The Lipster

Today sees the launch of the biennial Fashion In Film festival in Laaandan town, a festival that explores film in which fashion and clothes play a significant part. It runs from May 10 - 31 at the ICA, Tate Modern, Cine Lumiere, BFI South Bank and the Horse Hospital. Highlights include the UK screening of artist Cindy Sherman's debut film Office Killer, Dario Argento's The Bird With The Crystal Plumage, Marlene Dietrich as an impossibly glamorous jewel thief in Desire and talks and introductions from the likes of GQ's Dylan Jones and designer Bella Freud. To celebrate, we’ve picked our five favourite fashion moments in the film world…

Heathers

Like Amy ‘n’ Blake, cheese ‘n’ pickle and er, Dick 'n' Dom, 80s films and fashion go hand in hand. Forget all that "the decade that style forgot" nonsense – there are a wealth of amazing fashion moments to be had from 1980-90. Pretty In Pink, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off and Sixteen Candles all deserve a mention, but one film holds the ultimate style moment – Heathers. The darkest high school film on record tells a tale of a gang of girls all called Heather who rule the school until Christian Slater and Winona Ryder start to bump them off. But amazing plot aside, the real stars of the show are the Heathers’ outfits. Like some sort of weird non-uniform uniform, the Heathers deliver lines like “fuck me gently with a chainsaw” while wearing a series of amazingly patterned structured double-breasted blazers with ra-ra skirts. The shoulder-pads alone clearly send out the message that they are not to be messed with. Oh and don’t forget the belted bright chunky knits and Winona’s stretchy off the shoulder black bandeau dress – an outfit Agyness Deyn would kill for, surely. See what we did there? Kill for? Sorry.

Gilda

The 1940s were a bit of a haven for fabulous fashion in films, but Rita Hayworth as Gilda (1946) in the film of the same name takes the top prize. Gilda, a bit of a good-time girl who loves the fellas and is caught between two dodgy blokes, really knew the effect of a pair of elbow-length gloves and a tight floor-length dress, chiffon off-the-shoulder numbers and a smart pant suit – and all paired with THAT red hair. Women the world over tried to emulate her hotness and Rita’s Gilda influenced the looks of everyone from Marilyn Monroe to Jessica Rabbit. Rita once said: “Men go to bed with Gilda but wake up with me” and we can kind of understand what she means – as the ultimate fox Gilda, Rita plays a woman who can stop men at ten paces and snare everyone/anyone with her looks and wardrobe. Rita was never going to live up to that, was she?

The Lost Boys

Stylish celluloid moments don’t all have to be about the girls – as proved by 1987’s vampire teen-fest The Lost Boys. Jason Patric, Alex Winter, Kiefer Sutherland and Corey Feldman might spend their time sleeping during the day but who gives a toss when they’re having such an amazing fashion moment? Forget red capes and slicked back black hair – in the vampire world that is so O-V-A-H. These boys prefer bleached blonde Vanilla Ice flat-tops, dangly earrings worn in one ear, embellished and distressed leather jackets (Alex Winter’s was the best) and RayBans. Pile on a load of silver jewellery, smother on a bit of your latest conquest's blood et voila – that is SOOOOOO a look. Even the baby vampire rocks a vintage naval jacket.

Funny Face

Forget that hoary old fashion cliché Breakfast At Tiffany’s – Audrey Hepburn’s ultimate style moment was in Funny Face (1957). Set around glossy mag Quality (motto: “Think pink”), Audrey plays a wannabe philosopher who swans around in black cigarette pants and polo necks, until she’s discovered by top photographer Dick Avery (based upon Richard Avedon, whose photographs are used in the film) and whisked off to Paris for a fashion shoot. We’ll set aside the fact that Aud’s love interest Dick (Fred Astaire) was 30 whole years older than her at 58 (nice, Hollywood, nice) and basically a gross old man and instead concentrate on the fact that Audrey wears a series of the most amazing couture gowns ever seen on film (most were Givenchy, fact-fans). But it’s the cigarette pants/polo neck/ballet pumps combo that remains that ultimate fashion moment in the film; a gorgeously simple look that has inspired fashion to this very day – in 2006 The Gap used footage from Funny Face in the adverts for its Skinny Black Pant.

Clueless

High school comedy Clueless (1995) remains an amazing film for so many reasons – but one outfit of Cher (Alicia Silverstone)’s takes the top spot: the tartan mini kilt, matching jacket and over the knee socks. In an era when grunge ruled (long knits, scruffy dresses) Clueless defined a look of babydoll dresses, tiny skirts, plaids and pastels that quickly moved into the mainstream, influencing a generation of teenage girls and, apparently, designer of the moment, Henry Holland, who sent his girls out in similar tartan mini kilts and jackets in purple plaid earlier this year. As Cher would say: “Awesome”.