The Best Movies About Fashion, To Get In The Mood For New Zealand Fashion Week: Kahuria

It’s time to be seated for the best style on screen.

Whether it’s satire, homage or celebration, films with a serious fashion focus are the perfect titles to add to your watchlist in the lead-up to New Zealand Fashion Week: Kahuria.

Read on for a selection of runway-coded films to enjoy as Aotearoa turns its focus on some of our top designers, for a front-row seat without the need to leave the comfort of your couch.

Prêt-à-Porter (1994)

Even wall-to-wall of-the-moment megastars and a killer wardrobe department couldn’t save this slightly shaky mockumentary from an absolute savaging at the hands of critics, but that hasn’t stopped it from being hailed as a classic as the years have rolled on. Clearly, the then-cinephiles with a platform just didn’t “get” Robert Altman’s thoroughly entertaining satire of the fashion world, which aims to expose the absurdities of the industry over the course of Paris Fashion Week. Packed with in-jokes and icons like Sophia Loren, Julia Roberts, Marcello Mastroianni and Kim Basinger, it definitely fell flat with the late Karl Lagerfeld, who managed to block its release in Germany over Forest Whitaker’s throwaway line calling the designer a “thief”.

Dior and I (2015)

A true deep dive into the incredible demands of those working behind the scenes to bring collections to life on the runway, French filmmaker Frédéric Tcheng was already known for excellent fashion films Diana Vreeland: The Eye Has to Travel and Valentino: The Last Emperor when he turned his lens on the House of Dior, and the end result is mesmerising. A privileged, behind-the-scenes look at the creation of Raf Simons’ highly anticipated first Haute Couture collection as the iconic brand’s new artistic director, it shines a light on the gifted artisans inside the house who help him bring his beautiful vision to life. Following Simons from early concepts through to the final celebration, it demonstrates the industry’s tricky balance between art and commerce, both vital to a label’s survival.

Catwalk (1995)

Like being dropped headfirst into a 90s fashion time capsule, this documentary film by Robert Leacock follows legendary supermodel Christy Turlington during Spring 1994 Fashion Week in Milan, Paris and New York City. The film travels alongside Turlington – and her fellow supers including Naomi Campbell, Yasmin Le Bon, Kate Moss and Carla Bruni - as they jet between the modern fashion capitals, and it looks as gorgeous as it sounds. Shot in black and white and colour, it shows Turlington walking in shows and attending fittings for Chanel, Versace, Dior, Giorgio Armani, Jean Paul Gaultier, Karl Lagerfeld and Isaac Mizrahi, with more than enough behind-the-scenes footage of the designers at work to keep high fashion nerds glued to the action. Between shows, Turlington is shown shooting a cover for W Magazine, hanging with her equally genetically blessed mates, sucking on Marlboros and attending an exhibition by American fashion photographer Bruce Weber, for a true moment in time. Added bonus: the original music score by Malcolm McLaren.

The Devil Wears Prada (2006)

With a sequel currently in the works, it would be a crime not to draw attention once more to this blockbuster, fashion-centric watch. In fact, it’s become essential viewing for the terminally online, many of whom are hell-bent on skewering the gradually emerging images of Anne Hathaway’s character Andy Sachs’ wardrobe choices as filming begins on The Devil Wears Prada 2. Based on a 2003 novel of the same name by Lauren Weisberger, it’s a fun look at both the world of fashion and the New York publishing industry, with Meryl Streep’s impeccably dressed Miranda Priestly at the helm. Worth watching for the makeover scene alone, not to mention the opportunity to admire costume designer Patricia Fields’ flawless selects.

Zoolander (2001)

Gloriously stupid and an essential rewatch any time you need a mood boost, the original Zoolander is pure, unadulterated fun from start to finish. The absurd plot - which revolves around a “ridiculously good-looking” male model who is booked to star in a campaign that is actually a secret ploy to assassinate the Prime Minister of Malaysia – also serves to shed a light on child labour laws, a dirty secret that lingers in the dark underside of the fashion industry today. Alongside Stiller, rejoice in Owen Wilson as the “so hot right now” hipster model Hansel, Will Ferrell as evil fashion designer, Mugatu, and Milla Jovovich as Mugatu’s snide henchperson, Katinka. The film is also filled to the brim with cameos from the likes of David Bowie, Jon Voight, Vince Vaughn and Alexander Skarsgård, and is still celebrated today as a deliberately dumb comedy that forever guarantees genuine laughs. However, the less said about the 2026 sequel, the better.

No fashion week would be complete without its street style looks, which are often as equally as inspiring as what’s presented on the catwalk. This documentary follows late photographer Bill Cunningham, who documented fashion as it happened organically on the sidewalks of New York City for his columns in The New York Times. “We all get dressed for Bill,” said Vogue legend Anna Wintour of the photographer, who celebrated famous faces and fabulous nobodies in turn.

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