Fashion Special: 10 of the Best Fashion Films

If you've seen one fashion film, you've seen them all - or so goes the popular myth.

While it's true that we at shots have watched more than our fair share of waifs standing aimlessly on Paris bridges, gazing into the distance and dreaming of a square meal, some truly original, creative and - yes - humorous content is starting to emerge from a genre that's still very much in its infancy.

Below, we've picked ten of the best fashion shorts, and you can read more about fashion advertising and its evolution in shots 160, out now.

Lanvin AW11 campaign film (2011)

Proof that haute fashion houses don't take themselves quite as seriously as everyone thinks, this Steven Meisel-helmed film sees a gaggle (or whatever the correct collective noun is) of coltish-limbed supermodels dancing badly to Pitbull's I Know You Want Me. The highlight? Designer Alber Elbaz crashing the final, blissfully awkward frame.  

Wren First Kiss (2014)

Director Tatia Pilieva persuaded 20 complete strangers to lock lips in this edgy yet touching viral short, which racked up over 100m YouTube views and went on to win gold at Cannes. What many didn't realise, however, was that it was a piece of branded content for LA clothing label Wren.

Viva Vena! Fashion Film (2013)

From the sublime to the ridiculous: this Matthew Frost-directed anti-promo for US clothing brand Vena Cava's diffusion line sends up every arthouse fashion film cliche in the book. Lizzy Kaplan plays the kooky model-type who collects quirky objects d'art, reads vintage paperbacks and 'sometimes thinks in French'. 

 I Want Muscle (2011)

"There's a place within fashion film for more than just beautiful pictures," says fashion filmmaker Elisha Smith-Leverock, whose raw, docu-style portrayal of a female bodybuilder broke all the rules. After overcoming the initial hurdle of sourcing the clothes - many designers were unwilling to have their garments featured on a non-traditional 'model' physique - the film won the 2011 Grand Prix at A Shaded View On Fashion Film (ASVOFF) festival.

SHOWstudio Experiment No.009: Dynamic Blooms (2011)

Don't be put off by the pretentious title: this striking fusion of contemporary dance and fashion, in which clothes 'burst' into bloom like strange flora, is so much more than a moving lookbook. Good Egg directing collective Tell No One created the film to complement Nick Knight's editorial for AnOther magazine's Spring/Summer 2011 issue. Look out for an interview with Tell No One on shots.net over the coming weeks.

Gareth Pugh AW15 (2014)

Director and shots 160 cover star Ruth Hogben is a long-term collaborator with maverick British designer Gareth Pugh. In this disturbing homage to England, which celebrates Pugh's return to London Fashion Week after seven years, a model dramatically hacks off her long blonde locks and daubs the St George's cross over her face and body.

COS Sound of COS (2015) 

Fashion can be a feast for the eyes, but what about the ears? Dutch creatives Lernert & Sander, who made their names melting down chocolate bunnies and caking a model's face in 365 layers of makeup, bring their obsessive attention to detail to this short film for H&M's sister brand COS, in which foley artists simulate the 'sounds' of the clothes shown on screen. Who'd have thought that zipping up a coat and rummaging in a bag could be such compelling viewing (and listening)?

MOO Unboring Bags

Awarded best cinematography at this year's Berlin Fashion Film festival, this disturbing short for accessories brand MOO isn't one for the squeamish. Helmed by Marie Kristiansen, it sees a group of elderly women unpeeling their wrinkled skin to reveal their glowing younger selves. While we doubt the power of a new handbag to transform you from raddled pensioner into a lithe goddess, it certainly challenges fashion film norms - and for that we applaud it.

Diesel Dogs with Sunglasses (2012)

Dogs. Wearing designer sunglasses. And looking a damn sight better in them than cheesy (human) models. Italian label Diesel eschewed its usual 'sex sells' approach for satirical comedy in this 2012 eyewear campaign shot by Tim & Joe via Poke and White Lodge. The inspired canine cast includes a boho Afghan hound gambolling round a cornfield and a pimp-daddy, aviator-toting Doberman.

NOWNESS Too Much Of Me (2015)

Knucklehead director Siri Bunford is one of a growing number of female directors using the medium of fashion film to challenge preconceptions about age, gender and body image. Part of a series for NOWNESS exploring women's complex relationship with clothes, this short is "a story about a woman who is desired by men but derided by women because of her size" who appears naked in the film since "clothes make her feel worthless; they don't provide any security or comfort," explains Bunford.