Fashion Crush Top 5: Five movies you should dress like

By Emily Borrett

The first person whose style I ever truly loved was Ariel from the Little Mermaid – I wanted her cool shell bikini, despite only being about five – and then a little later on in life the Japanese twins from the Simpsons, Sherri and Terri.  I stand by that still – anyone who thinks it isn’t cool to wear a shell bikini or match their clothes and accessories to their hair colour is wrong. Little television addict that I was when I was a child (apparently I used to come home from school and mournfully wail to my mother that I “hadn’t been watching”), it would be fair to say that film and television has had a hefty influence on my style over the years. And admittedly, some former fashion crushes of mine have not stood the test of time. Two examples of the most cringe-worthy that come to mind were my obsession with Columbia in the Rocky Horror Picture Show many years ago -which lasted far too long and caused me to dress like a fat burlesque dancer – and my Disney Channel phase at the age of about 9, when I really dug Lizzie McGuire’s “neon brights and pedal pushers” look.

Wardrobe horrors aside, there have been some pretty iconic dressers in movie history that I still take a lot of inspiration from when I’m getting dressed in the morning. All of the women listed below look dope. All of their films are super-stylish, and if you haven’t seen them, you should, if not just for the clothes.

5. MIA WALLACE IN “PULP FICTION”

Uma Thurman’s character in this movie is like a monochrome queen. White shirt, black capris, milky skin and the sleekest black bob in history (soz, Anna Wintour). Classic styling, classic Chanel colours – she’s like a weird fashion cat that I want to catch and then keep prisoner in my house, so that it can teach me how to dress well and dance like it’s the 50s.

It’s a completely different kind of sexy to the kind that was at the time all over the covers of Vogue, in the form of super-women such as Christy Turlington, Cindy Crawford and Naomi Campbell. Instead of whipping out her legs or boobs, Mia Wallace draws you in with her hypnotic eyes and the smile of a cat who just got the five-dollar milkshake. And so she should, it’s a good look for her. I’m depressed that my bob will never look like that.

4. MADONNA IN “DESPERATELY SEEKING SUSAN”

Hey guys, remember when Madonna was really, really, really cool? In the eighties, way before she started to look like Popeye and show off her crotch all the time, Madonna was in a movie called Desperately Seeking Susan, in which she  got to act cool on screen for a couple hours and basically play herself. Except in the film she’s meant to be someone called Susan, not Madonna.

All the biggest fashions in the past couple of years like leather, lace, sheer clothing and chunky gothic jewellery – “Susan” wore it first. She did all the things you (probably) only dream of doing, like hanging out in weird cabaret bars, sleeping with the Mafia and getting arrested for trying to bunk cabs. You know, bad girl stuff. And she got to wear Jimi Hendrix’s jacket while she was at it too. Despite the film’s silly plot and dialogue it’s one of my comfort blanket films – if you’re into eighties and new wave fashion you should probably watch it.

3. CHER IN “CLUELESS”

“So what did you do in school today, Cher?” “Well… I broke in my purple clogs.” I love to watch Clueless every few months or so because it’s like a warm bubblebath for my brain. It leaves me feeling girly, bubbleheaded and happy for at least a week afterwards. I like the 90s soundtrack and the amount of brightly-coloured plaid they all wear (both the preppy and the British Heritage trend nailed in one, well done, Dion and Cher).

Cher deserves to be on this list not simply because she was rocking knee high socks and loafers way before the likes of Alexa Chung and Daisy Lowe, but for her sheer dedication to fashion. She really fought for her plight – it’s not many girls that have a computer programme to decide their outfits each morning. And it’s certainly not many girls that have the chutzpah to argue with a gun-toting mugger when they think their Aliya dress is in danger of getting dirty.

2. GRACE JONES IN “A VIEW TO A KILL”

The movie itself wasn’t the greatest James Bond of all time, and certainly not the most stylish one – that honour should go to one of the sixties ones – but Grace Jones deserves to be on this list because she’s fiercer than a shaved mongoose, and better than any of the big-haired blonde heroines that got to snog James at the end. Also, I don’t want her to beat me up.

I have yet to see someone that can rock Lennon shades, a buzz cut and hooded sportswear quite the way that Miss Jones can. The likes of Lady Gaga, Kelis and Amber Rose haven’t got anything on this woman.

1. HOLLY GOLIGHTLY IN “BREAKFAST AT TIFFANY’S”

To not put Holly Golightly at number one of this list would be like ignoring a massive, Chanel-clad elephant in the corner of the room. Queen of the up-do, costume jewellery and the trusty little black dress, it’s a style that is still massively referenced nearly fifty years on. You don’t need to look like a film star to dress like Holly Golightly – though it helps – which is the genius of the styling in this film. All you need to get a little of Audrey Hepburn’s style is a sharp black dress and shades, and voila – fashion magic. The beauty of her clothes is in the simplicity.

These are just some of my personal favourites – if you’ve got a cinema fashion favourite that you want to add in the comment box, do it! ShinyStyle wants to know who your fashion crushes are.