Seven movie characters’ wardrobes we’d steal if we could

The best of fashion and film, from vintage Chanel to Raf Simons’ Jill Sander.

Fashion and film have always been inextricably linked. There’s a theatricality to clothing that comes to life in motion; textures that shift with movement, silhouettes that reveal themselves under lights, whether on a runway, a red carpet or through the grain of a 35mm lens.

For decades, designers have been taking cues from the silver screen, with directors tapping fashion industry juggernauts for costuming help in return. It’s a method I try to follow when I find myself lacking creativity in my own wardrobe. When inspiration’s low, who better to turn to than cinema’s greatest (and most stylish) characters?

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When TikTok and Pinterest fail me, I know MUBI – the streaming platform specialising in curated, original films – has my back. Following a recent style slump, I compiled a list of some of my favourite on-screen wardrobes, including starring roles from Brigitte Bardot, Chloë Sevigny and Tilda Swinton. 

Scroll on to feel inspired and discover your own favourites with 30 days of free screening on MUBI, using the code: fashionjournal. You’re welcome!

Edna, Magic Farm

Starring award-winning actor and perennial style muse, Chloë Sevigny, Magic Farm is a delightfully acerbic comedy about an ill-prepared American documentary crew that travels to rural Argentina for a potential scoop. 

It’s offbeat and colour-soaked with a nostalgic ’70s feel, much like the wardrobe of Chloë’s character, Edna. Dressed in Miu Miu, Eckhaus Latta and pieces from Chloë’s own enviable collection, Edna’s outfits are equal parts fabulous and impractical. As one Letterboxd reviewer put it, “Tabi shoes at Da farm.”

Watch it here.

Emma, I Am Love

Who better to play the impossibly chic daughter of a Russian art dealer than Tilda Swinton? In Luca Guadagnino’s I Am Love, we watch her character, Emma, attempt to integrate into her husband’s bourgeois, old-money Milanese family. 

The then-creative director of Jill Sander, Raf Simons, worked with the team to curate Emma’s wardrobe – all gauzy silk dresses, cashmere knitwear, slinky coats and pearls.

Watch it here.

Angéla, A Woman is a Woman

Directed by Jean-Luc Godard, a pioneer of the 1960s French New Wave film movement, A Woman is a Woman stars Anna Karina as Angéla, a stripper who longs for a baby with her unwilling boyfriend. 

In addition to being an offbeat musical, it’s also a lesson in charming, gamine ’60s style. Complete with thick winged liner and swoopy brunette bangs, Angéla’s wardrobe consists of nautical separates, bold primary colours, preppy knits and one perfect A-line, corseted dress.

Watch it here.

Chloe, Lick the Star

A classic Sofia Coppola exploration of girlhood and female friendship, Lick the Star is a 14-minute short that follows a group of (slightly terrifying) high schoolers as they plan to poison a male classmate. Released in 1998, the outfits are pure ’90s nostalgia, think lace, studs, plaid, chokers and leopard print. With her dark lipstick and razor-thin brows, Chloe, the group’s ringleader, has every teenage girl’s dream wardrobe.

Watch it here.

Cheryl, The Watermelon Woman

The year is 1996 – video rental stores are booming, the internet is in its infancy and grunge fashion is at its peak. In The Watermelon Woman, the writer, actress and director Cheryl Dunye plays herself – a young, queer filmmaker who becomes obsessed with a Black actress from the 1930s. As she searches to uncover the actress’s identity, she does so in a series of effortlessly cool, unbuttoned bowling shirts, argyle sweater vests, oversized jorts and chunky silver accessories. With summer finally here, The Watermelon Woman is a must-watch for warm-weather style inspiration

Watch it here.

Maureen, Personal Shopper

As the title suggests, Kristen Stewart plays a personal shopper to a celebrity living in Paris, with an unexpected supernatural twist. It’s a glamorous, psychological thriller in which Kristen’s character, Maureen, switches between her two lives (and wardrobes). While Maureen’s everyday style is a laidback mix of vintage tees, worn-in denim and oversized sweaters, at night, she slips into borrowed Chanel and Christian Louboutin for jobs on the red carpet. It’s the best of both worlds, really. 

Watch it here.

Camille, Contempt

Another new-wave drama from Jean-Luc Godard (the French are just so chic!), Contempt stars Brigitte Bardot as Camille, the disillusioned wife of an aspiring playwright. Naturally, Brigitte’s beauty is captivating – all windswept blonde hair and pouty pink lips – but the costuming will also make you want to buy a Breton-striped tee, like immediately. Camille’s wardrobe is feminine and sexy without being overt; a mix of wide ’60s headbands, perfectly tailored A-line skirts, cropped cardigans and modest heels.

Watch it here.

For more fashion-forward cinema, browse MUBI.