Ciak, si sfila! is the new monthly column by the M-Cube Foundation curated by Elena Maria Casella, offering a look at the world of fashion through the lens of the screen. Together, we will explore the intersection between fashion and media, analyzing films and TV series that have shaped (and continue to shape) our way of seeing the world. We will also see how moving images narrate and construct our visual culture, leaving a lasting mark on our collective imagination.
#01.26
Valentino: The Last Emperor (2008)
by Matt Tyrnauer
trailer – Valentino
With Valentino: The Last Emperor, cinema fully enters the world of Valentino Garavani
at the most delicate and symbolic moment of his career: his farewell.
Today, in light of his passing, that gesture takes on an even more definitive weight.
Directed by journalist Matt Tyrnauer, the documentary is not only the portrait of a legendary couturier,
but also the chronicle of the end of haute couture as an artisanal and authorial practice — built on savoir-faire
and on the centrality of the creator, before the system was absorbed by global financial logic.
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#11.25
Frankenstein (2025)
by Guglielmo del Toro
trailer – Frankenstein
Guillermo del Toro has been chasing Frankenstein for more than ten years. He has read it, studied it, imagined it.
This year, that long-pursued vision has finally taken shape:
an adaptation that restores the myth to its most intimate, sorrowful, and deeply human dimension.
Del Toro — poet of shadows, archaeologist of wonder, craftsman of impossible bodies —
has reanimated Frankenstein without betraying its emotional core.
He does not choose the path of triumphant horror nor that of gothic spectacle:
he prefers to bring the story back to its philosophical roots,
where the monster is nothing less than the reflection of a human violence that precedes every act of terror.
#09.25
The Addams Family (1991)
by Barry Sonnenfeld
trailer – The Addams Family
Amid cobwebs, old candelabras, and a domestic hand wandering through the rooms, the Addams Family welcomes us
with its timeless charm. In a world still hostile to diversity, they turned it into their defining mark: elegant, eccentric,
and proudly unconventional, the Addams have transformed gothic into style and the macabre into a form of eternal refinement.
The Addams Family was created in 1938 by cartoonist Charles Addams, who brought to life
a series of ironic vignettes in The New Yorker.
In 1964, the characters found their voice in the television series aired on ABC. The sophisticated sarcasm of the cartoons
became an unmistakable language, where the dark meets comedy. Morticia, with her fluid silhouette and mermaid-style dresses,
immediately became a style icon; Gomez, with his pinstripe double-breasted suit and cigar in hand,
represented a new form of eccentric, chivalrous masculinity.
But it was with Barry Sonnenfeld’s films in the 1990s that the family reached its cinematic peak.
And with Tim Burton’s Wednesday series (Netflix, 2022), this aesthetic forcefully returned to the center of pop culture.
The young Jenna Ortega breathes new life into the character, becoming an “aesthetic manifesto.”
#09.25
American Gigolò (1980)
by Paul Schrader
trailer – American Gigolò
The news of Giorgio Armani’s passing has marked the end of an era – not only for fashion,
but for that shared cultural imagination in which his style became a universal language.
Among the many images he leaves behind, one belongs more to cinema than to the catwalk:
Richard Gere opening a wardrobe in American Gigolo (1980),
carefully browsing through Armani jackets and shirts (American Gigolo – Matching Shirts & Ties).
In this simple yet magnetic scene, a myth takes shape:
the birth of the “Armani man,” an icon of effortless, sophisticated, and sensual elegance.
#08.25
Triangle of Sadness (2022)
by Ruben Östlund
trailer – Triangle of Sadness
Triangle of Sadness, winner of the Palme d’Or at Cannes in 2022,
is a journey that begins amid fashion castings, stylish runways, Instagram-ready smiles, and lavish dinners —
and which, from the luxurious lounge of a yacht, soon turns into a grotesque and nauseating drift.
The shipwreck leads the protagonists to a deserted island where every social hierarchy is overturned,
exposing all the fragilities of today’s capitalist system and its contemporary myths.
The film’s title is a declaration of intent.
The “triangle of sadness” refers to the small wrinkle that forms between the eyebrows and which,
as cosmetic surgery reminds us…
can easily be erased with a botox injection.
#07.25
Belle de jour (1967)
by Luis Buñuel
trailer – Belle de jour
Belle de jour (1967) is the result of an iconic collaboration between director Luis Buñuel,
actress Catherine Deneuve, and fashion designer Yves Saint Laurent.
In Buñuel’s surrealist cinema, desire is always an enigma, and in Belle de jour
this mystery is expressed precisely through clothing.
The film is not only a story of repressed fantasies but also a critique of bourgeois hypocrisy.
In this setting, fashion once again becomes a narrative device, and Yves Saint Laurent
– responsible for the protagonist’s wardrobe – acts as its silent architect.
#06.25
Buffalo ’66 (1988)
by Vincent Gallo
trailer – Buffalo ’66
Buffalo ‘66 (1998) is a timeless cult classic of American independent cinema. Written, directed, and starring Vincent Gallo,
an iconic and controversial figure, this debut carved out a new archetype of the contemporary “misfit.”
Amid empty bowling alleys, faded diners, and rundown motels, Buffalo ‘66
tells the tragicomic story of two lonely souls
who brush against each other and eventually connect,
offering an aesthetic that has influenced even the world of fashion.
Unforgettable is the photo booth scene, where Layla and Billy pose for a series of instant snapshots.
t is thanks in part to this scene that the Polaroid and vintage trend
– now celebrated by brands like Marc Jacobs and Miu Miu – finds one of its most authentic origins.
#05.25
05.25
Queer (2025)
by Luca Guadagnino
trailer – Queer
Apparently an unrequited love story between two lonely souls, Queer is actually much more than that.
As Guadagnino himself states,
“it’s the story of an impossibility within possibility,”
of a deep desire for connection and tenderness, and of the repression of that very desire out of fear—fear of recognizing oneself in something unknown and therefore frightening.
With Queer, we are thrown into a run-down Mexico City,
a murky territory where clothing becomes the battleground for unstable identities and unspoken desires.
Queer invites us to reflect on how, once again, cinema uses fashion
not merely as ornamentation to construct an imaginary world,
but as a true language to express inner collapse, ambiguity, and the unsaid.
#04.25
Funny Face (1957)
by Stanley Donen
trailer – Funny Face
Funny Face is much more than a musical comedy: it’s a manifesto of timeless elegance.
The film marks one of the most iconic collaborations between cinema and haute couture,
thanks to the meeting of Audrey Hepburn and Hubert de Givenchy.
The French designer, already the mastermind behind the actress’s refined style in Sabrina (1954),
signed off on some of the most legendary looks in film history for this occasion
from the classic cocktail dress to the stunning red gown worn at the Louvre.
In the era of Instagram and TikTok, where trends are born and die with a single post, some styles stand the test of time.
Think of the total black look, the oversized coat, or the everlasting allure of chic Paris,
all elements that Funny Face helped turn into fashion icons.
But why does a film over 60 years old still inspire designers, photographers, and influencers today?
The answer lies in the perfect blend of cinema, fashion, and art.