Wednesday, October 22, 2008

Let's Go to the Movies & Shop for Inspiration

The lovely H of Candid Cool recently posted on her movie inspirations, and I've been meaning to post on mine, but as I found out, finding movie stills of the outfits I have in mind was not as easy as I remembered. Still, here are some of the movies that I love for the fashion:

Gladiator


As you may know, I absolutely love the grecian draped look, and this movie did not disappoint in this department. There were many lavish costumes worn by Connie Nielsen, but the one above (although not very clear) was my favourite due to its simplicity.

Hero




This movie by Zhang Yimou is one of my favourite movies. Incredibly ravishing, stylistic, and with an ingenious use of colour, the movie was divided into 'red', 'white', 'blue' and 'green' (I couldn't find a picture of 'blue'). This made for a truly stunning movie to watch, there was beauty in the movement and action, and the flowy Chinese costumes were just divine.

In the Mood for Love



When walking out of the movies after seeing 'In the Mood for Love', I had a huge craving for wonton noodle soup, and every single Cheong Sam (hope I spelt that right) that Maggie Cheung wore in this movie. With her lithe figure, and slow sensual walk up and down the streets of 50's Shanghai, Maggie Cheung has never made this Chinese dress look hotter. There were Cheong Sam's in a multitude of gorgeously delicious fabrics, my favourite being a silk floral organza that left me drooling. There wasn't much dialogue in this movie, but the dresses spoke volumes to me.

Amelie

I'm afraid my pictures above don't really show much of the wardrobe in 'Amelie', but it conveys a general feel of this amazing movie, which is also one of my favourites, along with 'A very long engagement' & 'Priceless' - all featuring the gorgeous Audrey Tautou. With a clever use of red and green throughout the movie, Amelie wore very cute & very Parisian outfits, that added to this amazingly magical movie.

A very long engagement

Another brilliant and beautiful movie by Jean-Pierre Jeunet (same director as 'Amelie'). Set during World War I, the costumes are just divine. The outfit above was my absolute favourite (shame I couldn't find a better picture), and I would happily wear it today.

Priceless (Hors De'Prix)

Seems like all the movies I've posted (with the exception of Gladiator) are all my favourite movies, and not just for the fashion, although it was absolutely breathtaking in 'Priceless'. As a modern-day Holly Golightly in 'Breakfast at Tiffany's, Audrey Tautou's character had a penchant for high fashion labels and anything luxurious, and her wardrobe was just that, dressing in top French fashion from head-to-toe, she was drop-dead-gorgeous.

n.b. All photos from Amelie, A very long Engagement & Pricessless are from www.audrey-tautou.org

There are so many more movies that inspire me fashion-wise, but I could be here forever. What are your favourite movie inspirations for fashion?

25 comments:

  1. love amelie! and totally agree about the costumes Hero. They fit in seamlessly with the plot and background. great movie taste girl!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Great picks! I thought the cinematography in Hero was just gorgeous and loved how they used color to depict scenes. Hehe you forgot another great fashion movie: the SATC movie!

    ReplyDelete
  3. i love the flowy costumes in hero, theyre lovely. and audrey tatou is an amazing actress, shes my favourite!

    ReplyDelete
  4. I LOVE the grecian draped looks in The Gladiator too! And I haven't seen Priceless, but I think I have to after looking at these photos. Such great dresses!

    ReplyDelete
  5. uhrg, i LOVED A Very Long Engagment. so beautiful

    ReplyDelete
  6. Amelie inspires my life! :)
    I like the looks of all of these and now I need to watch the ones I haven't seen.
    Bugsy Malone is a great style movie for me. Also Lost in Translation and Stranger than Fiction...but I think I tend to relate more to characters than their actual clothes.

    ReplyDelete
  7. What a lovley post!I so agree with you with your choices but I have to say that my biggest movie inspiration is rosemary's baby...I just love all the cute little dresses!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Thanks for your replies mikkle, nv & caroline!

    mothersvea - Can you believe I haven't seen Rosemary's Baby yet? Must put it on my 'must watch' list :)

    the clothes horse - I thought you would be an Amelie-phile! I love your Labbit pictures, as much as I loved the 'gnome' in the movie, so cute!

    sunniva - yes, Priceless is definitely worth seeing! And not just for the fashion, love that movie!

    H of Candid Cool - Haha on Alexander! I remember that movie being absolutely painful, and can't remember if I watched it to the end, but yes, the costumes were gorgeous! I totally agree with you on Maggie Cheung changing Cheong Sam's in every scene, each one more beautiful than the last. I must admit I didn't focus that much on the fashion in 'Memoirs of a Geisha', as I was so disappointed with the movie (read the book, and truly think everyone was miscast), I vaguely remember the costumes being beautiful though.

    MizzJ - as much as I love SATC, and the fashion in it, I didn't find it 'inspiring' as such, although it did inspire me to hunt down those Dior Extremes, haha!

    ReplyDelete
  9. I adore Amelie. I might watch that today actually.

    ReplyDelete
  10. That movie, priceless, was super entertaining. I really liked all the stuff Audrey was wearing. :)

    ReplyDelete
  11. great inspiration! I am very inspired by movies! I personally love Breakfast at Tiffany's (off course), Atonement, Maire Antoinette, MAtch point and Wild at Heart...

    ReplyDelete
  12. the daily masquerade - I was going to include Marie Antoinette as well! That movie is just a visual feast! Absolutely gorgeous in every single detail! Ah, the desserts, the fashion, Kirsten...all just stunning!

    ReplyDelete
  13. maggie cheung is just perfect in "in the mood for love" ... all her cheongsam dresses are to die for. i love the very high collar that makes her look so elegant.

    amelie has been in france one of the most successfull movies in cinema history.
    audrey tautou looks so graceful and fragile, she is so cute !!!

    ReplyDelete
  14. Wow, I love all those movies...
    For inspiration, I would say "Amélie" of course, always, also "A bout de souffle", on how to wear striped t-shirts, and I get inspiration from tv series "Pushing Daisies" too...the girl's outfits are amazing.
    And I admire all the costumes from "Dolls", made by Yamamoto. Unbelievably beautiful.

    ReplyDelete
  15. La Clocharde - as a huge fan of stripey tops, I must watch "A bout de souffle" on your recommendation :)

    DYDWD & sorin - I totally agree!

    ReplyDelete
  16. Maggie Chung is so fabulous... watched most of her movies! Great post dear...

    Greetings fm California*

    ReplyDelete
  17. Thanks lenorevermore! Ooh, California! I lived one year in Brentwood, my grandmother lives in Pasadena, and I have cousins in San Fran & San Diego (and also more relatives in LA), so greetings from Down Under to you! :)

    ReplyDelete
  18. =o no joke every movie you have their is also on my inspiration list! I just loved priceless! Have you watched The Valet? And Hero! Just makes me wanna go to buy a kimono!

    ReplyDelete
  19. Madame Dior - I haven't seen The Valet, is it recent? Will have to look it up :)

    ReplyDelete
  20. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

    ReplyDelete
  21. Hi
    I wrote that anonymous comment above, and whenever my website shows up on Google...so does this comment!
    Could you kindly delete it.

    Thanks!!

    ReplyDelete
  22. in case anyone wanted them, i know of exactly one source for complete screencaps of "in the mood for love." the quality is pretty good for sets and wardrobe.

    http://cap.tacular.net/movies/index.php

    ReplyDelete