Movies have always set trends in fashion, so what characters wear on-screen starts becoming a staple for the regular viewer. Both female and male characters influence trends, so we can recall Audrey Hepburn’s Little Black Dress in Breakfast at Tiffany’s as revolutionary. However, when Tom Cruise appeared on screen in Top Gun as Pete ‘Maverick’ Mitchell, everyone went nuts with bomber jackets and shades.

Some trends are timeless, and others returned to the real world after many years (especially the 2000s fashion), but we must recognize that the creativity of stylists in various settings appearing in films can empower people to want to be like the characters they love.

So, without further ado, let’s see some of the best movies that have shaped fashion.

Mean Girls (2004)

Mean Girls wasn’t only a movie, it was a cultural reset. The film followed a group of high school students who called themselves the Plastics. The head of the group was Regina George, who was also the most beautiful when compared to the other two girls. Cady Heron becomes the fourth member of the group soon into the movie, and high school drama unfolds from that point on. We’ve got dirty secrets, boyfriends, and a lot of fashion.

The 2000s ruled the Y2K style, which is heavily showcased in the movie, with the girls wearing low-rise jeans, plaid mini skirts, and designer accessories. Many of these trends have returned to the modern days, even if a bit refined, showing how old-style fashion can become the new trend even 20 years after the release of the movie. If you want to embrace the style of Regina George as well, you only have to look for preppy and polished pieces, wear a lot of pink, and find gowns that beautifully hug your body shape.

Breakfast at Tiffany’s (1961)

Audrey Hepburn was always everyone’s favorite, but when she appeared with the little black Givenchy dress in Breakfast at Tiffany’s, she created a forever fashion statement. The movie focuses on the relationship between eccentric fashionista Holly Golightly and struggling writer Paul Varjak, who live in the same apartment building. Holly has a soft spot for Tiffany’s jewelry and enters the store every time she wants to feel a little better.

But the little black dress she wore set a high standard for elegance. What’s a more effortless but impactful gown than a simple black dress that screams luxury? With a properly fitted silhouette and a few accessories, Hepburn showed the world how simple it is to look amazing and feel like yourself through clothes.

Clueless (1995)

Clueless was another teenage film everyone adored. The plot revolves around the beautiful and popular Cher and her best friend Dionne, who target potential couples and orchestrate their meetings. However, these little games end up messing with Cher’s life, leaving her clueless, so she changes by making an effort to live a life with purpose.

However, amid all the drama, Cher’s wardrobe was a cultural staple, especially with her plaid yellow ensemble that shook the 90s fashion. The film adapted regular fashion rules and made tartan part of a grunge set, but the usual suit included miniskirts, knee-high socks, and bold patterns. Let’s not forget that Cher used a dial-up desktop computer whose best function was to match clothes, so this might be where clothing apps might’ve taken inspiration from.

The Matrix (1999)

Who doesn’t want to look as cool as Keanu Reeves as Neo living in a dystopian future? While the character was trapped in the Matrix, where intelligent machines worked on simulating various realities, his fits were most appreciated. Well, not only his.

The badass leather movement in the movie was a trendsetter and is still appreciated to this day. The cyberpunk aesthetic is even more accurate today as humanity evolves and technology develops, so black leather trend coats and form-fitting garments shaped trends for streetwear, for example. Kym Barret, the one and only costume designer for The Matrix, went the extra mile to pinpoint the character’s features and the movie’s messages through clothes. The iconic tiny sunglasses were a representation of hiding one’s identity, which the Agents wore, while humans like Neo and Trinity wore them to mirror the outside world back on itself.

Atonement (2007)

Going from street style to eveningwear, Atonement is best known for the amazing green silk dress that Keira Knightley’s character, Cecilia Tallis, wore during one of the most beautiful scenes in the movie. The film will shatter your soul as we follow the story of Cecilia and her younger sister, Briony, who is spying on her and will later make an unprecedented mistake, changing lives forever.

Costume designer Jacqueline Durran created the dress, as director Joe Wright asked her to design something memorable for the scene in the movie. The emerald-green dress combines fashion trends from the mid-1930s with something from the 2000s, as it is considered rather modern.

The Devil Wears Prada (2006)

Last but not least, The Devil Wears Prada encompassed multiple fashion trends and showed how unjust and raw the fashion industry is. Andrea “Andy” Sachs gets to be hired as a junior personal assistant to Miranda Priestly, editor-in-chief of the renowned Runway magazine in NYC. As she struggles to blend in, especially from the clothing point of view, Andrea gets to learn and adapt to the challenging job and learn other’s respect.

The movie will judge you for your fashion sense but also inspire you for what to wear when a fashion apocalypse is upon us. The chemistry between characters shows how important it is to write fashionistas as witty, but the movie also dwells on the least glamorous part of the fashion world.

What’s your favorite fashion movie?

From the little black dress in Breakfast at Tiffany’s to the Chanel thigh-highs in The Devil Wears Prada, fashion movies represent how clothes can influence our moods and even our personalities, and these films have surely become timeless.