11
11
6 fashion shows inspired by cult films
James Bond in a wetsuit, a Blade Runner show in Chinatown, a serial killer on a catwalk… Throwback to six fashion shows inspired by cult films.
By Alexis Thibault,
and La rédaction.
Shows inspired by cinema: Alexander McQueen and Coppola’s Bram Stoker’s Dracula
British-American actor Gary Oldman has always impressed with his transformative performances. Portraying Lee Harvey Oswald, who assassinated John F. Kennedy (1992), and Ludwig van Beethoven (1995), he is most remembered for his incredible performance in Coppola’s Bram Stoker’s Dracula (1993). He even managed to terrify Winona Ryder during filming, yet he questioned how best to prepare for that role. While some actors roamed around in costumes designed by Japanese designer Eiko Ishioka, a frequent collaborator of Björk, or worked on their horseback posture, he would directly ask the film director: “What am I supposed to do? I’m 400 years old and I’m supposed to be dead!”
The question went unanswered… Gary Oldman had to shape the character on his own, drawing his inspiration from Nosferatu (1922) and suffering from a latex allergy triggered by a costume change. In 2009, Alexander McQueen’s Fall/Winter 2009 runway show featured a male model wearing a black suit, cane in hand, top hat on his head, with a coat hanging over his shoulders — a direct nod to Dracula’s human form in Francis Ford Coppola’s film. A year earlier, during the Fall-Winter 2008 show, a female model appeared draped in a scarlet dress, adorned with jewel-like horns with a blood-red cape and distinctive hairstyle, evoking Gary Oldman’s monstrous version.
Louis Gabriel Nouchi and the serial killer/trader in American Psycho
Golden boy by day, serial killer by night. Born from the twisted psyche of writer Bret Easton Ellis, the charismatic trader Patrick Bateman first appeared in print in 1991: a Wall Street shark in a suit who listens to INXS, haunts trendy nightclubs, and hides his second identity from everyone… a psychopath who beheads his victims without the slightest remorse. Nine years after the release of the now cult novel, Mary Harron’s film adaptation starring Christian Bale hit theaters but failed to win over critics.
According to Cahiers du Cinéma, the film remains “a bland work that struggles to find the right tone for an obvious and elusive topic.” For Le Monde, it is a “poorly handled script. The story quickly sinks into a string of pointless murders…” Yet, during the Fall/Winter 2023–2024 Paris Men’s Fashion Week, Louis Gabriel Nouchi staged an unexpected performance, offering a reflection on toxic masculinity and social power dynamics, just like with other fashion shows inspired by cult films.
A nod to the fictional character’s uniform came through sharp tailoring, with broad, rigid-shouldered shirts, blazers, and coats, and a fitted waist reminiscent of the business silhouette of the 1980s. Some looks were even styled with tight leather gloves… ideal to avoid leaving fingerprints. The brutal universe of Bret Easton Ellis’ story echoed in more subtle ways in asymmetrical dresses and draped loungewear ensembles. The whole blends comfort and sensuality, with XXL thigh-high boots paired with high-slit dresses, all in blood-red hues.
Both formal and unsettling, that atmosphere was also conveyed by the fabrics and colors, mostly muted, occasionally disrupted by powder blue. Alongside jersey, satin jacquard, and mohair, leather also appeared on bags and accessories shaped into machetes or chainsaws. Loose-fitting trousers, T-shirts, jackets, and pants slashed with fine lines of see-through fabrics, as well as flesh-toned transparent coats resembling second skins, brought a fluid, almost erotic dimension to the wardrobe. A signature of the Parisian label since its founding in 2017.
The “replicants” from Blade Runner at Raf Simons
October 2017. Canadian filmmaker Denis Villeneuve pays a heartfelt tribute to Ridley Scott by continuing his Blade Runner, an adaptation of Philip K. Dick’s science fiction novel of the same name. Conceived as a direct sequel, this colorful second opus, titled Blade Runner 2049, features a screenplay by Hampton Fancher, who also wrote the original. A true extension of the 1982 film…
Denis Villeneuve explained his choice: “I’ve always been drawn to sci-fi films with a distinct visual signature that transport you to a unique, parallel world. Ridley Scott had the genius idea of blending sci-fi with film noir to create this singular exploration of the human condition.” And yet, three months earlier, a Belgian designer had already delved into Philip K. Dick’s universe… It was just before 10:00 p.m. in July 2017, when a New York crowd gathered under a bridge in Chinatown to discover Raf Simons’ Spring/Summer 2018 collection.
In the front row, beneath crimson Chinese lanterns, rapper A$AP Rocky and actor Jake Gyllenhaal watched closely as the first look walked down the runway – a rubber raincoat, a transparent umbrella, and a jacket featuring a digital display on the back. It wasn’t raining, but the models walked on the wet asphalt in ponchos, buttoned-collar shirts, plaid coats, or with the word “Replicant” on their clothes, as a direct reference to the humanoid robots from the sci-fi story originally titled Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?. Multiple nods to the post-punk band from Manchester New Order are interwoven.
The spy James Bond according to Jean Paul Gaultier in 2011
The Jean Paul Gaultier Fall/Winter 2011 show didn’t exactly receive an unanimous acclaim. The French designer paid tribute to a fashion and cinema icon, introducing his first look to a symphonic jazz standard by Monty Norman and John Barry – the unforgettable theme from Dr. No (1962). Renamed “James Blonde,” this show playfully revamped the looks of the secret agent created by British novelist Ian Fleming — a hero played by Sean Connery, Pierce Brosnan, and Daniel Craig.
With pistol silencers in hand, the spy’s male and female ersatz paraded down the runway in black trench coats, zip-up tuxedos, futuristic sunglasses, long white silk scarves, gold bikinis, long skirts, and fishnet stockings topped with thigh holsters (just in case). The hero, the villain, and the Bond girl… Backstage, the designer explained: “I wanted to display a man-object, starting from Sean Connery, the epitome of total masculine elegance, while also revealing a more feminine side. As for the boxer shorts and diving jackets, they are made from a new fabric, an very thin neoprene, almost like silk but with the weight of rubber…”
Jeremy Scott and his grand tribute to horror films at Moschino
Horror movies might be defining a cinematic genre which aims at provoking fear or disgust in viewers, but the slasher genre especially consistently stages the murders of a psychopathic killer – often disfigured or masked – who methodically eliminates members a group of teenages… While the connection to fashion might not be obvious, for Jeremy Scott, it’s a natural fit. A theme that alone could represent the category of fashion shows inspired by films. The American designer drew inspiration from Wes Craven’s iconic Scream and from the myth of Dracula in order to design his Spring/Summer 2020 show for Moschino, presented in June.
To do things right, he staged the show in a very special setting in Hollywood: Colonial Street, known to some as Wisteria Lane, the fictional street from the TV show Desperate Housewives. The show featured wigs reminiscent of Drew Barrymore (Scream), twins (The Shining), a scarecrow, a white dress, and a giant ape hand (King Kong)… Witches, mermaids, mummies, skeletons, and corpses became the stars of an amusing and spectacular collection. It foreshadowed the huge comeback of gothic looks, in the wake of the successful Netflix series Wednesday, featuring the Addams Family character portrayed by Jenna Ortega.
Marine Serre offers an iconic, David Lynch-like setting
Marine Serre made a powerful statement with her Fall/Winter 2025–2026 collection, presented at the Monnaie de Paris. The entire show drew its inspiration from the dreamlike world of David Lynch, and more specifically, the iconic Red Room from the 1990 series Twin Peaks. The show opened with a scarlet curtain and with models walking across a checkerboard floor — faithfully recreating the surreal ambiance of the series’ famous lounge. It became immediately clear that Marine Serre was about to play with contrasts: bold silhouettes, redefined shoulders, fitted belts, and dark frock coats, blending the 1950s sensuality with 1980s power dressing.
The color palette narrowed to black, white, and deep red, with occasional dashes of buttery yellow and blue to temper the intensity. The French designer confirmed the tradition of film-inspired runway shows, merging her aesthetic with a cinematic style worthy of a David Lynch movie.
Key pieces: leather catsuits with an almost armor-like structure, mysterious tiger bodysuits, and mosaic dresses crafted from wristwatches. Each look acted like a character: Lynch-inspired figures — heroes, femmes fatales, unsettling strangers — wandered through a set at the crossroads between reality and imagination. Enhanced by a post-show short film, the staging immersed the audience in a fragmented narrative, signaling the brand’s increasing sophistication. This collection marks a turning point: Marine Serre is fully embracing her identity as a committed, cinephile designer, elevating upcycling through a mature visual and narrative lens.
