It shouldn’t really be a surprise that there is a strong bond between fashion and the movies. After all, costume designers are fashion designers who generally want to create something totally new, unique and different. In some ways, designers that create costumes for movies have far more freedom than regular fashion designers, because they don’t even have to design apparel that people will actually buy. They can create completely original and even outlandish fashions without having to worry about whether or not consumers will buy them or whether or not there is a market for them. On the other hand, many costume designers have created such a strong or unique look that they have taken the world by storm. Here are 5 movies that have had a strong influence on the world of fashion.
1. Flashdance
In the 80’s a little dancing movie took the world by storm, as did the fashions it inspired. Jennifer Beal’s torn, oversized sweatshirt and leg warmers became de rigueur fashion staples throughout much of the 80’s. Leg warmers even made a brief comeback not that long ago but didn’t prove to have the staying power of the original trend.
2. Fight Club
Women are by far not the only beneficiaries of style inspired by Hollywood. Tyler Durden, portrayed by Brad Pitt in the epic fight saga, favored vintage tropical shirts and a belted jacket that was a throwback to the 70’s, inspiring an early 2000’s onslaught of similar fashion items.
3. Annie Hall
The 1950’s was perhaps the time when there was the greatest divide between men’s and women’s fashions. In the 1960’s women rebelled by burning bras, but in the 1970’s Diane Keaton came along and gave women permission to mix men’s clothes with more frilly, feminine touches to create a look and style all their own.
4. Twilight
In the 90’s, grunge bands from the Pacific Northwest ushered in a style all their own that swept the nation. In the early 2000’s, Stephanie Meyer’s teen epic set in the same locale inspired the comeback of a combination of two fashions from the 20th century: goth and grunge.
5. Desperately Seeking Susan
In the early 1980’s, a new artist was making waves in the emerging dance club scene in New York City. She inspired the club culture with her eclectic look of ripped fishnet stockings, fingerless gloves, multiple chains with Catholic symbolism and oversized shirts exposing black, lacy bras. It wasn’t until Madonna appeared in the feature film Desperately Seeking Susan that her signature look inspired an entire nation’s fashion trends.
While movies have long inspired mainstream fashion trends, there is probably no time of year that movies are more influential than at Halloween. Every year, millions of Americans plan elaborate movie themed costumes to wear for celebrations across the nation. Every year generally spawns a number of movies that are seen most prevalently and costume houses generally stock a wide variety of movie costumes. From super heroes to SNL inspired movies, Halloween is a great time to indulge your passion for movie fashions that never quite made it to the mainstream.
Reply