40 Iconic Movie Dresses That Went Down In History For All The Right Reasons

Sometimes it only takes a dress to create a memorable movie moment. That said, the amount of work that goes into creating costumes such as these is unfathomable. These 40 dresses are among the very best, and they influenced fashion in the real world as well. Get ready to clear some space in your closet…

40. Kate Hudson in How to Lose a Guy in Ten Days

Kate Hudson wore a beautiful yellow dress at the end of How to Lose a Guy in Ten Days – and then she lost it! No, really. In 2021 the actress told Elle magazine on the Golden Globes red carpet, “I know it was [designed by] Carolina Herrera and our amazing costume designer designed the dress with [her] team. I do not know where it is, but I feel like we should find it!” Yes Kate, please do.

39. Claire Danes in Romeo and Juliet

Okay, it’s the angel wings everyone remembers about this outfit, but they wouldn’t have had as much impact without the dress. Claire Danes’ Juliet wore this simple but stunning white gown when Romeo noticed and fell in love with her. If only she’d been wearing jeans and a T-shirt instead, perhaps the whole tragedy could have been avoided.

38. Vivien Leigh in Gone with the Wind

Vivien Leigh wore so many great dresses in Gone With the Wind that it’s hard to choose just one. But the green velvet, gold detailed gown she wore while talking to Rhett about children has got to be up there. It’s so iconic that it’s kept in a museum these days and carefully conserved by experts.

37. Cate Blanchett in Elizabeth: The Golden Age

Cate Blanchetts’s Queen Elizabeth II stood out from her royal courtiers in this incredible yellow dress, which was created by acclaimed costume designer Alexandra Byrne. People have questioned the historical accuracy of the actual film, but you can’t deny how gorgeous the dresses were. And they won Byrne her first ever Academy Award.