FROM the romanticised streets of Paris to the busy city of KL, fashion has been a defining aspect of society. A visual display of the society’s personality and colour, it is also an avenue for self-expression and retaliation.
However, as collateral of capitalism and greed, fashion has adopted a superficial and materialistic facade that we are familiar with today.
The industry is not without its vices — from substance abuse and exploitation to crimes, its darker, more demanding side has coexisted with the more glamorous, avant-garde anterior.
So, here are seven narrative works, picked by theSun, that have redefined the essence of this beautiful, enigmatic world.
The Devil Wears Prada (Netflix)
This movie is a right of passage for fashion editors and media babes because, at some point, we all wanted to be Miranda Priestly (Meryl Streep). Set in fashion city New York, the movie follows aspiring journalist Andrea Sachs (Anne Hathaway) and her journey towards self-discovery in the chaotic, conceited fashion world. The 2006 movie is based on a novel, released in 2003, by Lauren Weisberger. Rumour has it, Priestly’s character was inspired by Vogue’s editor-in-chief Anna Wintour.
Mrs Harris Goes To Paris (Netflix)
Another book-to-movie adaptation, the 2022 movie is a light-hearted comedy-drama about a widowed cleaning lady Mrs Ada Harris, who flies to Paris to buy a dress from la maison Dior. The heartwarming film sees Mrs Harris embrace a new life by forging new relationships, including with herself, in the city of love in her authentic way.
The Minimalist: Less Is Now (Netflix)
The glitzy world of fashion can be frivolous and excessive, this 2021 documentary film focuses on two friends, Joshua Fields
Millburn and Ryan Nicodemus (aka Minimalists), who share insights on the benefits of minimalism. The documentary offers a fresh perspective, now embraced by the niche industry, on over-consumption, focusing on identity rather than material possessions.
Fashion (Netflix)
A breakout movie for Priyanka Chopra, the Hindi-language film is a bold commentary on the fashion industry that often exploits its models and crew. Meghna Mathur, played by Chopra, defies her parents and moves to Mumbai to become a supermodel only to be met with the darker side of the industry, which involves substance abuse and exploitation.
Breakfast at Tiffany’s (Apple TV)
The third book-to-movie adaptation in this list. Breakfast at Tiffany’s may not be an archetypal fashion movie, but Audrey Hepburn’s iconic looks as Holly Golightly are significant due to its influence on fashion and pop culture. From the opening black dress to the pink date night dress, Hepburn’s looks were recreated recurrently in contemporary times. Opening with Golightly looking into the windows of Tiffany & Co, the movie embodies a romanticised, sophisticated New York through the fashion lens.
Phantom Thread (Apple TV)
Released in 2017, Phantom Thread is a gothic romance that follows the story of haute couture dressmaker Reynolds Woodcock (Daniel Day-Lewis), who takes on a young waitress Alma (Vicky Krieps) as his muse. An obsessive artist, the dismissal for Woodcock’s predatory and controlling behaviour because of his “genius” mirrors the toxic power imbalance woven in the threads of beautiful gowns that exists between muses and designers.
The September Issue (Apple TV)
This documentary provides an intimate look at the life of Vogue’s editor-in-chief Wintour as she orchestrates the production of the September 2007 issue, which is by far the largest one released. The documentary offers an inside scoop on the busiest times for fashion magazines as it
captures rare behind-the-scenes perspective of the complicated and tedious process.
From whimsical journeys and iconic style intervals to unflinching critiques of excess and exploitation, these motion pictures reveal the multifaceted world of fashion, reminding us it is not just an industry — it is an evolving reflection of our culture, creativity and complexities.
