If there was a sci-fi film that made the list for having the best costume design it was The Fifth Element. One of the main reasons many of the film's costume design helped make the film a cult classic was because they were created by the famous couture designer, Jean Paul Gaultier.
Gaultier's artistic vision made the film's main stars pop with color, exuberance and fit the mold of a futuristic sci-fi film to a T. The occasional intricate looks in between scenes aren't easily forgotten either. The iconic bandage dress became his most recognized look from the film. Let's take a look at the most memorable outfits from the sci-fi classic.
Zorg's Henchman
No evil mastermind is complete without his henchmen. Right Arm (Tricky) was just that for the corrupt industrialist Jean-Baptiste Emanuel Zorg (Gary Oldman). He was mostly seen in the beginning half of the film in one outfit.
Seeing as it's a futuristic sci-fi film, there has to be some leather involved. Right Arm for a simple black leather jacket and leather pants. What made the outfit pop was the leather bolo tie. There's also the fact that he didn't wear a shirt.
Baby Ray
Baby Ray (Ian Beckett) played a small role in the film when Korben (Bruce Willis) attends the Diva's (Maïwenn Le Besco) concert. Ruby Rhod (Chris Tucker) is giving Corbin the run around of the famous celebrities in attendance.
Baby Ray's outfit is something to talk about. While swarmed by fans unable to hear due to being deaf, audiences prominently see his all-white outfit. His is rememberable due to the sheer lace flower top, white pants and the added bleached white hair. It gives of a very angelic Victorian vibe.
The Diva
It's impossible not to talk about Diva Plavalaguna, not only for her interesting character and her musical abilities but also for her look in the film. While many recall her musical number and it's real-life impossibility of hitting the high notes, her look is something to admire.
Not only is the metallic baby blue color eye-dazzling but it always made you wonder if she was wearing anything at all. Her entire body is the same color and everything was skin tight. The intricate black neck, waist and wrists adornments stood out against the blue. The blue ocean of Fhloston behind her made her look more like a celestial alien being.
The Disguised Mangalores
When it comes to one of the film's most rememberable outfits, it's from one short scene. Two Mangalores disguise themselves as humans to try and take Korben's place to Fhloston Paradise. What fans remember from the film is the female Mangalore's outfit.
Besides the obvious reason, there was something so vibrant and futuristic about the skirt she wore. It was made of clear lime green plastic with black pipe trimmings. It was offset with her furry cropped coat. The skirt reminded you of the future while still having shock value.
Zorg's Pinstripe Suit
Zorg is the middle man in the film as he works for Mr.Shadow, an alien entity on its way to destroy all life on Earth. He also happens to be a ruthless yet successful business man. Every ruthless businessman needs a good suit. In the future, suits don't look the same as they do now.
Many fans love to cosplay in Zorg's second outfit of choice when he decides to retrieve the stones himself. He includes the classic pinstripe design but it's his dress shirt that makes things interesting. It's an iridescent and shiny green material with a high collar. It screams "Look at me! I'm powerful" while masterminding an evil plan.
Leeloo's Orange Suspenders
For just being created, Leeloo (Milla Jovovich) puts together an amazing outfit that becomes one of the most cosplayed looks from the film. It's the bright pop of orange that pulls the look together. The outfit is quite simple with gold leggings with black trim.
It's paired with a simple ribbed crop top, but it was the rubber suspenders that made the outfit. It's not necessarily something you'd see today, but it was in the year 2263. It had enough futristic style with the varying shaped holes and harness that made it worked.
Ruby Rhod's Leopard Print Jumpsuit
Ruby Rhod is a flamboyant, enthusiastic, loud, and larger-than-life celebrity radio host. His clothes had to refelct that sense of "I'm here. Look at me." His most iconic look was his leopard print jumpsuit when he first meets Korben.
Its couture at its finest with is almost off the shoulder wide neck top and elongated collar. The look had a feminine and luxurious feel to it. The added accessories only elevated the look with the bleach blonde cylinder quiff and matching cane fit for a king.
The McDonald's Girl
Audiences only see the McDonald's worker (Marie Gulliard) for a brief second but it's a testament to Gaultier's attention to detail. The look blows the polo and black slacks uniform out of the water. The look is fun, flirty, vibrant and eye-catching.
Their uniform was everything but ordinary as it involved a shirt red strapless mini dress. The sweetheart neckline is adorned with yellow trim to look like an M. The matching red hair and big red hat with a protruding yellow M, makes it an outfit to remember even if it's seen for a short moment.
Airport And Flight Attendants
If there's one look that many fans remember from the cult classic film it's the unorthodox uniforms the flight attendants wear. It completely subverts from the mandatory professional dress code we see today. But that's the fun of it. The flight attendants wear a stiff neoprene material in different ranges of blue.
The design is flirty, sexual and would make any head turn. They wear short mini skirts and some wear tops with chest cutouts. Different employees where different tops as the in-flight stewardesses wear a 3/4 sleeve style jacket with an exposed bra. The use of bleached blonde hair and matching blue makeup finishes the look.
Leeloo's Bandage Dress
Gaultier was shocked to find that the most recognized look in the sci-fi cult classic film was the bandage dress Leeloo wears in her first appearance. In an interview with Vogue for the film's 20th anniversary, Gaultier explained, “The costume for Leeloo was a bit of a last-minute creation, and funnily enough, it is the one that everyone remembers from that movie.”
The look was simplistic but somehow captured the futuristic style needed for the scene. The decision to make Leeloo a fiery orange-toned redhead popped against the white bandages. Prior to the scene, no one had seen Jovovich in costume, “There was just a hush, which is really bizarre when you think that there’s over 200 people around you, and everything is deathly quiet. You could just feel this incredible energy.”