MY 9 FAVORITE NON-FASHION FASHION FILMS

Movies with costumes that shine without shouting.

So here’s the thing: We’ve all read those lists cataloging movies with incredible costume design. And they’re more or less the same. It’s a safe bet you’ll find the likes of Marie Antoinette, Sabrina, I Am Love, Bram Stoker’s Dracula, or A Single Man somewhere in the mix. And they’re all deserving. They just make for very well-trod territory. I have something else in mind.

There are innumerable criteria I could note that make a film’s costume design exceptional. When deciding on the movies that would make the cut for this particular exercise, I wanted examples that didn’t try to be an overt focus but simply made me say of the characters, “God, they looked great,” once the credits rolled.

Some inclusions on this list are period pieces but none are capital ‘C’ costume dramas. Being lavish is not a requirement. The characters don’t look any less spectacular.

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1. BIRTH (2004)
   Costume Designer: John Dunn
   
   What would you do if a decade after the death of your husband, a 10-year-old boy finds you claiming to be him – reincarnated? A heavy subject and one that Birth handles with haunting sensitivity. Nicole Kidman stars as Anna, the Upper East Side widow in question, who traverses the pitfalls of this psychological drama wearing the most immaculately controlled wardrobe I’ve ever seen with the kind of tasteful restraint I aspire to. If perfect black cashmere sweaters, crisp sheath dresses and camel separates are your thing, this is the movie for you.

   

   

   

   

   
   

2. THE HEIRESS (1949)
   Costume Designer: Edith Head
   
   Containing what is arguably Olivia de Havilland’s most electric performance, The Heiress plays some serious sleight of hand with the audience. The film – adapted from the stage play that shares its name – centers on Catherine Sloper, a wealthy young woman who lives with her father in a tony Washington Square townhouse circa 1849. She’s shy, meek and her father’s eternal disappointment, a shadow of her charming late mother. But after spending more than half the film abused with snide comments and heartless criticism, there’s, err, a turn. Before and after this inflection point, Catherine dresses in the finery appropriate for a New York woman of her station, equal parts romantic and rigorous, a neckline of handmade lace balanced by the boning of a corset. Every look reflects her evolution through to the very last shot.

   

   

   

   
   

3. DAMAGE (1992)
   Costume Designer: Milena Canonero
   
   There’s something about watching people lay the groundwork for their own destruction. In Damage, Dr. Stephen (Jeremy Irons), a member of the British Parliament develops an obsession with his son’s girlfriend Anna (Juliette Binoche) [I guess there’s something about this list and characters with that name?]. Anna returns Dr. Stephen’s compulsion and the two embark on an affair depicted by director Louis Malle in peak ‘90s erotic style. Anna’s impeccable leather jackets, sensuous silk blouses, and smoky stocking-clad legs are matched by Dr. Stephen’s soft suiting in muted neutrals, ideally rumpled car coats, and pinstriped button-ups.

   

   

   

   

   
   

4. MY BEST FRIEND’S WEDDING (1997)
   Costume Designer: Jeffrey Kurtland
   
   A modern rom-com classic if there ever was one, My Best Friend’s Wedding is about what happens when Julianne (Julia Roberts) realizes far too late that her former lover and best friend might just be the man she’s been looking for all along. The styling here, set against a stunning Chicago backdrop, is the version of ‘90s fashion so many brands have turned to for inspiration in recent years, particularly the oversized, masculine Armani suiting on women, taupe separates, slim cardigans, and minimalist dresses. A total dream in every sense of the phrase.

   

   

   

   
   

5. PASSING (2021)
   Costume Designer: Marci Rogers
   
   Passing is a difficult film to pin down. That’s an enormous part of what makes it such a genuine work of art. Adapted from the 1929 novel of the same name, Passing tells the story of two light-skinned Black women (Ruth Negga; Tessa Thompson) as they straddle the segregated world of 1920s New York City with their ability to pass for white. One has taken that ability so far that the revelation of her true identity could prove explosive. Passing’s costume design beautifully sidesteps the flapper cliches while embracing the soft silhouettes and malleable accessories that continue to make the period so relevant.

   

   

   

   
   

6. ALLIED (2016)
   Costume Designer: Joanna Johnston
   
   As much a spy thriller as a dissection of human relationships, Allied has a visual panache rarely seen in contemporary cinema. The tale of Canadian airforce pilot Max Vatan (Brad Pitt) and French resistance fighter Marianne Beauséjour (Marion Cotillard), the film depicts the dangers encountered by the two operatives as they go on deadly missions for allied forces during WWII. But Marianne might not be quite who she seems. Whether jaunting through London’s post-Blitz rubble or dining in Morocco, both protagonists make me long for a closet full of 1940s gems – shoulder pads included.

   

   

   

   
   

7. THE PARENT TRAP (1998)
   Costume Designer: Penny Rose
   
   A generational touchstone that I will never not watch if I come across it on TV, the 1998 version of The Parent Trap is that rare remake so excellent it goes on to earn its own distinct place in the hearts and minds of viewers. We all know the plot: twins separated in infancy meet at summer camp and hatch a plan to rekindle romance between their estranged parents. As infinitely charming as the entire thing is, I can’t help but also have a bit of wardrobe envy whenever I watch. There isn’t a single character – whether relaxing at a vine-covered Napa vineyard or sipping tea in a stately London townhouse – who doesn’t look perfectly at ease and effortlessly put together.

   

   

   

   
   

8. AN AFFAIR TO REMEMBER (1957)
   Costume Designer: Charles Le Maire
   
   An Affair To Remember has ruined my (and just about everyone else’s) realistic standards for romance. I enjoy it all the same. Nickie (Cary Grant) and Terry (Deborah Kerr) meet on a transatlantic voyage from Europe to New York City. A friendship is struck after repeated chance encounters before developing into a romance. Both involved with other people, they pledge to meet at the top of the Empire State Building in six months if they’ve managed to reboot their lives – breaking up with their significant others and starting new careers – and if they still want to be together. The universe has different plans. Yes, there are some stunning gowns and tuxedos donned along the way, but what sticks with me most are the sublime day clothes. It’s not often that a day dress makes one gasp.

   

   

   

   
   

9. THE ENGLISH PATIENT (1996)
   Costume Designer: Ann Roth
   
   I’ve never wanted to run off to the desert so badly as when I watch The English Patient. A variety of epic that truly doesn’t get made anymore, this movie is a beast of a romance largely told in flashbacks by a mysterious burn patient (Ralph Fiennes) as he’s being looked after by a nurse named Hana (Juliette Binoche) [I suppose Binoche is also a recurring theme on this list.]. The cinematography breathtakingly captures various African locations with the characters wearing looks that seem born from the sky and earth. A white shirt and tan pants have rarely looked so sublime.