Article Written By Gabriella Sotiriou

‘Look like the innocent flower, but be the serpent under’t’ - William Shakespeare

There’s power in looking good. It’s the very reason why we all feel like our day goes slightly better when the wings of our eyeliner are perfect or our underwear matches. And no one understands this power better than Hollywood. Hollywood has a history of producing some of the most slickly dressed characters in pop culture, many of whom just so happen to be the villain of the movie. The evil characters are often also the most fashion forward in order to separate them from the mundane, increase their intimidating persona and make them seem so powerful that they are simply untouchable.

There is just something about the well dressed bad girl that we all seem to love. Here is a list of some of the femme fatales who caused the biggest fashion riots in TV and cinema.

Miranda Priestly - The Devil Wears Prada

For The Devil Wears Prada’s Miranda Priestly looking good is essentially part of the job description. As the editor of fashion magazine Runway, Priestly (played by the untouchable Meryl Streep) tells the world what to wear and so has to look good whilst doing it. Being based on real life fashion piranha Anna Wintour, Miranda Priestly is the queen of corporate dressing whilst also keeping a finger on fashion’s ever moving pulse. Combining tailoring, perfect silhouettes and perfectly picked accessories she establishes her fierce attitude through her clothing making it clear even from a distance that Priestly is not one to be messed with.

Villanelle - Killing Eve

Psychopathic killer Villanelle has become known as one of the best dressed characters, let alone villains, to recently hit our screens. Her extensive costumes function to reflect the many aspects of her character - sexy, quirky, bold, unafraid and most importantly impossible to pin down. The amazing (and appallingly expensive) clothes that Villanelle wears often are far from pedestrian, showing how unafraid she is to stand out from the crowd despite being a wanted serial killer. It’s impossible to boil down Villanelle’s costumes (apart from maybe that iconic Molly Goddard tulle dress) but trust me when I say that every episode sees the murder-ess killing the fashion game.

Meredith Blake - The Parent Trap

Meredith Blake is the villain that we all hated when we first watched The Parent Trap as kids but grew to sort of root for as we grew into young women to our confusion and terrible marker of adulthood. What has been clear from the start however, is her amazing wardrobe. From her perfectly manicured red nails and matching red lips, to the sports set she wears on that horrific hike, Blake never has a hair out of place (literally - those blonde locks are gorgeous). I totally see why the twins hated her so much - I wouldn’t want to be overshadowed by my dad’s new wife everyday for the rest of my life either.

Catherine Tramell - Basic Instinct

Cold hearted killer Catherine Tramell (played by the beautiful Sharon Stone) from Basic Instinct is a crime writer who gets caught up as a suspect in a murder case. Her attempt at seducing the detective has made for one of the most iconic scenes in Hollywood history. But moving away from what she's not wearing (you know what I mean) and looking at the monochrome look that she wears which oozes with sophistication. A white turtleneck dress with matching blazer and slingback heels, she looks as icy as her personality. The epitome of ‘put together’, her minimalist wardrobe leaves the viewer drooling with envy.

Mrs Coulter - His Dark Materials

Mrs Coulter in the TV adaptation of Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials is an example of power dressing at its finest. Dark jewel tones are a go-to for her costumes and they often follow one colour through from head to toe. Her impeccably perfect suits and 1940s style accessories reflect her attention to the upkeep of high standards and the impenetrable barrier that she uses to guard herself from enemies and friends alike. As many of the other villains included on this list, her hair is constantly quaffed and her lipstick is never out of place, regardless of the chaos around her (which she has usually caused herself). Once again, this character is made beyond intimidating through her clothing choices, even when trudging through snow covered mountains or the heat of a deserted city - at no point does her fear inducing attitude or fabulous fashion falter.

Monique (Marie Andree-Leclerc) - The Serpent

Recent crime drama The Serpent follows the murders of Charles Sobhraj and his girlfriend Marie Andree-Leclerc who get wrapped up in the evil acts when she falls for the charismatic jewel dealer in the mid 1970s. Transforming from ordinary Marie to the glamorous and fabulously dressed Monique, Jenna Coleman’s wardrobe is incredible throughout the series. Seventies cliches of bell bottoms, silk scarfs, wide collars, and oversized dramatic sunglasses tick all of the boxes. Every scene in which she appears, Monique is the perfect combination of gritty and glam, sultry and sophisticated. Coleman’s dark hair is styled with sweeping curtain bangs and her makeup makes use of all of the pastel shades and dewy finishes that we expect from the disco decade but with a French touch of undoneness about it. And the sky blue suit that she wears in the final episode is truly the cherry on the cake.

Cruella De Vil - 101 Dalmatians

There’s a reason that Glen Close kept all of her costumes from the 1996 live action 101 Dalmatians - and that is that they’re all absolutely stunning. The costumes worn by Close in the role of super stylish villain Cruella de Vil draw from high camp to Chanel, including floor length beaded gowns and tweed suits. The extravagance of these costumes perfectly corresponds with the glamorous taste of de Vil who, as we all know, would do anything for a decent fur coat. Close’s favorite outfit was a blood red gown lined with ostrich feathers, proving that Cruella’s love of bloodsports was not reserved for puppies. The ridiculousness of these costumes results in making Cruella seem slightly unhinged (if her farming of dalmatian puppies didn’t make that clear enough) and therefore a bit terrifying. She’s put at such a distance from the viewer that through simply looking at her in her lounge coat adorned with organza roses we understand that she's unpredictable and actually quite threatening.

Bold choices and impeccable execution are apparently what make a good female villain in Hollywood. Each of these characters mark themselves as something to be feared through amazing clothing, using it almost as a warning to anyone that dare approach. Looking through these examples and cinema in general it certainly is clear that most of the time, bad girls do actually dress better. Intimidating and powerful, poised and calculating - all of this can be conveyed through a costume that looks like it’s come straight from the runway. Or if these ladies have anything to do with it, stolen straight off the model’s back.

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