Moodboard Monday: Style On Screen

Fashion as narrative, costume as character

Silk material background with moodboard, style on screen as text

This week, we’re dressing the frame. From high passion power plays to sci-fi couture and disco-era dreams, our moodboard Monday explores how style on screen becomes story. These films don’t just costume, they weaponise it. They world build, define arcs and turn fabric into feeling.

Whether it’s Miranda Priestly’s icy elegance. Ruby Rhod’s chaotic glam or Tracy Chamber’s rise from seamstress to muse, these characters wear their transformations. Their wardrobes aren’t just aesthetic – they’re emotional architecture.

Featured Films:

The Devil Wears Prada (2006)

Style mood: Editorial power, minimalist luxury, status-coded silhouettes
Key look: Miranda’s black turtleneck and silver bob
Narrative thread: Fashion as hierarchy, identity and silent warfare
Styling cue: Structured tailoring, monochrome palettes, statement coats.

She didn’t just wear the look – she became the mood

The Fifth Element (1997)

Style mood: Sci-fi camp meets couture chaos
Key look: Leeloo’s bandage suit and Ruby Rhod’s leopard print explosion
Narrative thread: Fashion as world building and character exaggeration
Styling cue: Futuristic textures, bold shapes, surreal accessories.

Fashion isn’t frivolous, it’s coded, it’s cinematic

Mahogany (1975)

Style mood: Glamour, ambition and disco-era fantasy
Key look: Tracy’s runway finale – feathers, sequins and cinematic glow
Narrative thread: Fashion as freedom, transformation and self-definition
Styling cue: Satin, sparkle, dramatic silhouettes, colour story arcs.

style on screen is how a character speaks before they say a word

Visual Language

Textures: Silk, vinyl, faux fur, metallics
Colour palette: Monochrome power tones, neon-futurism, jewel-toned glam
Frame composition: Mirror shots, runway angles, close-ups on accessories
Styling techniques: Costume reveals, outfit montages, fashion as emotional beat.

From bandage suits to boardroom coats – costume is character

Style on screen is more than visual flair – it’s narrative shorthand. It tells us who a character is, who they want to be and what they’re willing to wear to wear when they get there.

This week’s moodboard celebrates fashion as myth, mood and movement. Whether you’re creating a carousel or scripting a scene, let these icons remind you: the costume is never just costume. It’s story stitched in silk and sequins