Movies To Inspire Your RED DRESS Moment

Here's the thing about Red, ALL seasons love red. Whether it's against white snow, green grass, a Spring rain or a breezy beach, the color red pops against a dramatic landscape and makes you the center of attention. Lucky you if you get a storm or a cloudy day because RED looks fabulous in gloomy weather and makes for dramatic, memorable pictures. Even at night. Here are some of my favorite movies that feature memorable red dresses. Whether you're planning a special date or planning your wedding, these movies will inspire your very own red dress or RED TUX moment.

The Bride Wore Red (1937) starring Joan Crawford. Even though this movie was filmed in black and white you can imagine the scandalous red beads that adorn Anni's gown, designed by M.G.M. costumer Adrian Greenburg. The themes of this film aren't exactly celebratory but you are in good hands in that the movie was directed by the one and only Dorothy Arzner, who takes her calculated time revealing the inevitable spiral of our ambitious and very naive Anni. Joan Crawford is at the top of her game here and when at the beginning of the movie she reveals her dream of owning a red dress covered in beads we know what she means. It's a lofty want for a woman like her. So when she finally gets a chance to wear it, and we can only imagine in what shade those beads are glistening, we can feel how important this dress, this moment, is to her. Even if things don't pan out the way she's planned them to. That said, this is a good movie and directed by the only female director of the Golden Age of Hollywood. It deals with some serious topics but it will also make you appreciate your own red dress, whatever fabric you imagine on your day, beads or no beads.

The Princess Bride (1987) starring Robin Wright, directed by Rob Reiner. In the book by William Goldman there is no mention of a red dress but for me it is one of the most memorable visuals in the film. Princess Buttercup on horseback against rolling green hills. The dramatic gold belt, those bell sleeves. If I were about to venture into a deadly swamp I would want to look this fabulous doing so. The Academy Award winner Phyllis Dalton was the costume designer on this film and though this movie didn't bring her an Oscar (she won two during the course of her career for Henry V (1989) and Doctor Zhivago (1965)) it did win her a Saturn Award from the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Films the year it was released.

Beetlejuice (1988) starring Winona Ryder, directed by Tim Burton. Even though this red dress is insane it's one of my favorite on-screen red dress moments. Aggie Guerard Rodgers designed this red tulle number from hell for the character of Lydia Deetz. Literally I think this dress is supposed to come from the gates of hell but again, if I were about to marry a demon I would feel appropriate wearing this dress to do so. Don't let this dress scare you away from red tulle. It can be fabulous in so many shades and it is stunning fabric for a veil. If you can't see yourself walking down the aisle in something reminiscent of this kind of red dress drama you can always bring the red tulle into the bedroom. Even a red veil. It's naughty and a little bit sweet. Even if you're shy you can feel sexy under sheer, draped, RED fabric like tulle.

Bram Stoker's Dracula (1992) starring again the magnetic Winona Ryder, directed by Francis Ford Coppola. There are three red dresses in this movie that are absolute showstopper inspiration. The first is the red satin number Winona Ryder as Elisabeta wears in the embrace of her soul mate Dracula. Eiko Ishioka won an Academy Award for her costume design in this film and it's not hard to see why.

The red night dress we see Lucy Westenra wandering through the garden in, summoned by Dracula himself, is both terrifying and so feminine. The long fabric that grazes the garden maze in the breeze... I can see this dress inspiration make for an incredible entrance in any weather, any time of night or day. Or again, in the bedroom.

The last red dress in this film and one of my all-time favorites is worn by Dracula himself. A long, red, silk overcoat fit for this modern, horrific, tortured character. This look can be worn over a shade of white, if you aren't sure you want to shy away from traditional white on your wedding day.

Variations of this would look sharp over a tux. Again, a red robe in any fabric could be bedroom inspiration too. And since we're appreciating Eiko Ishioka's eye I feel like we shouldn't forget Dracula's iconic RED armour in this movie. It's definitely fashion forward and you can actually see this costume at Francis Ford Coppola's winery in Healdsburg, CA. His winery is also available to rent as a wedding venue if you want to go big.

Outlander Season 2, Episode 2 (2016). Ok, this is a TV Series but this dress worn by Caitriona Balf as Claire Randall, designed by Terry Dresbach, is all-time whoa and must be mentioned. The neckline on this corset is out of control in a great way. A dress like this could be made from any luxurious fabric, in this case satin, or even a fabric like cotton could pull off this look. It's opulent but has clean lines. Jamie's face says it all as Claire descends the stairway towards him. This dress is civilized, grand and definitely the center of attention. Imagine your betrothed's face when they see you walking towards them in something reminiscent of this dress. It will take their breath away.

Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984) directed by Steven Spielberg and starring Kate Capshaw in one of the most fun red dress moments on-screen. She enters the scene through a smoking dragon tunnel that leads to an enormous stage where the chorus kickline goes on and on for the opening credits of this installment. She’s wearing a long, red, sequin backless dress, one red glove and one gold glove and Ferrari red lips singing ‘Anything Goes’. Don’t overlook Harrison Ford as Dr. Jones in this scene either, his white tux and red rose boutonniere is so sexy and so sharp and would look fabulous on anyone - whether you’re the center of attention or complimenting your date with a red flower pinned to your lapel.

This dress was designed by award winning costumer Anthony Powell and is one of my favorite Indiana Jones moments (Karen Allen’s dotted swisse dress in Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) is for another post). Since we’re talking sequins I have to mention the well known, much more sexy red, sequin number Jessica Rabbit wore (with purple gloves btw) in Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988) directed by Robert Zemeckis.

I love Jessica Rabbit and her dress is truly iconic. Betsy Brantley was the performance model for Jessica and I would love to know what it was like making this film...and if she wore red sequins during the making.

Death Becomes Her (1992) also directed by Robert Zemeckis and starring Goldie Hawn in a red dress moment I love. She does wear two red dresses in this film, one long sleeved and backless which is also fabulous but my favorite is the first red dress she wears, with a sweetheart neckline, paired with gold cuffs. This is the moment she reveals her new figure and she’s got a pretty spooky look in her eyes when she walks into the room in this one. She’s possessed and delusional but she sure is alluring. This red dress loans itself to that kind of history of red on women in film. Something obviously not lost on Joanna Johnston, who was the costumer on this film. She has a long history with Robert Zemecks and Steven Spielberg and this red dress moment is one of my favorites. This dress inspires me to also mention that red dress in Pretty Woman (1990), directed by Garry Marshall.

This isn’t one of my favorite movies but this dress is a little Jessica Rabbit, a little Claire Randall, totally 90’s with the white gloves, turning out something completely timeless. This look was designed by the esteemed Marilyn Vance and it’s pretty all-time.

The Matrix (1999) directed by Lana and Lily Wachowski. This movie has a scene that really hones in on some of the red dress themes we see on film. Keanu Reeves, as Neo and Laurence Fishburne as Morpheus are walking through the matrix training program (to the classic tune Clubbed to Death by Rob Dougan) when a blond in a red dress crosses their paths. Morpheus asks Neo “Were you listening to me Neo or were you looking at the woman in the red dress?” As an audience we all know that hell yes we were looking at the woman in the red dress. How could we not be? This is what the red dress, and the red dress moment, is all about. This dress was designed by costumer Kym Barrett who not surprisingly won some awards for her work on this film. This red dress is pretty cool. It’s satin and draped and cherry red but it's what it brings into the blandness of the moment that we really appreciate on-screen here. You can go this bold and you will be that man, woman, bigender, genderqueer, genderfluid, cisgender, whoever you are don’t be afraid to be the blond in the red dress in The Matrix.

The Color Purple (1985), Tata Vega singing in red beads, sequins, pearls and feathers as Shug Avery in this Academy Award winning film directed by Steven Spielberg. Aggie Guerard Rodgers also designed the costumes for this film, which won her an Oscar in 1986. The draped pearls on this headdress are my favorite part. This should be a reminder that even with a fully beaded or sequined number like she wears here, singing ‘Sister’ to Whoopi Goldberg as Celie Johnson, you can still go all out with pearls (and feathers) if you want. I don’t think you can be too bold in red if you focus on the total look. You can still match shoes and lips here too and it would only sharpen the ensemble.

Lastly, I have to mention Funny Face (1957), directed by Stanley Donen. Audrey Hepburn as Jo Stockton, of course, in red, looking incredible. She’s always flawless and this dress, picked for the film, by costumer Edith Head, is a showstopper. This dress is also paired with white gloves, much like the look from Pretty Woman (1990). Because of her sash you can imagine perhaps a veil with this look. Or a sash like hers. The neckline is more modest but it’s bright red and this total look is anything but modest.

You can go big with red. You can be regal and hold court or feel confident in subtle, red details. Like a bowtie (Pee-wee Herman did) or shoes (hello Judy Garland). Let's not forget any man or woman in a red tux, in any fabric, will look incredible. I wanted to wear red on my wedding day but it wasn't in my budget (I chose Blush and felt beautiful). Whatever you do on your special day, be it a solo event where you want to make an entrance or on your wedding day (or wedding night) the most important thing to remember is to choose a color that makes you feel good and benefits your mood. Find a shade of red you love and enjoy every second of your RED dress moment.