Whether it's Audrey Hepburn's LBD or Marilyn Monroe's white halter, a good dress does more than look pretty on screen. It creates some of cinema's best moments. We've pulled some looks that did just that, plus where you'll find a modern take on them. So go ahead, steal the scene!
Most Memorable & Stylish Movie Costumes Ever
#1 Kate Winslet, Titanic
Not-so-gracefully dubbed the "Suicide Jump Dress," Rose thankfully had a change of heart before sinking this exquisitely beaded gown. Lined in lightweight, red silk satin, and embellished with an overskirt of jet-black beads and black lace and tulle, designer Deborah Lynn Scott's period masterpiece thawed our hearts to the frosty socialite (even if it couldn't do anything about that iceberg).
#2 Mia Dolan yellow dress in la la Land
Costume designer Mary Zophres also introduced Ryan Gosling to the perfect skinny tie.
All of Mia's dance sequence dresses are custom-made, including the striking floral-printed yellow one worn during the Hollywood Hills number overlooking a beautifully lit Los Angeles. Prior to shooting, Zophres studied Stone's real life red-carpet moments and landed on a canary yellow Atelier Versace gown from a "The Amazing Spider-Man 2" promo appearance in 2014. "It's stunning on Emma and I pitched [that color] to Damien for that sequence," Zophres says.
#3 Keira Knightley, Atonement
Easily the best dress on film in the aughts, this floor-sweeping, slinky '40s evening gown by designer Jacqueline Durran had audiences green with envy. As Cecilia, Keira Knightley wore this tantalizing emerald backless number with spaghetti straps, a wide gathered waistband, high front-slit and perforated neckline in the super-sexy scene against the bookshelf with James McAvoy. A jewel of a gown, it's enough to make us renew our library cards.
#4 Sharon Stone, Basic Instinct
Sharon Stone perfected minimalist, '90s chic in this crisp, short shift dress with a roll-neck and high-cut armholes when she made a quick, provocative wardrobe change before going downtown for police questioning. Made of winter-white wool crepe by Ellen Mirojnick, its innocent color became anything but during an infamous interrogation scene that left undergarments at an, er, minimum.
#5 Pretty in Pink: DIY Vintage
Pretty in Pink (1986) is known for its teenage love story between poor girl “Andie” (Molly Ringwald) and rich guy “Blane” (Andrew McCarthy). And although the fashions throughout the film are 80s style at its best, it’s the pink prom dress Andie makes for herself that stole the movie. Not only is it an awesome DIY vintage style dress in a super-feminine shade of pink with lovely lace details, the statement of the dress is the most beautiful feature of it: stylishly rebelling at the prom instead of crying at home because a guy sucks.
#6 Breakfast at Tiffany's: Love For The “LBD”
Nearly every chick has love for the “little black dress” – the versatile fashion item that works with steampunk stilettos as well as black gothic boots (depending on your personal style). We can thank the 1961 romantic comedy film, Breakfast at Tiffany’s, for playing a major role in the pioneering and popularity of the LBD. Starring Audrey Hepburn as “Holly Golightly,” Breakfast at Tiffany’s makes fancy schmoozing and shopping a coveted affair.
#7 Julia Roberts, Pretty Woman
Vivian's transformation from belly-baring hooker with the heart of gold to resplendent opera star in this gorgeously draped, shoulder-revealing scarlet dress was the work of costume designer Marilyn Vance, who later revealed that the studio originally wanted a boring, black dress. When Edward fell in love with her that night, we did too.
#8 Michelle Pfeiffer’s glitzy gown in “Scarface,” 1983
The actress’ looks in the movie, including this slinky, sparkly gown with a plunging neckline, still inspires the fashion-conscious today. In 2012, Rihanna wore an Armani dress to the Grammys that she said was a nod to Pfeiffer’s character.
#9 Sarah Jessica Parker’s wedding dress in “Sex and the City,” 2008
For her nuptials to Mr. Big, Carrie Bradshaw chose this over-the-top Vivienne Westwood design. Fans were clearly taken with it. A version released by Westwood sold out within hours.
#10 Frankly, My Dear, We Love Your Dresses
The Scarlet O’Hara’s Emerald Green Gown that she made out of curtains in her family’s plantation house, which she wore to seduce Rhett Butler was the centerpiece dress in the movie. The curtain dress was originally designed by Walter Plunkett and it was sold just recently at an auction in Beverly Hills for $137,000. As Scarlet O’Hara would reply “Great Balls of Fire.”
#11 The White Flying Skirt
The White Flying Skirt was and still is the association with iconic style, beauty and fashion. When the custom designer William Travilla pick this dress for Monroe in the Seven Year Itch, he hadn’t had a clue that she will stand over a subway grate and make a history. The silky white dress stand out just perfectly on Marrylin’s gorgeous figure and till now her name and her beauty can be associated with this specific outfit.The iconic white dress was sold for $5.6 million at an auction in 2011.
#12 Robin Wright, The Princess Bride
In the spirit of full disclosure, we are completely and totally obsessed with The Princess Bride. So we may be a little biased, but Princess Buttercup's Victorian-inspired wedding gown? A perfectly princess-y win, and Robin Wright looks ethereal in it.
#13 Julia Roberts, Pretty Woman
Off to the races! Julia Roberts is positively radiant in this pretty polkadot dress, but we all know which frock Pretty Woman really made famous . . .
#14 Aurora, Sleeping Beauty
Of all the Disney princesses, Sleeping Beauty's Aurora had a fashionable edge. From her preppy, puritan-chic day dress (so Marc Jacobs this season) to her geometric, off-the-shoulder gown with a highly-structured bodice (and fabric that changed from blue to pink and back again thanks to a fight between the fairies Flora and Merriweather), it's just a matter or time before Katy Perry or Nicki Minaj rip off this stage-worthy ensemble.
#15 Lily James, Cinderella
Lily James' Cinderella ballgown took 20 people and 500 man hours, using eight skirts. Over 111,000 Swarovski crystals were added for necessary fairytale charm. Her Swarovski glass slipper weighed just over 1kg.
#16 Eddie Redmayne, The Danish Girl
It seems fitting that The Danish Girl, which follows the story of Lili Elbe, who was one of the very first people in history to undergo sex reassignment surgery, should be set in the 20s when women's fashion trends were undergoing a liberation - shapes became looser, allowing for freer movement. The inspiration for the costumes was Coco Chanel, a pioneer in creating women's clothes that weren't restrictive.
#17 Cate Blanchett, Carol
Carol was set in 1952, before the traditional full-skirted styles that we associate with the 50s were mainstream. Blanchett's costumes, therefore, are a fusion of 40s silhouettes with nods to the 50s - gloves worn for formal daytime, sailor necklines and dresses with a nipped in waist.
#18 Amy Adams, American Hustle
Michael Wilkinson, who worked as the costume designer for American Hustle, managed to make the 70s look sophisticated, elegant and glamorous. While the film featured several beautiful creations, including Amy Adams' stunning silver sequinned gown, the outfit she wears when about to board the private jet stands out in our minds the most. The elegant floppy hat and fur-collared coat represent her transition from small-town girl to sophisticated Manhattan lady.
#19 Coming to America: Gold And Nearly Nude
The gold and nearly nude, cut out dress featured in Coming to America (1988) remains of the hottest iconic movie dresses in American history! Worn by Vanessa Bell Calloway, in which she plays the arranged wife of “Prince Akeem” (Eddie Murphy) early in the movie, this dress has inspired many Halloween costumes as well as celebrities, such as Beyoncé. The imaginative, fantasy aspect of the gold, sexy dress makes it royalty-chic and a work of art.
#20 The Wizard of Oz: The Symbol of Innocence
Although it may have been years since you watched the classic fantasy-adventure film, The Wizard of Oz (1939), we’re sure you can immediately visualize what “Dorothy” (Judy Garland) wore the entire movie! Her blue and white checkered pinafore (sleeveless apron-like garment) is a beloved piece of vintage fashion, which helped to create Dorothy’s innocence and youthful personality in the magical land of Oz. Clad with pigtails, her infamous ruby red shoes, and a white blouse, Dorothy’s super-girly style was a nice complement to her pure heart. According to a 2015 CNN.com report, the dress sold for $1.56 million at a New York auction.
#21 Alicia Silverstone’s revealing dress from “Clueless,” 1995
The short, tight, ’60s-inspired white shift dress Silverstone’s character, Cher, throws on for a date had her father seeing red.
“What the hell is that?” he asks.
“A dress,” she answers.
“Says who?”
“Calvin Klein.”
“It looks like underwear,” her father says. “Go upstairs and put something over it.”
In 2010, Klein designer Francisco Costa returned the dress to the racks for a Cher-friendly price of $916.
#22 The Black and White Mystery Dress
Yves Saint Laurent is now iconic designer and respected name in fashion and movie industry, but he was yet to be discovered when he designed the dresses for Catherine Deneueve in Belle De Jour (1967). Severine (Catherine Deneueveve) is a frigid housewife with a secret sado-masochist fantasy and fetish to prostitution. Throughout the movie she wore classy “French styled” dresses which symbolize her character and now serve as iconic movie dresses.
#23 To Catch a Breath in a Blue Amazing Dress
When the rich spoil and yet charming Frances in the Hitchcock’s classic To Catch a Thief wore the floor length ice blue chiffon evening dress the world was mesmerized by beauty. This iconic dress was designed by the iconic Edith Head but Grace Kelly was the one who choose the dress for the specific iconic scene.
#24 The Fair Lady in a Lovely Gown
By now we can declare Hepburn as the actress who wore the most iconic movie dresses of all time. In the academy award winning My Fair Lady Hepburn worn a sumptuous Ascot dress and hat designed by Cecil Beaton and sold by the Debbie Reynolds Collection. Debbie Raynolds bought the dress for $100,000 and when Hepburn worn this outfit in the most iconic scene of the movie, it gain to its value and it was sold for incredible $3.7 million at auction.
#25 Kate Hudson, How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days
Has anyone ever looked this good in yellow, before or since? We can just see Kate Hudson floating down those stairs, a vision in sunny yellow, into Matthew McConaughey's arms now.
#26 Nicole Kidman, Moulin Rouge
Oh, Satine! Nicole Kidman's tragic Moulin Rouge heroine is drop-dead gorgeous in this form-fitting, jewel-embellished gown.
#27 Renée Zellweger, Chicago
What a knockout! Renée Zellweger really shone in this starring Chicago role –– and the sparkly flapper costume(s) certainly didn't hurt.
