation for a new understanding of style, femininity and freedom. Online at HBO Max, Rakuten TV, among others
Yves Saint Laurent
French director Jalil Lespert chronicles the early career of the famous couturier and his close relationship with Pierre Bergé. The film shows Yves Saint Laurent (Pierre Niney) as a sensitive, doubtful artist who is completely dedicated to fashion. In Bergé (Guillaume Gallienne) he finds both love and support – their relationship becomes the emotional center of this biopic about creativity, pressure and the rise of a fashion legend. Online at Paramount+, Disney+, among others
The silk thread
London in the 1950s: Reynolds Woodcock (Daniel Day-Lewis) is an eccentric fashion designer whose tightly controlled life is thrown into disarray when he meets young Alma. As a celebrated designer, he creates artistic couture and at the same time tries to master his surroundings just as perfectly. The film by American director Paul Thomas Anderson shows fashion as an obsession and power game in which creativity, control and dependence merge. Online at Filmo, CANAL VOD, among others