I strongly believe that, as a fashion student, I am not confined to simply reading magazines and looking at images from the catwalk. Fashion is integrated with everything, music, films, poetry, art and whatever else you can think of!
So here is my list of "fashion" films. I use the term fashion loosely, because although there are some directly linked to designers etc, some are purely "inspirational" (not necessarily about Anna Wintour, although who hasn't seen The Devil Wears Prada, really?).
A satirical representation of the fashion industry and life as a model "is there anything below the surface of Polly's pretty exterior?".
I was lucky enough to find the actual film on youtube, however, if you are reading this in 2024 I would go ahead and download it straight onto your built-in google glass. Ha.
Surreal, jam packed with motifs and symbolism which could be used to fuel a whole collection if you so wished.
"The story of two girls who try to understand the meaning of the world, and their life" deeeeeeeep.
"A fashion show!"
(find the film with English subtitles on Netflix)
A fashion magazine from the 1950s, and Audrey Hepburn in wedding dresses. Think "the love child of Breakfast at Tiffany's, Blow-Up & The Devil Wears Prada" with a bit of a song and dance.
An American avant-garde film, starring Edie Sedgwick. Although persistently described as not being a documentary, the film depicts Edie as a pretty close representation of herself, reminiscing.
I know everyone was obsessed with Edie, but rightly so, an innocent icon with a tragic demise. One girl at my college admired her so much she insisted on doing the classic 60s "crease" look with layers of false eyelashes (as did Edie) everyday. I couldn't cope with that!
A tale of unrequited love, betrayal and Christina Ricci showing off her tap dancing skills. Pulp Fiction-esque, shot through a blue filter (constantly making you feel cold).
Two films by Larry Clark, although nothing to do with fashion, I am constantly inspired by Clark's raw attitude to teenagers. Two films that synonymously represent 90s street style at its most organic.
(a photocopy from one of my foundation sketchbooks,
hence the threads to represent colour ways)
Maybe I'm wrong, but I feel like this film has been severely overlooked. A biographical film about the grandmother of fashion, the woman who introduced us to androgyny and popularised Breton stripes.
A biographical film about the model "Gia Carangi", Angelina Jolie at her best. Depicts Gia's struggles with breaking into the modelling industry despite her different image (something the industry would relish nowadays) and drug abuse.
