Balenciaga, Chanel, Dior, Lagerfeld – these are the couturiers and fashion designers featured in the latest TV series released in 2024. But such a large number of names in a short time span does not come as a surprise: cinema’s interest in fashion is nothing new; it’s a well-established trend. Fashion has often taken center stage or served as a backdrop or scenario in numerous film productions, allowing filmmakers to explore its many facets, from quirks and caricatures to common myths.
Fashion thrives on TV: 10 movies and shows from the ‘80s to today
The recent boom of biographies dedicated to the fashion world is just the tip of the iceberg of a very long report, with some gems to be rediscovered.
Carlo Vanzina, Nothing underneat, 1985
Robert Altman, Prêt-à-porter, 1994
David Frankel, The devil wears Prada, 2006
Nicolas Winding Refn, The neon demon, 2016
Paul Thomas Anderson, Phantom thread, 2017
Ridley Scott, House of Gucci, 2021
Nick Green, Kingdom of dreams, 2022
Aitor Arregi, Jon Garaño, José Mari Goenaga, Cristobal Balenciaga, 2024
Todd A. Kessler, Helen Shaver, Julia Ducournau, Jeremy Podeswa, The new look, 2024
Jérôme Salle, Audrey Estrougo, Becoming Karl Lagerfeld, 2024
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- Pietro Di Carlo
- 24 July 2024
Throughout the last century, filmmakers showcased fashion by creating characters with customized wardrobes crafted by specific designers. These characters wrote history in both pop culture and fashion without explicitly addressing the fashion world itself. Notable examples include Jane Fonda in Barbarella (1968), wearing Paco Rabanne during the 1960s Space Age, and Richard Gere as Julian Kay in American Gigolo (1980), with costumes by Giorgio Armani. Yet, this approach changed with the turn of the millennium.
I was 2006 when Anne Hathaway was racing through New York as Andy Sachs to fulfill the whims of Miranda Priestley, played by Meryl Streep, clearly inspired by Vogue America’s formidable editor Anna Wintour, in The Devil Wears Prada. This cult classic, which marked a turning point and a model for future fashion-focused film productions, may be set to return to the screens as Disney is reportedly developing a sequel, exploring Miranda’s challenges amid the decline of print media and the rise of digitalization.
Fashion has often taken center stage or served as a backdrop or scenario in numerous film productions, allowing filmmakers to explore its many facets.
Moreover recently, social media has become a crucial and effective platform for fashion to weave its mythology, capturing the public’s fascination. This shift led cinema to move from using fashion as a tool to celebrating fashion through documentaries of renowned designers, chronological explorations of fashion houses, and stories offering glimpses into the coveted yet often elusive world of fashion that still intrigues us today. For this reason, the public’s interest in fashion now extends beyond the products fashion has to offer, reaching the compelling stories behind them.
Opening image: David Frankel, The devil wears Prada, 2006
Directed by Carlo Vanzina, this film paints a vivid picture of the 1980s Milan. It’s a detective story set in the fashion world, following park ranger Bob Crane as he searches for his missing sister Jessica, an up-and-coming supermodel.
This American satirical comedy-drama film is set during a Paris Fashion Week. It features a star-studded cast, including international celebrities like Sophia Loren, Julia Roberts, and Marcello Mastroianni.
Cinematic adaptation of the novel by Lauren Weisberger, this film follows a young assistant navigating the demands of her unreasonable boss. Despite the author had been the actual assistant of Vogue editor Anna Wintour, who the character of Miranda Priestley is based on, the preface seems to confirm that every fact narrated are indeed a work of fiction.
A psychological horror film that tells the story of aspiring model Jesse, portrayed by Elle Fanning. Her beauty and youth attract both admiration and jealousy of many enemies within the competitive fashion industry.
A romantic drama centered on the relationship between Reynolds Woodcock, a 1950s London haute couture designer, and Alma Elson, a young maid who is fated to become his muse.
Cinematic adaptation of Sara Gay Forden’s book, this film delves into the turbulent history of the Gucci family, like the love relationship between Patrizia Reggiani and Maurizio Gucci, leading up to his murder orchestrated by none other than his wife. The film also pays homage to Tom Ford, the brand’s first creative director, who worked at Gucci from 1994 to 2004 and became famous for revitalizing the brand by drawing on his own archival designs.
This TV series revolves around the most influential designers at the turn of the millennium, the so-called creative directors, such as John Galliano, Alexander McQueen, Marc Jacobs, and Tom Ford.
This Disney+ original docuseries explores the life of Cristobal Balenciaga, one of the most significant fashion couturiers of the last century, focusing on his arrival in Paris and the pivotal moments that shaped his career.
Named after Harper’s Bazaar editor Carmel Snow’s description of Christian Dior’s groundbreaking 1947 collection, this series centers on the rivalry between Dior and Coco Chanel, who made her comeback in the fashion scene in 1954.
This miniseries chronicles on the brilliant work of a man in a role that only a decade later, with Tom Ford’s work a t Gucci, will be recognized with the formal title of “creative director.” The story focusing on the 1960s, when Karl Lagerfeld was working with Chloé.