Although the likes of today’s most popular fashion magazines have been covering all of the latest news and gossip surrounding the stylish choices featured in the current onslaught of major motions pictures, here is the Movie Buzzers version of the top 10 most stylish films of 2010. Read more to see the fashionable list!
To see where I’m coming from, let’s take a quick look back on a few of the films from 2009 that set the precedent for this year in vogue. Had I been a member of the Movie Buzzers team this time last year, I would’ve selected the following films, in no particular order. We can easily award Tom Ford’s A Single Man for offering up a gorgeous attention to 1960’s detail, especially for Julianne Moore’s character.
Then there’s Rob Marshall’s Nine, which was a show stopping celebration of lace, glitter, lingerie, trendy mod style, and every bit of Italian glamour that’s possible to embrace in a big screen musical kind of way. Jean-Marc Vallé e’s period drama, The Young Victoria, was royal and regal with a dramatic burst of unforgettable elegance. And, there I thought that Emily Blunt couldn’t get any more fabulous after The Devil Wears Prada back in 2006.
Coco Before Chanel honored the birth of Chanel’s empire, and Anne Fontaine’s delivery of the effortless and progressive blending of masculine strength and feminine details. There’s no forgetting Zooey Deschanel’s style in (500) Days of Summer, as she wore a sweet array of vintage blue dresses, preppy muted outfits with ladylike touches, all completed by her signature heavy bangs. Lastly, Nora Ephron earns some fashion praise for Julie & Julia since Meryl Streep donned some uber-high stacked heels while portraying the towering culinary icon during her years living in France.
And now for 2010’s list…
As a jetsetter on a soul-searching voyage from New York to Italy, India, and Bali, Julia Roberts shined while celebrating the fashions from across the world, even if her character’s goal was not necessarily to do so. Back in August, costume designer Michael Dennison told InStyle, “Fran Vega-Buck (Julia’s personal costumer since 1993’s The Pelican Brief) and I traveled to each of the locations—New York, Rome, India and Bali—to buy clothes and accessories before filming started.” While pulling together more than 100 costume looks, they managed to acquire everything they needed in just one week! He adds, “Each part of the story is associated with a season, but the calendar is backwards. We meet Julia’s character when she’s in an emotional winter, then she begins a journey that takes her through fall, summer and finally to spring, the season of rebirth and renewal. What she wears helps us to see how she’s changing and growing.”
Wearing very neutral and dark colors in New York by designers like Zac Posen, we see her character, Liz, as very urban and minimal. Yet, while she heads to Rome, eating as much pasta she should could get on her fork, her character is much more liberated, not as concerned with body conscious clothing. She even sports a loose-fitting, forgiving sweater by Project Runway judge Michael Kors. What’s most endearing and relatable about the fashion part of the movie is her hunt to find the perfect pair of jeans after indulging in all those carbs. As this continues, we could see Liz’s clothing becoming a little tighter and the autumnal palette compliments her character’s development. Once in India, her clothes are looser and more colorful, conducive to meditating and the new summer season. Then finally in Bali, Liz wears clothing that is comfortable for her new panoramic environment, while she falls in love with Javier Bardem’s Felipe.
2. The Tourist
Although Angelina Jolie earned a Golden Globe nomination for this film, it’s really the action-packed sequences and gorgeous clothing against a postcard-worthy European backdrop that make The Tourist worth seeing, or so I’ve heard. The blend of classic and vintage is what Jolie’s character Elise is all about, wearing tight pencil skirts, big jewels, and A-line dresses that just scream old Hollywood. Along with her fully-glossed lips and heavy smoky eye makeup, it’s no wonder why Johnny Depp follows her all over the continent and falls for her.
Salvatore Ferragamo and Colleen Atwood designed metal-heeled stilettos for the actress to wear during filming, which they named after her character, calling them the “Elise.” In Style calls the film, “a study in ladylike dressing and Old Hollywood glamour,” which is very evident after seeing Jolie in draped silk with bold red lips, across from a debonair Depp in a sleek three-piece suit.
3. Leap Year
This romantic comedy reminded audiences why we love Amy Adams so much. While trying to reach her boyfriend in time to propose to him on Leap Day in Ireland, the dainty young American encounters many unfashionable situations, always trying to look the part of the lovely girlfriend. She’s caught walking through unpaved streets, up and down mountains in the rain, wearing sexy t-strap heels, a pencil skirt, and an elegant blouse and cardigan set. Her large curls bounce up and down like a shampoo ad, as she tries to overcome many obstacles, including the handsome, yet stubborn Matthew Goode. Her very ladylike untravel-savvy style was indisputably part of the charm of the movie, reminding fashionable movie-goers everywhere to pack some sneakers on their next voyage!
4. Iron Man 2
Surely, if you’re gonna talk about this movie and fashion, the first image that comes to mind for most would be that of Scarlett Johansson’s curve-hugging cat suit that she wears while kicking villain butt as the Black Widow. Aside from that, Johansson and Gwyneth Paltrow donned super sexy fitted dresses with sleek lines and feminine touches. Revered costume designer Mary Zophres (A Serious Man, Catch Me If You Can) made use of designers like Prada, Dior, and Panache to dress Johansson for her scenes that take place in Tony Stark’s office, as well as at the Grand Prix race track before the first major action sequence.
One of the best ways to appeal to a female audience for an action movie is to nail down the fabulous fashions of the female leads. Since Paltrow and Johansson are two of the hottest red carpet regulars, Zophres’ delivery of modern, strong pieces for these smart leading ladies was a no brainer! Paltrow’s best look was the navy and red polka dotted number, offering up the romantic side of her character that adds to her chemistry with Robert Downey Jr.’s Stark.
5. Inception
This is the only film on the list that focuses on menswear. The visually-intensive, mind-bending thriller was centered around six men who required very individual looks. Oscar-nominated designer Jeffrey Kurland (Erin Brockovich, Bullets Over Broadway) was responsible for creating these fashionable identities, revealing to Esquire magazine, “Inception allowed me, as a costume designer, to really show character in a theatrical way- without being theatrical.” With Leonardo DiCaprio and Joseph Gordon-Levitt as leading men, the tailoring was impeccable.
Kurland considered Sato’s (played by Ken Watanabe) look very carefully, explaining, “You take cues from everything. I went back and researched traditional Japanese dress, to design Sato’s first tuxedo at the party. I wanted to show a symbiosis of contemporary businessman with a respect and a feel for the old ways, and I wanted that to show through right away.”
Of course, there’s also Marion Cotillard’s dazzling beaded gown, and Ellen Page’s prodigy school girl style, with scarves and items that were almost entirely custom-made.
Items worn by all the lead actors were even featured in an exhibit at the ArchLight Sherman Oaks cinema back in July.
Tim Burton’s reimagining of the Lewis Carroll tale was certainly popular this past Halloween. Orange-haired Mad Hatters channeled Johnny Depp’s interpretation. Blondes wore diaphanous blue dresses to represent Mia Wasikowska’s Alice. Helena Bonham Carter and Anne Hathaway gave new meanings to what it means to look like a queen.
Audiences were able to see Alice in a variety of looks, from her innocent days in England as a teenager, wearing the oversized blue ruffled dress when she shrunk as well as pulling off a full suit of silver armor, during the final battle scene.
The elements of whimsy, gothic, over-the-top adventure, and boundless imagination were part of the recipe for this new classic which became a visually exciting example of the latest trend in 3-D films.
The cast joined forces with First Lady Michelle Obama’s favorite brand of clothing, J.Crew, to cross promote the film’s stylish wardrobe, as well as the affluent, yet bohemian personality of each of the movie’s characters. Katie Holmes, Josh Duhamel, Malin Ackerman, Adam Brody, Jeremy Strong, and Jennifer Lawrence starred in the Fall 2010 ad campaign and in the film as friends who are brought together after several years for a wedding.
The New York post named The Big Chill-esque flick “the most stylish movie of the year.” The newspaper also reports, “Stylist Danielle Kays scoured low and mid-priced stores, working with a wardrobe budget of about $20,000, according to sources. Her mission: to outfit the actors in clothing that would look classic and expensive without breaking the bank. She went bargain hunting in some of New York gals’ favorite haunts to find the right looks, hitting chains like Club Monaco and Urban Outfitters and department stores like Topshop and Century 21 — just like any cost-conscious shopaholic.”
Based on the film’s overall review, perhaps that’s the only reason to go see the film!
8. Burlesque
I don’t care what anyone else says, this is one of my favorite movie’s of the year! Aside from the outstanding performances given by Christina Aguilera and Cher, as well as the powerhouse soundtrack (which Movie Buzzers recently reviewed), the costumes recall the fabulous vamp of Moulin Rouge and Chicago, but for the 21stcentury glam girl. Naturally seeing a svelte Aguilera, as Ali, donning soft blonde locks, wearing nothing but strings of carefully hung pearls, helps convince the audience that she is perfecting the art of the tease, á la the legendary, graceful Natalie Wood in Gypsy. Costume designer Michael Kaplan even sexed up the always perky Kristen Bell with a long curly brunette wig to transform her into bad girl dancer Nikki, Ali’s rival. What really wowed us about Bell was her nearly all-lace black leotard during her on stage performance.
Between Cher’s dramatic and glitzy looks and Aguilera’s on-stage costumes, the most stunning is perhaps the green off-the-shoulder gown that young Ali wears while singing the Golden Globe nominated ballad, “Bound To You.” The strikingly bright color pays homage to Aguilera’s beautiful signature throwback to Jean Harlow, but also reminded me of the gorgeous dress that Keira Knightley wears throughout the early scenes of Atonement.
9. Black Swan
There is no ballet-centered film quite like this one! Aside from Natalie Portman’s intense performance, sisterly design duo Kate and Laura Mulleavy, who are behind the Rodarte label, are responsible for transforming the costumes into works of moving art for the dancers to wear. The team recently revealed to the L.A. Times the extensive research that helped create the various looks that could, “play with the duality of a world that is very beautiful and very brutal too. Darren [Aronofsky, the film’s director] had the film concept, but he gave us creative freedom. And it just so happens that the things we found interesting about ballet, he responded to as well. We did sketches, talked about them, then did new versions. Each costume was kind of like a character itself.”
In addition to the fanciful costumes, Rodarte was behind the knitwear Portman sported for off-stage moments during the movie, such as “the scarf Nina wore and arm warmers and leg warmers. They related back to the top layers of the tutus. The gray tutu was covered in cheese cloth, the white one covered in angora and the black one covered in net.”
10. Sex & the City 2
You can’t have fashion in the same category as a 2010 movie list and not mention Sex and the City 2! It may have been panned by critics for lacking the same luster that we all embraced in the HBO series and the first film, but Patricia Fields’ outstanding sense of style for Carrie Bradshaw, Samantha Jones, Miranda Hobbes, and Charlotte York was flawless. The costumes for all four New York gals spanned over three very different settings, including looks from the 80’s like teased hair, neon leggings, and spandex for the flashback sequence, also traveling to Abu Dhabi in chic and flowy maxi dresses, and naturally staying true to their contemporary New York City glamour, celebrating each of their new stags of life.
Probably three of the most talked about looks from the movie include Sarah Jessica Parker’s alter ego dressed as Carrie in a John Galliano for Dior newsprint dress, one that she originally sported on the show when confronting Big’s then wife, Natasha. The second look is of Carrie in a white Halston heritage dress (a brand that the star regularly wears on the red carpet and to events) that was all over movie posters, paired with sparkling gold round toe Christian Louboutin pumps. (On a side note: Doesn’t it look very similar in style to the navy blue Issa dress that Kate Middleton wore recently to announce her engagement to Prince William? Just an example of how influential SATC style is all over the world!)
Lastly, the most outrageous look for the second installment “was the product of serendipity,” In Style says of the J’Adore Dior t-shirt paired with a purple and gray crinoline ball gown skirt. Fields’ told the magazine, “For me, to have her standing in a souk in that kind of antebellum hoop skirt- that’s very Sex and The City!”
Honorable mentions include Country Strong for showing off Gwyneth Paltrow‘s glamorous Southern style with a combination of sultry mini dresses and traditional plaids and dark denim. Also, it’s nice to see Leighton Meester outside of her Gossip Girl garb! Then, there’s Valentine’s Day which puts Anne Hathaway, Jessica Biel, Jennifer Garner, and Jessica Alba all in the same film, showing off cute, everyday wearable looks during the holiday for lovebirds. How Do You Know allows a single Reese Witherspoon to show off her date night style in a variety of dresses, with chic curls and side swept bangs. Also, the romantic comedy When In Rome shows off bridesmaid Kristen Bell as a fashionable woman in the Italian city for a wedding, who runs into love after making a wish. Finally, there’s Eclipse lending us the very modern and trendy vampire style of dark clothing, hoodies, and pale skin.
Hopefully, 2011 will bring us another fashionable year in Hollywood. What do you think of these top 10 picks? What was your favorite stylish film of the year?
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