Tag Archives: zoolander

9 Fashion Movies Every Fashionista Will Love

I give myself a mental pat on the back whenever I successfully put an outfit together, once or twice a year. What some people do so effortlessly takes me some serious brain power. So whenever I want to get really lost in the world of style, I rely on the glossy pages of my favorite magazines, as well as some of the best films about fashion. Some of the most well-known actors and actresses of our time have brought to the big screen an industry which has inspired millions. If you’re looking to channel your inner fashionista, try one of these fashion movies.

1. Sex and the City

via GIPHY

You could watch this movie on mute and still enjoy every minute of it, thanks to the impeccable fashion of Carrie, Sam, Charlotte, and Miranda. They each have their own distinct style, and no expense was spared when it came to outfitting these four fabulous women. Sex and the City was about love, life, and finding happiness — but it was also about unforgettable fashion.

2. The Devil Wears Prada

via GIPHY

Andy Sachs (Anne Hathaway) is a recent graduate on the hunt for her dream job in journalism. She ends up landing a position as an assistant to Miranda Priestly (Meryl Streep), the Editor in Chief of Runway, the fashion bible. All Andy wants to do is write, not understanding how this is the job that a million girls would kill for… or so she’s told. She undergoes a transformation, though, from ordinary plain Jane to fashion knockout. Dripping in designer duds from head to toe, she learns to love and appreciate fashion — but in the end, she remembers what matters most in life: friends, family, and love.

3. Coco Before Chanel

via GIPHY

This 2009 movie starring Audrey Tautou remembers Coco Chanel from her modest, humble beginnings to her rise to the top of the fashion game. We know her as an unforgettable icon of the industry, but the start of her story was at the orphanage she was left at, after which she later found herself working in a bar as a seamstress and singer.

4. Confessions of a Shopaholic

via GIPHY

Rebecca Bloomwood (played by Isla Fisher) is dealing with a life-crushing shopping problem when she somewhat inadvertently lands a job writing for a financial magazine. Ironically enough, it’s her own poor spending habits and practices that make her a hit at the magazine. Her goal was always to write for fashion mag Alette, but her journey there certainly throws her some interesting curveballs.

5. Funny Face

via GIPHY

Fashion photographer Dick Avery notices something special about bookstore salesgirl Jo Stockton (Audrey Hepburn), as does Maggie Prescott, the editor of a top fashion magazine. Jo is offered a modeling contract, which she takes only because of the Paris trip that’s included. While she wasn’t sold on the idea in the beginning, she softens toward the career adventure and learns to like it.

6. Clueless

via GIPHY

This iconic ‘90s flick totally changed the way we dress, paving the way for matching skirt and jacket sets, knee-high socks, more plaid than you could ever imagine, and over-the-top hats and purses. And let’s be honest: We all wanted Cher’s closet with the revolving clothing racks. In any list of fashion movies, this one is a must-see.

7. Don’t Tell Mom the Babysitter’s Dead

via GIPHY

Five siblings are left completely strapped for cash while Mom’s away on a long trip and the babysitter dies. Big sis Sue Ellen (played by Christina Applegate) gets a job at a popular LA fashion company by telling just a few white lies on her resume. Desperate times call for desperate measures, and she’s got a family to feed. While she does learn how to flex her fashion muscles, she simultaneously experiences the stresses of adulthood.

8. Zoolander

via GIPHY

Derek Zoolander’s (Ben Stiller) career as the top male model comes to a screeching halt when a man named Hansel (Owen Wilson) beats him out for VH1’s male model of the year award. Things get weird when fashion guru Mugatu hires Zoolander with the ulterior motive of getting him to kill the Prime Minister of Malaysia. Out of all the fashion movies listed, this one has to be the wackiest. This outrageous flick has a blast poking fun at industry stereotypes, exemplified by the movie’s tagline: “3% Body Fat. 1% Brain Activity.”

9. Yves Saint Laurent

via GIPHY

Similar to Coco Before Chanel, this movie follows world-renowned French fashion designer Yves Saint Laurent from the beginning of his career in the late 1950s. Although it was met with mixed reviews, it received seven nominations at the 40th César Awards, and actor Pierre Niney (who played YSL) won Best Actor.

David Bowie: A Starman On Film

This week, the world got a little greyer after hearing the news that a musical legend had passed away. David Bowie transcended genres and not only pushed boundaries, but gleefully leaped across them during his musical career that spanned the ’70s, ’80s, right up to this month when he released the album Black Star. However, Ziggy Stardust was not only a musical genius, but a talented actor who had a number of mainstream film roles.

Bowie’s acting career began with a number of parts, including a short film titled The Image in 1967, with a couple of bit parts and uncredited roles following.

Then, following his success with the Space Oddity album in 1978, he was cast as the lead in the apt film The Man Who Fell To Earth.

In this film, Bowie portrayed Thomas Jerome, a humanoid who travels (falls) to Earth to retrieve water to save his dying planet. Whilst on Earth, Jerome sets up his own company in order to gain the funds to return home. Along the way, he meets a girl and traverses the ruthlessness of the business world on his quest to return home. The film was released to some critical praise and earned David a Golden Scroll for his performance.

Roles followed in films such as Baal, a 1982 TV movie and 1983’s Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence, where Bowie portrayed a British soldier that enters a Japanese prison camp. This film won a number of awards, though none for Bowie. In the same year, he starred in The Hunger alongside Catherine Denevue and Susan Sarandon, starring in a lead role as an unfortunate soul who has fallen out of favour with a vampire queen.

In 1985, Bowie was cast in Into The Night, starring Jeff Goldblum and Michelle Pfeiffer in a smaller supporting role; and then in 1986 came potentially his most well-loved and iconic film role.

A whole generation of people that grew up in the ’80s and the ’90s will have grown up with the fantasy film Labyrinth. Bowie plays the lead role of Jareth the Goblin King (also known as The Bulge, watch the film to understand). The film focuses on Sarah, a 16-year-old who is babysitting her little brother. As she reads him a story, she wishes the goblins from her favourite book would steal her crying baby brother. The door to the Goblin Kings world opens and he steals the child. In order to get her little brother back, Sarah must find her way through the Labyrinth to the Goblin King’s castle before he turns her brother into a goblin.

This role suited the Starman’s eccentric style. Although he received no awards, the film has been widely acclaimed by both fans and critics. Made by Jim Henson, the talent behind The Muppets, this fantasy played into Bowie’s creative persona perfectly and offered him an opportunity to demonstrate his abilities. The film also allowed him to flex his musical muscles. Jennifer Connelly, co-star in the film, spoke fondly with Entertainment Tonight about her experience filming with Bowie just a few months ago.

In the same year, he was cast in the musical Absolute Beginners, a film adaptation of the novel by Colin MacInnes about life in 1950s London. Roles followed in films such as The Last Temptation of Christ in 1988, The Linguini Incident in 1991 and Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me in 1992. In 1996, Bowie took on the role of Andy Warhol in the film Basquiat, and 1998 brought with it a role in Il mio West. The following year, he could be seen in Everybody Loves Sunshine, and 2000 saw him take on the lead role as Mr Rice in Mr Rice’s Secret. The same year, Bowie took on the role of The Host alongside Terence Stamp in the horror anthology TV series The Hunger.

In 2001, the Ben Stiller comedy Zoolander hit cinema screens in a storm of laughter and ironic satire. Bowie performed a cameo that gained him a nomination for Best Cameo at the MTV Movie Awards. In 2006, Bowie took on the role of Nikola Teslar in the outstanding psychological drama The Prestige (he can be seen at 2:05 in the trailer below), which saw him star alongside Christian Bale and Hugh Jackman. Later in 2008, Bowie starred in the drama August, then a role as himself in the teen flick Bandslam in 2009.

It is easy to forget the extent of Bowie’s acting career, which is understandably overshadowed by his music. Whilst his talent most definitely lay in his music, there was some aptitude for acting, especially in roles where he could be creative and eccentric such as Labyrinth. Films such as The Prestige displayed his potential for more serious roles; but he shone in the fantasy style characters, which seemed to more closely suit his character.

Not only has the music industry lost one of its brightest shining stars, but every sector of the arts and entertainment industry now shines a little less brightly. There is a Starman waiting for us in the sky.