The Most Iconic Fashion Moments In Movie History

Cinematic Fashionistas

Movies have always been a source of style inspiration, but the most iconic fashion moments in cinema don’t just complement the storyline—they steal the scene. Whether it's a timeless little black dress or a wild punk-rock ensemble, these outfits have made lasting impressions both on and off the big screen.

Uma Thurman's Yellow Jumpsuit (Kill Bill, 2003)

This white and yellow, horizontally striped, martial-arts-patterned tracksuit became instantly iconic, blending athleticism and vengeance-fueled ferocity. A reference to Bruce Lee's cameo in Game of Death, it gave The Bride a unique visual identity and spawned a whole generation of Halloween costumes and cosplay.

Cher's Yellow Plaid Suit (Clueless, 1995)

Clueless gave us more than great one-liners—it gave us style. Cher's yellow plaid jacket and matching mini skirt (along with white knee socks and a mini knapsack) was the benchmark against which teen style in the 90s was measured. Mona May-designed, this fashion silhouette became the benchmark of pop culture and a pin board darling.

Dionne's Edgy Mixes (Clueless, 1995)

Dionne's looks were statement-making—mixing patterns, textures, and accessories with unapologetic imagination. She made fashioning hats cool, tartan punk, and explained how personality was possible through fashion with every wardrobe change. Her looks brought attitude and personality to the screen, even in a style-filled movie.

Miranda Priestly's Power Wardrobe (The Devil Wears Prada, 2006)

Meryl Streep's icy editor brought high fashion to the boardroom with every entrance, from sharply tailored coats to large, showy statement pieces of jewelry. Every outfit screamed power, control, and couture. And more than just being a costume, Miranda’s clothes characterized her, and gave the world a new blueprint for luxury office attire.

Keira Knightley's Green Silk Gown (Atonement, 2007)

This green backless dress immediately became a classic. Costume designer Jacqueline Durran created a timeless yet sensual figure that flowed with each step in this doomed library scene. The dress is generally considered one of the most beautiful to ever grace the silver screen.

Grace Jones's Warrior Look (Conan The Destroyer, 1984)

Grace Jones applied avant-garde grit to the sword-and-sorcery movie genre with her performance as Zula, a chicly deadly fighter whose style was as razor-sharp as her sword. Her costume—leather harnesses, metallic trim, and dramatic face paint—eroded boundaries between style, armor, and performance art. It was not fantasy equipment; it was an assertion of strength that echoed Jones's trademark mix of hardness, gender ambiguity, and intensity of high style.

Vivien Leigh's Green Drapery Dress (Gone With The Wind, 1939)

Scarlett O'Hara's green velvet curtain-made dress symbolized her resourcefulness and determination. Walter Plunkett designed the dress as dramatic, exaggerated, and iconic—a symbol of resolve during the Civil War era. It is among Hollywood's best-known classic costumes.

Neo's Leather Trench Coat (The Matrix, 1999)

Keanu Reeves's long, black, duster coat wasn't only cool—it was revolutionary. The stripped-down cyberpunk aesthetic of The Matrix rewrote the rulebook on how we do futuristic style. Paired with minuscule sunglasses and all-black, Neo's appearance became the dystopian cool uniform.

Belle's Golden Gown (Beauty And The Beast, 1991)

This animated classic gave us a dress so iconic that it topped its genre. Belle's yellow ball gown, which shined with off-the-shoulder sleeves and a full skirt, was the epitome of fairy tale royalty. It is a classic among Disney fans and wedding planners.

Holly Golightly's Polka-Dot Dress (Breakfast At Tiffany's, Party Scene)

One of the more familiar black dresses, Audrey's playful polka-dot dress in the wild party sequence showcased her character's quirky, stylish personality. It gave Holly's wardrobe some depth, showing that style didn't have to be taken so seriously. The dress brought personality to a film otherwise renowned for chic sleekness.

Audrey Hepburn's Pink Cap Sleeve Gown (Funny Face, 1957)

This ballet gown-inspired satin dress in signature Audrey pink was all dreamy and romantic. It was designed by Givenchy and drifted like a dream yet retained the spirit of Parisian couture. It wasn't a costume—it was a love letter to fashion.

Queen And Slim's Costume Design (Queen & Slim, 2019)

Every look in this modern highway drama was purposeful, culture-coded, and enormously symbolic. Costume designer Shiona Turini infused the wardrobe with nods to Black excellence, resistance, and self. From Slim's sleek tailoring to Queen's tiger print form-fitting dress, their outfits built an alternative narrative of power and legacy.

Jennifer Beals's Off-The-Shoulder Sweatshirt (Flashdance, 1983)

Sometimes style is the product of a happy accident—and that's exactly what happened when Beals cropped the neckline of her sweatshirt to make it easier to wear. The result was a fashionably sexy, slouchy silhouette that caused a global trend in dancewear and athleisure. It became the iconic 80s fashion image for casual chic.

Diane Keaton's Menswear Look (Annie Hall, 1977)

Keaton's unorthodox pairing of vests, baggy pants, and neckties flouted all the traditional rules of women's fashion. Her character's androgynous appearance encouraged hundreds of women to raid their boyfriends' wardrobes—and changed the way we think about gender and style. Ralph Lauren helped create the look, but Keaton's personal style made it immortal.

Sharon Stone's White Dress (Basic Instinct, 1992)

This white turtleneck mini-dress was modest yet treacherously sexy, and the infamous interrogation scene is still one of the most debated in film history. Its creator was Ellen Mirojnick, and the crisp all-white ensemble expressed control and authority—bucking what a femme fatale could wear.

Barbra Streisand's Gold Pantsuit (Funny Girl, 1968)

In a sea of ball gowns, Streisand's gold lamé pantsuit was shocking and stunning. Devised by her for her “Don't Rain on My Parade” number, the outfit was showy but freeing. It celebrated the character's—and the actress's—refusal to dissolve into the background.

Grace Kelly's Ice Blue Ball Gown (To Catch A Thief, 1955)

Designed by Edith Head, this pale blue chiffon gown floated with otherworldly elegance across the screen. Worn during a rooftop party sequence, it totally took Kelly's royal dignity before she ever married a prince. It was unflawed, high-society glamour in action.

Sarah Jessica Parker's Tulle Skirt (Sex And The City, 2008)

Carrie Bradshaw wore more iconic outfits than can be counted, but her frothy tulle skirt in the opening scene of the film was the perfect tribute to the show. Priced out like a contemporary tutu and paired with a tank and stilettos, it reminded everyone that fashion can be fun—no matter what's going on in life.

Cate Blanchett's Red Dress (Carol, 2015)

Every look in Carol is exquisite, but Blanchett's red gown is stunning for its beauty and its meaning. Twirled in a pivotal moment of romance, the gown suggests Carol's self-confidence, desire, and elegance. Sandy Powell's costume design of the 1950s throughout the film was impeccable.

Beyoncé's Gold Bodysuit (Dreamgirls, 2006)

As Deena Jones, Beyoncé dazzled in a series of stage ensembles, but the show-stopper was her golden, bejeweled bodysuit covered in feathers. It was flat-out old-school Motown glamour and an exercise in her star power. It wasn't merely a costume—it was a coronation.

Tilda Swinton's Period Fusion (Orlando, 1992)

Swinton's gender-bending role required a wardrobe that danced across time and identity. Her opulent Elizabethan gowns and dandy tailoring produced a fantasy of style that both collapsed boundaries and played with history.

Natalie Portman's Black Swan Costume (Black Swan, 2010)

Her jet-black ballet costume for the final transformation into the Black Swan was hauntingly beautiful. Rodarte created it, and it pulled off elegance in tandem with darkness, feathers with corsetry. It brought the film's dive into obsession and metamorphosis with macabre precision.

Reese Witherspoon's Harvard Pink (Legally Blonde, 2001)

Elle Woods's hot pink suits, dresses, and even courtroom attire created a new paradigm for what it means to be intelligent. Her fashion-forward clothing made it apparent that being stylish and being serious aren't necessarily one and the same. Her arrival at Harvard in a matching pink outfit and Chihuahua by her side is cinema fashion lore.

Olivia Newton-John's Leather Pants (Grease, 1978)

Sandy's transformation in the climactic last scene is etched into pop consciousness thanks to those tight black pants. Fitted onto Newton-John for the shoot, the pants gave good-girl-gone-bad attitude that rebooted her character and inspired dance-floor style for decades to come. The red mules did no one any harm either.

Angelina Jolie's Lara Croft Bodysuit (Lara Croft: Tomb Raider, 2001)

The black tank top fitted to perfection, utility belt, and combat boots all combined to make Jolie's Lara Croft an icon of early-2000s fashion. It was functional, sexy, and entirely unforgettable. The costume solidified the character as an action heroine of a new generation—and a Halloween favorite for many years to come.

Björk's Swan Dress (Dancer In The Dark Oscars, 2001)

While not a scene from the movie itself, this surrealistic gown Björk wore to celebrate Dancer in the Dark was a point of film-fashion cross-over. The Marjan Pejoski swan dress defied red carpet norms and was subsequently re-evaluated in hindsight as an avant-garde performance art piece of genius.