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SS20: the fashion director’s cut

Images: Joe Mackenzie. Words: Chekii Harling

From cinematic catwalks and Instagram-worthy spectacles to old-school Hollywood glamour, film has never played such a leading role in fashion as it does today. Here, we explore which films have inspired some of our favourite designers – brought to life via some of our best-loved Hollywood actors (decked out in the latest SS20 styles) and the brilliant collage artist Joe Mackenzie.

Cary Grant wears: Balenciga - wool jacket, logo-print shorts, printed shirt, leather camera bag, ankle boots

Balenciaga

Had he not pursued a career in fashion, Creative Director Demna Gvasalia has said he would have been a filmmaker, which goes some way to explaining his awe-inspiring, cinematic runway shows. With an attraction to dark, apocalyptic genres, his SS20 show was an exploration into power dressing that felt as menacing as a thriller movie, while his AW20 show was a filmic masterpiece reminiscent of an Alfred Hitchcock horror movie. If Cary Grant were around today, we suspect he’d be joining the Balenciaga brigade.

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Elizabeth Taylor wears: Gucci - cotton playsuit, leather tote bag, sunglasses, loafers, GG Marmont crystal earrings
Elizabeth Taylor wears: Gucci - cotton playsuit, leather tote bag, sunglasses, loafers, GG Marmont crystal earrings. Marlon Brando wears: Gucci - linen shirt and shorts, leather belt bag, leather loafers

Gucci

Never one to shy away from red-carpet statements, Gucci’s cinematic references have spanned everything from Disney to gothic horror over the past few years. Creative Director Alessandro Michele cited Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein as an inspiration for Gucci’s AW18 collection, with models carrying severed heads and miniature monsters down the runway, while the Golden Age of Hollywood Musicals inspired its joyful SS19 ‘Showtime' campaign. Who better, then, to showcase the new season than one of its former muses, Elizabeth Taylor, and Marlon Brando, who was known to carry his scripts around in a leather monogrammed Gucci portfolio, no less?

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Ava Gardner wears: Jacquemus - La Chemise Valensole cotton shirt, Yauco sunglasses, Le Panier Soleil basket bag

Jacquemus

French designer Simon Porte Jacquemus considers himself a storyteller, as much as a fashion designer (he also dreamt of becoming a film director). As such, he produces his collections as you would a film, with a title, narrative, set and cast of characters. His SS18 show ‘La Bomba’ was inspired by Brigitte Bardot (and other bombshells) in And God Created Woman, while his Le Panier Soleil raffia bags from his dreamy SS20 show (who can forget that lavender field in Provence?) wouldn’t have looked out of place in the hands of Ava Gardner in On the Beach.

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Grace Kelly wears: Valentino - silk-satin top, stretch-crepe trousers, Rockstud leather mules, V-logo metal Airpod case, Cat-eye sunglasses
Grace Kelly wears: Valentino - silk-satin top, stretch-crepe trousers, Rockstud leather mules, V-logo metal Airpod case, Cat-eye sunglasses. John Wayne wears: Valentino - denim jacket, cotton-blend shorts, logo tape belt, bucket hat

Valentino

Nothing screams Hollywood glamour quite like Valentino. Founder Valentino Garavani has been a sought-after designer for the stars of the silver screen for decades. He was particularly fond of Elizabeth Taylor, who would famously ‘make herself presentable’ by throwing on some Valentino. And who could forget Julia Roberts receiving her Oscar for Best Actress in vintage Valentino couture from the designer’s 1982 collection dedicated to movie stars… Valentino certainly couldn’t – he described it as the best moment in his career.

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