Must Watch Films for Fashionistas
A comprehensive list of movies, mini-series and documentaries with a strong fashion theme
Iphone photo I took at the GOMA 2024 Exhibition of Iris Van Herpen
It is imperative if you work in the fashion industry that you are immersed in its history, as fashion is built on referencing. It is why I always stress to models to know who came before them. Even if you aren’t in the industry but have a passion for the art and creativity of the industry, or just generally interested in getting a glimpse of an aspect of the industry, then this blog post is for you! Consider this your summer film club and the theme is “fashion industry”.
One of my personal favourite movies growing up, which probably subconsciously inspired me to become a photographer, was the 1957 movie Funny Face, starring Audrey Hepburn and Fred Astaire. This movie is literally my fantasy (minus the photographer falling in love with the model); it is how I imagined every fashion shoot would be like, and this movie always lifts my mood.
This list does not include the multitude of fashion reality tv shows that come and go, but include documentaries, mini series and movies that peel back some of the curtain in what happens behind the scenes and the highs and lows of working in this industry. I have organised them into categories of different focal interest such as modelling, tastemakers like photographers, makeup artists, fashion editors and fashion designers.
Hope you enjoy and find some new content to watch on a night in.
The Super Models (2023); The incredible rise of Naomi, Cindy, Linda and Christy in ’80s and ’90s
Catwalk (1995); Follow supermodel Christy Turlington over the course of the spring/summer 1994 shows
Invisible Beauty (2023);An essential memoir of fashion pioneer Bethann Hardison, INVISIBLE BEAUTY is an absorbing record of the racial evolution of fashion and an original contemplation on the life of an unparalleled trailblazer
Picture Me: A Model’s Diary (2009)
About Face: Supermodels Then and Now (2012)
Beautopia (1998); follows four upcoming models (including Kate Moss), while showing what the whole world of modeling is all about
Twiggy: The Face of ‘66 (2013)
Twiggy (2024)
Straight/Curve: Redefining Body Image (2017)
The Model Agency (2011); a doco series following Premier Model Management agency and 4 of it’s models at different stages in their careers.
Don’t Tell My Booker (2007); Dave Cote takes us on a trip through Super Model VIP Culture, through Milan, Greece, Paris, London, to the Cannes Film Festival, and rubs shoulders with Hollywoods top people
McQueen and I (2011)
McQueen (2018)
Lagerfeld Confidential (2007)
Largerfeld, The Kaiser of Fashion (2019)
L’Amour Fou (2010); this biopic of Yves Saint Laurent looks at how he went from tormented designer to head of House of Dior and eventually founder of his globally-recognised eponymous French fashion house
Dries (2017); A glimpse into the atelier of Belgium designer Dries Van Noten
The September Issue (2009)
In Vogue: The Editor’s Eye (2015)
The First Monday in May (2016); behind the scenes of the making of the MET Gala
In Vogue: The 90s (2024)
High & Low: John Galliano (2023)
Diane von Furstenberg: Woman In Charge (2024)
Jeremy Scott: The People’s Designer (2015)
Dior and I (2014)
Inside Dior (2017)
House of Cardin (2020)
Jean-Paul Gaultier: Freak & Chic (2018)
Very Ralph (2019)
Westwood: Punk, Icon, Activist (2018)
Vivienne Westwood: God Save the Queen (2023)
Ulstrasuede: In Search of Halston (2010)
Halston (2019)
Fashion Reimagined (2023);Trailblazing fashion designer Amy Powney is on a mission to create a sustainable collection from field to finished garment and transform the way we engage with fashion
Wonder Boy (2019)
We Margiela (2017)
Martin Margiela: In His Own Words (2020)
Manolo: The Boy Who Made Shoes For Lizards (2017)
Salvatore: Shoemaker of Dreams (2020)
S.S. Daley (2022); a behind the scenes in the debut for the Liverpool-born menswear designer Steven Stokey-Daley
Kingdom of Dreams (2022); is a “visually dazzling chronicle of the fashion world spanning three decades – from the early-1990s to the 2010s.”
Valentino: The Last Emperor (2008)
Viktor & Rolf: Because We Are Worth It (2006)
Carnaby Street Undressed (2011)
Scatter My Ashes at Bergdorfs (2013); the world famous Manhattan department store with interviews from an array of fashion designers, style icons, and celebrities.
Fashion Victim: The Killing of Gianni Versace (2001)
Christian Dior: The Man Behind the Myth (2005)
Battle at Versailles (2016); follows an event in 1973 at Versailles that pitted France's best designers against the best America had to offer. It was the first time the fashion world's gaze was fixated on American design
House of Z (2017); A feature documentary on the life and career of designer Zac Posen
Discovering Coco Chanel (2024)
Inside the Dream: Mugler (2024)
A Woman at the head of Dior (2021)
The Genius of Gianni Versace Alive (2022)
White Hot: The Rise & Fall of Abercrombie & Fitch (2022)
Celebration (2007); Yves Saint-Laurent and the legendary fashion designer's final show
Yellow Is Forbidden (2022); how the infamous MET gala gown launched the talent of designer Guo Pei onto the world stage
Coco Chanel Unbuttoned (2023)
Stracci (2021); A look at the sustainability of fashion through the eyes of those who have always recycled used clothes and transformed textile waste into a new raw material.
Mademoiselle C (2013); follow Carine Roitfeld, former editor-in-chief of Vogue Paris as she launches her magazine CR Fashion book
Bill Cunningham New York (2010); a look at the life of legendary New York street photographer Bill Cunningham
Franca: Chaos and Creation (2016)
The Gospel According to André (2018)
Iris (2014); Iris Apfel became one of New York’s most beloved style icons
Helmut Newton: The Bad and the Beautiful (2020)
Calendar Girl (2020); For over 70 years, founder Ruth Finley and the game-changing Fashion Calendar scheduled every fashion event in New York City. At 95, Ruth sold the calendar, ending an era
Larger Than Life: The Kevyn Aucoin Story (2017); Iconic makeup artist’s life and work are recalled through interviews with some of his famous clients
Kevyn Aucoin: Beauty and the Beast in Me (2017); Never-before-seen footage, archival videos, and celebrity interviews provide insight into the life, career
Unknown Beauty: François Nars (2023); about the inner world of the iconic photographer and makeup artist
Diana Vreeland: The Eye Has To Travel (2011)
The True Cost (2015); goes behind the scenes at various mass-produced clothing factories
Nose (2021); With exclusive access to Dior's "Maison de Parfums" creative process, this documentary film unveils the fascinating role of the Nose at Dior; the most prestigious Fashion and Perfume brand in the world initiated by Christian Dior.
Martha (2024); Told in her own words, this candid documentary charts the unstoppable rise, sudden fall and hard-won comeback of lifestyle icon Martha Stewart
Slowing Down Fast Fashion: Alex James (2016)
Buy Now: The Shopping Conspiracy (2024)
Alexa Chung: The Future of Fashion (2015)
Chiara Ferragni: Unposted (2019); founder of The Blonde Salad, a fashion and lifestyle blog that catapulted her to superstardom, Chiara Ferragni is one of the most powerful influencers of her generation
The Man who shot beautiful women (2013); explore the life of fashion photographer Erwin Blumenfeld
That Click (2019); examines the life and work of award-winning celebrity photographer Douglas Kirkland, who excels in fashion, photojournalism and portraiture
Annie Leibovitz: Life Through a Lens (American Masters) (2007)
Richard Avedon: Darkness and Light (American Masters) (1996)
Anna Piagga (2016); A look into the Italian fashion writer Celebrated for her eccentric outfits, and her friendships with designers Karl Lagerfeld, Dolce & Gabbana, de Castelbajac, and Manolo Blahnik
The House of Gucci (2021)
Gia (1998); The true story of the life of Gia Carangi, a top fashion model from the late 1970s, from her meteoric rise to the forefront of the modeling industry, to her untimely death
The Model (2016); Emma, an emerging model, struggles to enter the Parisian fashion scene and develops a dangerous obsession for fashion photographer Shane White.
The New Look (2024); thrilling series reveals the shocking story of how fashion icon Christian Dior and his contemporaries, including Coco Chanel, Pierre Balmain and Cristóbal Balenciaga, navigated the horrors of World War II and launched modern fashion
Stardom (2000); A young girl is plucked from small-town obscurity and thrust into the spotlight of the glamorous world of super-models
Halston (2021)
Ready to Wear (Prêt-à-Porter)(1994); A chronicle of the interconnected lives of a group of people in the lead up to Paris Fashion Week, starring Julia Roberts
The Neon Demon (2016); An aspiring model, Jesse, is new to Los Angeles. However, her beauty and youth, which generate intense fascination and jealousy within the fashion industry, may prove themselves sinister
Geek Girl (2024); Awkward teen Harriet strives to fit in, then she gets scouted by a top London model agent and learns that some people are meant to stand out.
Valerie (2006); When a photo model gets replaced by a batch of new younger prettier girls, her life of riches melts in front of her eyes and she's forced to live like a homeless person in a parking lot of a high class hotel she once lived in.
Anna (2019); Ready to leave a life of abuse, a woman becomes a KGB assassin and goes undercover as a model in Paris
Lipstick (1976); A top fashion model seeks justice after getting sexually assaulted by her teenage sister's obsessive music teacher
Three Colours: Red (1994); A model discovers a retired judge is keen on invading people's privacy
Blow-Up (1966); loosely inspired by photographer David Bailey, a fashion photographer unknowingly captures a death on film after following two lovers in a park
The Devil Wears Prada (2006)
Saint Laurent (2014)
Darling (1965); Beautiful but amoral model Diana Scott sleeps her way to the top of the London fashion scene at the height of the Swinging Sixties
Zoolander (2001) and Zoolander 2 (2016); a comedic spoof about a washed up male model
Funny Face (1957)
Breakfast at Tiffany’s (1961)
Don’t Tell Mom the Babysitter’s Dead (1991); when the babysitter abruptly dies, leaving the Crandells short on cash, Sue Ellen finds a sweet job in fashion by lying about her age and experience on her résumé
Atelier (2015)
Emily in Paris (2020-2024)
Mrs Harris Goes to Paris (2022); In 1950s London, a widowed cleaning lady falls madly in love with a couture Dior dress, deciding she must have one of her own. After working to raise the funds to pursue her dream
Coco Before Chanel (2009); starring Audrey Tautou
Garmento (2002); An idealistic, want-to-be fashionista lands the dream job with her favorite designer in New York City. Swept away by the glamorous facade of the fashion world, Grindy gets sewn within the seams of the garb underworld while climbing to success. Shot on 35mm
Blow Dry (2001); In 2000, a small town hosts The British Hairdressing Championship, where a former 2-time winner, his son, his run-away wife and his runaway wife's lady lover reside (not all on speaking terms)
Beauty Shop (2005)
Savage Beauty (2022); s a South African drama series on Netflix about a woman who seeks revenge on a family that owns a global beauty empire
The Dressmaker (2015)
We’ll Take Manhattan (2012); A look at the love affair between 1960s supermodel Jean Shrimpton and photographer David Bailey
Girlboss (2017); This show is loosely based on the true story of Nasty Gal Founder, Sophia Amoruso.
Mr Selfridge (2013-2016); Centers on the real-life story of the flamboyant and visionary American founder of Selfridge's, London's department store
Ladies in Black (2018) ;Follows the lives of a group of department store employees in 1959 Sydney
Cruella (2021)
Cristóbal Balenciaga (2024); A series about the Spanish designer Cristòbal Balenciaga on Disney +
House of Versace (2013)
Moss & Freud (DATE OF RELEASE PENDING); the new inspired biopic dramatizing the life of supermodel Kate Moss at the peak of her career alongside the high-octane relationship she gleaned with the late artist Lucian Freud
And that’s all I’ve got!
Sorry if I’ve missed any, please feel free to message me with your recommendations.
Go get the popcorn started and get to watching!
