TOP 10 Fashion films

By Laura Martínez

Fashion is cinema's great omniscient protagonist; it can elevate a character or film to icon status or condemn it to oblivion. Here, we give you the lowdown on the 10 films that must be seen if you consider yourself a dedicated follower of fashion.

1. THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA (DAVID FRANKEL, 2006)

A true classic for any fashion lover. Meryl Streep plays the feared Miranda Priestly (a character inspired by the legendary editor of American Vogue, Anna Wintour) at the helm of Runway magazine, whose orbit Anne Hathaway falls into by chance in the role of Andrea Sachs, a young woman who is unfamiliar with the demanding and often superficial world of fashion, but who ends up completely winning over Miranda. The evolution of Andrea's looks during the film, the comic touches of a brilliant Emily Blunt and the exciting hustle and bustle of fashion are the main ingredients of a movie that has managed to maintain its status over time.

2. YVES SAINT LAURENT (JALIL LESPERT, 2014)

This genius's work and personal life are intertwined in this film, which portrays his journey from becoming head designer of the House of Dior in 1957 to creating his own brand in 1961. The film endeavours to deal with all the facets of the great master of haute couture, from his relationship with Pierre Bergé and his complexity as an artist to his successes and failures. Pierre Niney, the actor who plays Saint Laurent, won a César award for his performance, beating Gaspard Ulliel, who also played the couturier in a rival film in the same year.

3. FUNNY FACE (STANLEY DONEN, 1957)

Audrey Hepburn finds herself living a fairy tale in 1950s Paris. In this musical romantic comedy, one of the last of its kind in classic Hollywood, the Greenwich Village bookstore clerk becomes a model for Quality magazine, an American fashion publication. The magazine's editor and photographer, Dick Avery, convinces the young bookseller Jo Stockton (Hepburn) to become the publication's top model. Set in post-war Paris and accompanied by the music of George and Ira Gershwin, Jo and Dick fall in love.

4. COCO BEFORE CHANEL (ANNE FONTAINE, 2009)

The director focuses on the years before the legend of Coco Chanel was forged to better understand the woman behind the icon. The film takes us from her years at boarding school to her early couture days in Paris and the tragic love stories at the peak of her career. French actress Audrey Tatou - eternally Amélie - elegantly embodies the essence of a woman marked by a difficult childhood and the need to feel loved.

5. WHO ARE YOU, POLLY MAGGOO? (WILLIAM KLEIN, 1966)

This genial satire by William Klein about the ins and outs of the fashion world is an unmissable classic. Set in Paris in 1966, TV journalist Jeane Rochefort and his crew follow a model named Polly Maggoo (Dorothy McGowan) for a documentary. Deliberately ironic, satirical and quirky, this film has many memorable moments and is renowned for its standout 60s garments.

6. PHANTOM THREAD (PAUL THOMAS ANDERSON, 2017)

The film tells the story of Reynold Woodcock (Daniel Day-Lewis in his last role before retiring from the seventh art), a grand master of haute couture in 50s London. This sober yet elegant film is a chronicle of the fashion industry at the time, which also includes a bonus that we always like: a love story. The film won the Oscar for Best Costume Design in its year of release.

7. PRÊT À PORTER (ROBERT ALTMAN, 1994)

Shot during Paris Fashion Week in the spring of 1994, this oft-forgotten Robert Altman film is worth seeing, if only for the amazing outfits worn by Julia Roberts, Kim Basinger and Sophia Loren. It's not Altman's best film, but with a superb supporting cast of Rupert Everett, Lauren Bacall and Tim Robbins, it is undoubtedly one of his most iconic.

8. PERSONAL SHOPPER (OLIVIER ASSAYAS, 2016)

Kristen Stewart is front and centre as an unbalanced Personal Shopper in this haunting film by Olivier Assayas, for which he won Best Director at Cannes in its year of release. The torment of its protagonist, Maureen, troubled by the spirit of her deceased brother, intertwines with the demands of a job that is anything but spiritual. The interesting thing about the film is that the search between the superficial and the spiritual is a point where we all can find ourselves at some point in our lives.

9. THE NEON DEMON (NICOLAS WINDING REFN, 2016)

A young girl heads to Los Angeles hoping to start a career as a model. Her rapid rise to fame, beauty and natural style generate intense envy and jealousy among the other models. The film shows the dark side of the fashion industry for young women and how obsession damages mental health. The Neon Demon was presented in the official competition at the 2016 Cannes Film Festival and features Elle Fanning in her most disturbing role to date.

10. THE DRESSMAKER (JOCELYN MOORHOUSE, 2015)

The fantastic Kate Winslet plays a successful dressmaker named Tilly, who returns to her hometown after a long stint working in the grand couture houses of Paris. With heavy doses of comedy, this Australian film portrays a poisonous society where rumours feed the inner emptiness of a jaded community.