Photo: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons

With women in modern films being renowned for their superior fashion sense, it is a surprise that a recent poll has shown that it is the women from the films of yesteryear whom have received the most amount of praise for their style. The poll was done by the DVD rental film Lovefilm in order to judge what viewers saw as the greatest female screen outfit. This was done to coincide with the release of Sex and the City 2 which has already received praise for its fashion.

The legend lives on

Forty-nine years after the release of Breakfast at Tiffany’s, the long black Givenchy dress that Audrey Hepburn wore as Holly Golightly in the film has come out tops on the list as the best film frock. The dress has become some what of a legend with one of the three that were made for the film selling for £410, 000 in an auction in 2006. The dress is accessorised with a string of pearls and black gloves and has become the epitome of elegance. Helen Cowley who is the editor of Lovefilms, has commented that Audrey Hepburn transformed the little black dress into a fashion must-have.

Classic looks never die

Other styles from classic films that made it onto the list were Marilyn Monroe’s famous white dress that she airs over a vent in The Seven Year Itch (1955) which came in third; Ursula Andress’s barely-there belted bikini that she wears in the James Bond flick Dr. No (1962) which came in fourth; Audrey Hepburn’s second entry with the glamorous long white dress that she wears as Eliza Doolittle in My Fair Lady (1964) which was number six; the skin tight black outfit that Olivia Newton-John as Sandy wears in Grease (1978) which was number seven; and Raquel Welch’s leather and fur bikini that she wears in One Million Years BC (1966), which came in seventh.

Looking back

Photo: avidDjJohnson / Wikimedia Commons

There are only four entries of the ten that come from films that were released in the last decade. Number two on the list is the emerald green Jacqueline Durran designed dress that Keira Knightley wears in Atonement but even though this film was released in 2007, the film was set in the 1930s so the dress is distinctive of what one would find in that era. Kate Hudson’s gold dress with ribbon detail that she wears in How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days (2003) which comes in at number five is a perfect example of how a classic elegant dress can be adapted to the modern day. The sparkling corset and top hat that Nicole Kidman dons in Moulin Rouge (2001), which was number eight is another case of a modern day film that is set in the past, in this case the nineteenth century. Using the styles that were worn at the actual Moulin Rouge during this period, the costume designers decided to add a bit more glamour to it like what is seen in fashion today.

Rounding up the list is the enchanting Vivienne Westwood wedding dress that the ultimate modern style icon, Carrie Bradshaw (played by Sarah Jessica Parker), wears in the first Sex and the City film (2008) which combines the traditional wedding dress with Vivienne Westwood’s edgy style. It is evident that although the modern styles have provided a fresh look to fashion it is ultimately influenced by the classic looks of the past.

Tags: dresses, fashion, films