Great Costume Movies (now with pictures!)

18th century French fashion froth.

For a little more rococo madness - check out 'Dangerous Beauty' or 'Casanova.'

Queen Elizabeth the I of England - circa the 16th century... amazing renaissance tudor costuming.

If you like this regal costuming - don't miss 'Elizabeth: The Golden Age', 'A Lion in Winter' and 'the Madness of King George.'

Sixties kitsch at it's most cliche. Hairhoppers rule.

If you liked John Waters warped sense of style - check out the looks of 'Cry Baby' and 'Serial Mom'.

Eva Peron had style as well as charisma and stature. Madonna looks iconic in this spectacular early 20th century wardrobe.

If you liked the look of the 40s - check out 'Swing Kids', 'The Aviator' and 'Charlotte Gray.'

Grace Kelly's WASPy restraint is embodied in her impeccable wardrobe and saturated technicolor in this film.

If you like tempered mannerisms and proper fifties modesty - check out 'The Talented Mr. Ripley', 'Far from Heaven', and 'Pleasantville'.

Rococo France at it's finest.

If you loved this french finery - check our "Valmont". It's essentially the same story as Dangerous Liaisons - with a softer take on the period. Nice to see the contrast in story-telling and story-dressing styles.

The other side of High Society's fifties... worth watching for the great vintage dresses at the school dance alone. Stockard Channing rocks the pencil skirt.

For real teen fashion - check out 'West Side Story', 'Dazed & Confused' and 'The Outsiders.'

Englis aristocrats put on their finest in this whodunit. Everyone dresses for dinner in this murder-at-the-manor mystery. Lots of gorgeous beading - and slick flapper style.

If you want more pre-WWII fashion - check out 'Titanic' and 'Cotton Club'.

Queen Amadala's wardrobe is imaginative and out of this world. (Sorry couldn't resist the pun). The queen wears a different costume in every scene that she appears in.

If you like your fashion surreal choices - check out 'The Fifth Element' and 'Barbarella.'

This black-and-white movie turns to color for a fabulous fantasy fashion show.

Can-can dancers and courtisans party at the Moulin Rouge in turn-of-the century Paris. Over the top costumes - and Nicole Kidman is a designers dream clothes hanger... she looks good in anything.

If you like the dancing duds - check out 'Strictly Ballroom' by Baz Luhrmann for a modern take on the mamba madness!

This movie based on a Virginia Woolf story follows a character that starts out in man in 14th century Europe through to the modern day. Oh yeah, halfway through "he" wakes up a "she". Quite a costuming challenge, eh?

If you like a fantasy fashion movie - check out 'Interview with a Vampire', 'Bram Stoker's Dracula' and 'Lord of the Rings'.

Renaissance fabulousness in all it's corsetry and collared glory. Judi Dench does a mean Queen Elizabeth - and Gwyneth never looked better...not even in Emma.

If you're inspired by Shakespeare's finest - check out 'Titus', 'The Merchant of Venice' and 'Hamlet.'

Imagine the 70s disco scene re-imagined into 90s drag via Australia. Humongous bell bottoms, sky-high platforms and eyelashes you could spot from space.

If you love a little so-bad-it's-good drag fashion - check out 'Hedwig and the Angry Inch' and 'Muriel's Wedding.'

Audrey Hepburn embodies the Victorian spirit in this costume musical the likes of which have not been seen since the 60s.

If you're looking for other fashion icons in the movies - check out 'Funny Face', 'On a Clear Day you can see Forever', and 'How to Marry a Millionaire.'

Hayak faithfully captured the costumes ensuring they were true to Frida's paintings and her spirit. An earthy and enchanting look at early 20th century dress south of the border.

If you like Frida - check out 'Cradle will Rock' and 'Tea with Mussolini' - both are twentieth century takes on the art movements and the world events that shaped them.

This movie reads like a series of animated paintings - and the costumes help tell the story.

If you like your fashion with an eastern flair - check out "Madame Butterfly' and 'Memoirs of a Geisha.'

Take 18th century British aristocracy, mix in a little war and romance - and you have a classic costume drama in the making.

If you like a good war movie with great costumes - check out 'The Patriot' and 'Gone with the Wind'.

My favorite of Jane Austen's adaptations. A fresh faced Gwyneth Paltrow portrays the life of a rural lady in 19th century England complete with empire waistlines and prim mannerisms.

If you like Emma - check out 'Pride & Prejudice' (any one of many adaptations), 'Mansfield Park', and 'Sense & Sensibility' - all by Jane Austen.

A kitschy look at 1960s fashion - a complete throwback to Doris and Rock's romantic comedies. Renee wears more stereotypically mod and fab outfits than you can count. A great one!

If you liked the campiness of Down with Love - check out it's obvious inspiration 'Breakfast at Tiffany's' and "The Umbrellas of Cherbourgh'.

There are never enough spaces on a list for everything that's worth mentioning so here are a few runners up if you find yourself wanting more....

Phantom of the Opera, Titanic, Quills, Amadeus, Angels and Insects, Jefferson in Paris, Oscar & Lucinda, The Importance of Being Earnest, House of Mirth, Vanity Fair, A Room with a View and Age of Innocence.

And as for future classics?
How about Pretty in Pink, The Ice Storm, The Royal Tennenbaums and Clueless.