The Best Movies About Fashion You Should Watch

When you think of movies about fashion, The September Issue is often the first one that comes to mind. The film is a 90-minute documentary that depicts the glamorous, fashion-filled life of Vogue’s editor-in-chief, Anna Wintour, as she prepares for the 2007 September issue, the biggest, most important Vogue of the year. The resultant pressure and hard work thrown into creating the magazine are honestly portrayed, and viewers will be thrown into the crazy, glitzy world of Vogue and magazine editing. There are appearances by Oscar de la Renta, Jean-Paul Gaultier, Karl Lagerfeld and Vera Wang amongst others, lending a truly stylish edge to the film.

The Devil Wears Prada is undoubtedly one of the best movies about fashion ever made. Meryl Streep is the stern, terrifying boss (said to be inspired by Anna Wintour) and Anne Hathaway is the lovable, klutzy intern in this fashion flick, who gets swept along in the all-consuming world of style and high-profile writing. Hathaway’s character goes through a style transformation as she works her way up in the fashion world, but is also forced to confront her own self amidst the external chaos of the industry. Expect cattiness, tears, and lots and lots of fashion.

Audrey Hepburn is the protagonist of this musical about a girl thrown into the fashion industry, with yet another high-pressure, nightmare boss. Hepburn plays a clerk at a bookstore who is discovered as a fashion model when a photoshoot takes place at the store. She soon discovers, however, that the fashion industry is not as glamorous as it might seem, and her fierce boss, supposedly inspired by Diana Vreeland, makes life very difficult for her. Funny Face is an elegant, quirky film that any fashion fan should watch.

Audrey Tautou does a great job of embodying Coco Chanel in this charming biography of the couturier’s life before she became famous. A bar performer and milliner, Coco lived a rough life before she established her own design label, and even when she started, her now classic fashion choices were seen as bizarre and mannish. Coco Before Chanel tells the struggle of a woman trying to make it on her own in a world dominated by old-fashioned norms.

Diana Vreeland is one of the most famous figures in the fashion world, having spent many years working for both Harper’s Bazaar and Vogue. This incredible, powerful woman revolutionized the fashion industry and chose to make people’s imperfections their most attractive asset. This film tells her story, including many icons’ thoughts on her, and shows the viewer the huge impact she made on the fashion world during the 20th century. There are interviews and audio recordings with the legendary figure herself, but also of her immediate family and close friends.

Bergdorf Goodman is one of New York City’s most iconic department stores. It is known throughout the fashion world: if this luxury store decides to sell your products, it means that you have made it in the industry. It is the mecca of high-fashion addicts and A-listers, and some are so infatuated with the store that they have even claimed to want their ashes scattered there when they die, which is what inspired this documentary’s title.

Carrie Bradshaw is synonymous with fashion. Her crazy fashion sense, her passion for Manolo Blahniks and her addiction to fabulous accessories make her one of the most famous on-screen style icons of our generation. Samantha, Miranda, and Charlotte are all incredibly stylish too, and fashion lovers will revel in all the brands and labels thrown around. Sex and the City fans will appreciate the opportunity to reunite with the much-loved characters, and anyone will enjoy the humor and light drama of this fashion-forward movie.

This film might not be as much about high fashion as all the others on this list but is an entertaining watch. The title tells it all – Isla Fisher plays a fashion-crazy college graduate whose shopping has spiraled out of control. Her job is writing about fashion, and she is so immersed in that world that she does not realize that she is massively in debt from all her shopping. It is a quirky rom-com about a young girl trying to find her place in the world, and is worth a watch as much for the amazing costumes as the lovable characters.