Top Ten

            Since it's Oscar time, I was thinking about my favorite dresses of all time from the movies, and I decided to do something that's never been done before- a top ten list! The ranking for this list is, of course, very scientific. Determining factors included the audibility of the gasp I made when the garment came on the screen, and the time spent fantasizing about wearing the dress after the movie's conclusion.  Without further ado, my top ten:

10.

Most of my favorites come from movies I enjoy and would happily watch multiple times, but this isn't one of them.  The costumes are definitely the best thing about The Duchess, which is maybe one of the most depressing movies of all time.  The dress in question is the most fabulous among an array of fabulous dresses, although I think it gets some help from the huge ostrich plumes.

9.

Freshman year of high school, I was in love with the look of Moulin Rouge, and especially this dress.

8:

I thought 500 Days of Summer was pretty cute, if a bit cloyingly hipster.  But when Zooey Deschanel wears this blue vintage dress in the wedding scene I understood all the hype about her.  

7:

 I've only seen Sleepy Hollow once, in a high school quest to watch every film that has Johnny Depp in it, but years later I remember the dress from the final scene.  I think it's the anachronistic use of the Tim Burton stripe on a polonaise gown that is so striking.

6:

A lot of people didn't like Marie Antoinette because "nothing happened".  I think they failed to realize that a two hour 18th century fashion show is a big event.  I love this dress that she wears to her birthday party- the white satin, the pink flower corsage detail, the little fur cape- perfection.  

5:

Ugh, I loved An Education.  The hairstyles and the dresses were all pretty swoon inspiring, but when she gets whisked away to Paris and wanders around in this floral print, it put me over the edge.  

4:

Gilda is one of those classic movies that you always hear about and then when you see it, you realize it's actually kind of dumb.  I would use the word dopey.  I don't remember a thing about the plot, but I will never forget the famous dress Rita Hayworth wears for "Put the blame on Mame".

3:

Okay so in fifth grade I was one of those weirdos who went to see Titanic in the theatre like 7 times.  Maybe it was because Leonardo DiCaprio was so unthreatening-to-a-10-year-old hot or maybe it was the stunning costumes.  They were pretty much all fantastic, but the big reveal of this suit with the giant purple hat when Kate Winslet gets out of her car is a truly great moment in costume history.  

2:

I grew up in the South, so that means that I watched Gone With the Wind approximately 59283590285 times as a kid.  I know every one of Scarlet's dresses in great detail, but for some reason I always loved this blue and white one the best.  It's not one of the famous green dresses or the red i'm-a-ho-bag dress that Rhett makes her wear (all of which are fabulous), but it was always the one I wanted most for myself.

1:

1.  Well you probably saw this one coming from a mile away, as it is one of the most famous fashion moments in film, but what can I say?  The ball gown Audrey Hepburn wears in Sabrina, designed by Givenchy, is not only the best dress in a movie, it's probably the best dress of all time.  Look at it.  It is literally perfect.



          So I guess now we know that I like a good bustle, as if we didn't know that before.  I also realized that a disproportionate number of these dresses are blue, a color I hardly wear...what does it mean?  Hmmm....maybe movies really are as thought provoking and important as all the presenters on the Oscars will tell us tonight!

All images from imdb.com and costumersguide.com