Which Cinemoda films have the strongest fashion connection? Start with Belle de Jour, whose central wardrobe was made by Yves Saint Laurent. Then look to two documentaries that put designers themselves on screen, Marc by Sofia and Yves Saint Laurent, tout terriblement. Suspiria offers a different route: the festival’s founding partner points to the film’s influence on fashion imagery. Together, they make a useful way into Vogue Italia’s two-day Milan programme without pretending that every film is about clothes.
The second edition of Cinemoda runs September 25–26, 2026, at Cineteca Milano Arlecchino during Milan Fashion Week. The event page says screenings are in their original languages with Italian subtitles and are introduced by experts and Vogue Italia editors. Vogue Italia says the programme was curated with Chiara Mastroianni and Gian Luca Farinelli. If you are choosing what to see, the distinction between these films matters more than a blanket “fashion film” label.
A wardrobe that became part of a character: Belle de Jour
The most direct fashion-to-film connection belongs to Luis Buñuel’s 1967 Belle de Jour. The Musée Yves Saint Laurent Paris says Saint Laurent created Catherine Deneuve’s complete wardrobe for the film. The clothes were made for a character and a story, rather than simply displayed as fashion objects.
That makes the screening a chance to watch how costume can help establish a character’s public image. The museum also says the film’s popularity increased sales of Saint Laurent’s trench coat, a rare documented example of a screen wardrobe finding a life beyond the movie. That later commercial effect is part of the story, but the film itself is where the design decisions can be seen in context.
The designers become the story
Marc by Sofia changes the point of view. In Kering’s description of the 12-film selection, it is Sofia Coppola’s documentary about Marc Jacobs. Rather than watching a designer’s work inhabit a fictional character, the audience is invited to watch a film about the designer. Vogue Italia’s September 24 schedule lists it for September 25 at 20:15.
Yves Saint Laurent, tout terriblement is another documentary subject in the programme, this time the couturier whose work also appears through Belle de Jour. Vogue Italia lists its screening for September 26 at 17:00. Seeing both Saint Laurent titles makes an unusually clear comparison possible: one film presents his designs through a character’s wardrobe; the other takes the designer as its subject. The programme gives viewers two ways to think about the same creative figure without making the films interchangeable.
When film shapes fashion’s visual language: Suspiria
Suspiria is the least literal fashion pick of these four. Kering, Cinemoda’s founding partner, describes the film as an influence on fashion imagery. That is an attributed claim about its visual afterlife, not a claim that Suspiria is a film about the fashion industry. Vogue Italia lists the screening for September 25 at 22:15.
Its place in this guide is a reminder that the relationship can run in both directions. Fashion can help construct a screen character, and filmmakers can become visual references for images made later. The programme puts those possibilities close enough together for viewers to notice the difference.
For a single screening, choose according to the question that interests you: Belle de Jour for costume in a narrative, one of the documentaries for the person behind the work, or Suspiria for cinema’s influence beyond the screen. For more than one, the two Saint Laurent films offer the sharpest comparison. Check the official programme for the latest screening details before making plans.
Sources
- Cinemoda official event page and official programme (accessed September 25, 2026).
- Vogue Italia programme and schedule (published September 24, 2026).
- Kering announcement of the second edition (published September 1, 2026).
- Musée Yves Saint Laurent Paris, Belle de Jour (accessed September 25, 2026).
