The Best Fashion Moments from 2020s Most Stylish Films

 While 2020 may have disrupted the entire landscape of entertainment, few corners of the creative industries underwent as high profile a reckoning as that of film. With many of the year’s biggest blockbusters postponed, theaters around the world shuttered indefinitely, and studio lots put on pause due to Covid-19 restrictions, the industry was plunged into an unprecedented state of limbo which saw the future of cinema itself come into question.

What it did mean, however, was that many smaller-scale and independent films—which may otherwise have been overlooked—emerged as some of the year’s most widely watched, and now most hotly-tipped for awards. Within this eclectic line-up, the costuming highlights proved to be equally unexpected: whether the trench coats and tailoring of late-1970s London in Steve McQueen’s Lovers Rock, the lavish period costuming of Autumn de Wilde’s whimsical adaptation of Jane Austen’s Emma, or the high fashion spectacle of Black Is King, Beyoncé’s musical film celebrating the breadth of visual culture across the African diaspora. Where the world of cinema might go next is anyone’s guess, but it’s clear that the future of fashion on film is in safe hands.

Here, find Vogue’s selection of the most inspired on-screen fashion moments of the year—and what to look out for when the costume design nominations roll around in 2021. 

Lovers Rock

While all five parts of Steve McQueen’s epic exploration of Black British history, Small Axe, showcased the filmmaker’s keen instinct for costume, the most pin-sharp eye for style came by way of the second instalment, Lovers Rock. Charting the course of a night out at a Lewisham community center in 1977, the clothing served as a rarely-seen window into the impeccable sartorial turnout of the postwar Caribbean community in London, with spiffy patterned shirts and flared trousers for the men and gloriously colorful party dresses for the women. It was a joyous ode to the style culture of McQueen’s upbringing, brought to vivid life by costume designer Jacqueline Durrant.

Mank

Given David Fincher’s notoriously exacting approach to constructing the visual worlds of his movies, it’s little surprise that the Hollywood Golden Age costumes of Mank—his retelling of screenwriter’s Herman J. Mankiewicz’s laborious journey to writing the script for Citizen Kane—should serve as one of the film’s standout features. Aside from the retro suiting sported by Gary Oldman as Mankiewicz, the true stand-out looks came courtesy of Amanda Seyfried, Lily Collins, and Tuppence Middleton in a series of delicate pussy-bow blouses and glitzy draped gowns. The costuming cherry on the cake? An early scene at a party thrown by publishing magnate William Randolph Hearst at his infamous Hollywood mansion, at which Seyfried shows up dressed as a majorette in a marabou jacket and feathered hat. 

Mulan

No expense was spared on Disney’s epic, $200 million retelling of the story of the legendary Chinese gender-swapping warrior Hua Mulan—a fact which radiated through its lavish costumes. Whether it was the elaborate armor and battle wear sported by Liu Yifei in the titular role and her fellow fighters, or the medieval Tang Dynasty-inspired robes and wrap dresses worn for the matchmaking and courtly set pieces, the dazzling costuming served as an undisputed highlight of a film that otherwise proved divisive with critics.

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