Movies on the silver screen, as well television series, often shape fashion. It could be a leather jacket worn by Harrison Ford in Raiders of the Lost Ark (released in 1981) or a fur coat worn by Angelina Jolie in Being Maria (released in 2024) that sparks a fashion trend.
Certain items create an avalanche of people wanting to emulate their screen idols, while others simply take a key item from a film and make it their own.
From Harrison Ford’s leather jacket to Jennifer Coolidge’s kaftans and the tweed caps of Peaky Blinders, some popular clothing items are rising in popularity – and value.
Michael HowardEric Wolfe, owner of Bisonte in Chapel Street, South Yarra, has not only seen the effect of certain films on his leather business but has also dressed some of the stars – including Ethan Hawke in the 2015 film Predestination.
When Bisonte was at its peak, it operated four boutiques in Melbourne and in Sydney, employing 100 people. The distressed leather flight jacket Harrison Ford wore in the epic film resulted in more than 30,000 handmade leather jackets through the 1980s.
“We were also wholesaling and the retail price was around the $700 to $800 mark. Now the same jacket would be at least double, if not more,” says Wolfe, who also made jackets for the actors in Mission: Impossible 2.
Other jackets, such as Bisonte’s box-cut chocolate kid-suede jackets, retailing for $1400, evoke the jacket worn by Timothée Chalamet in the film A Complete Unknown, channelling Bob Dylan in the early 1960s when Dylan was unknown.
“I wouldn’t say this style of jacket had the same effect on sales, but we’ve had a steady but gentle growth. It’s got similar stitched buttonholes,” says Wolfe, picking one up from one of the store’s racks.
Arnie Kieldgaard, who established Sydney’s Potts Point Vintage in Hughes Street 11 years ago, has also noticed the impact of key films on fashion. A television series singled out is Peaky Blinders, which depicted a notorious group roaming around Birmingham in 1919.
“I can’t recall how many tweed caps that I’ve sold. I can’t even show you one because they’re still asked for, and they go immediately from the window,” says Kieldgaard, who likens the peak hat to an oversized golfer’s cap.
Other items that continue to be popular are his tweed jackets, selling for between $125 and $145, many in Harris Tweed, and a full-length tweed coat that can, in the right condition, have a price tag of up to $1000.
“Tweed suits are extremely rare to find, and the most desirable tend to be in green, brown and reddish earthy tones,” he adds. The film Being Maria, staring Angelina Jolie about the opera singer Maria Callas, saw her often wearing a fur coat over her slinky chiffon gowns.
Today, according to Kieldgaard, “Young women are wearing short fur coats with jeans and high boots, whether it’s mink, or even kangaroo, with many prices being around $500.”
There have been numerous films that have caused a major fashion trend, including Out of Africa, starring Meryl Streep, released in 1985, that spurred fitted riding jackets worn with a voluminous skirt.
Other films, such as Woody Allen’s Annie Hall, released in 1977, starring Diane Keaton, saw a loosening up of women’s fashion. “Diane’s character borrowed from menswear, putting together oversized men’s shirts (a popular trend today) and baggy trousers. And of course, the floppy hat completed the look,” says Roger Leong, senior collection curator at Sydney’s Powerhouse Museum.
Other films that have left an indelible mark on fashion are, according to Leong, American Gigolo starring Richard Gere (1980). “It certainly ushered in a surge of interest in Giorgio Armani’s very loose suits, which still have relevance today,” says Leong.
The hit series The White Lotus, starring Jennifer Coolidge, also created an even larger market for Australian fashion designer Camilla Franks with her label Camilla. “Camilla was already supplying to the US when the series was released, but her kaftans are now a huge trend, not just in the States but worldwide,” Leong adds.
Predicting what fashion item will create an avalanche in the fashion industry and what’s just a fleeting moment is difficult. “People certainly like to connect with a story that resonates with them, ‘putting themselves in the picture’ and feeling connected to their heroes,” adds Wolfe.
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Stephen Crafti is a specialist in contemporary design, including architecture, furniture, fashion and decorative arts.