Fashion

7 Things 'Zoolander 2' Got So Right About Fashion

by Renata Certo-Ware

When it first came out nearly fifteen years ago, the movie Zoolander, a seemingly irreverent comedy, perfectly satirized the fashion industry — a world that quite notoriously takes itself very seriously. The long overdue sequel is mere months away from its debut, and by the really, really ridiculously good-looking Zoolander 2 trailer, the second iteration promises to be serve up plenty more of the same too-real insight into the fashion biz, along with a healthy dose of Blue Steel.

As the saying goes, "Life imitates art," but this flick actually does a really great job of mimicking the IRL world of fashion, where no personality is too large and no outfit is too over-the-top. There are plenty of too-similar-to-be-a-coincidence characters, like a street-wear loving Jeremy Scott-esque designer and a costume-loving fashion personage that could double for the Vogue Japan editor Anna Dello Russo.

There are also some recognizable faces. Like the original, Zoolander, the sequel, or "2oolander," as it's come to be known, has plenty of killer celebrity cameos. Benedict Cumberbatch giggling into his hand as androgynous supermodel "All" nearly blew my mind, and final-moments selfies by Justin Bieber, Usher, Miley Cyrus and more perfectly tapped into our celebrity and selfie-obsessed tendencies.

Here are some of the most fashion-y elements from the trailer that could be — and are — IRL occurrences.

1. Androgynous Supermodels

"Are you like, a male model or a female model?" Derek Zoolander asks "the biggest supermodel in the world," an androgynous model named All, played by the Benedict Cumberbatch (and his perfectly high cheekbones).

2. "She's Hot, I Trust Her"

Penelope Cruz is, in fact, hot, as an Interpol agent who tasks Zoolander and Hansel to help stop a killer who is targeting the most beautiful people in the world. As she pulls up on a motorcycle, wearing what appears to be that red jumpsuit from that Britney Spears' "Oops I Did It Again" video, Hansel takes one look at her and decides that, based on her good looks, she must be trustworthy. Yup, that sounds about right!

3. Latte Art

In fashion, it's always time for a perfectly frothy — and perfectly Instagrammable — latte. Especially when you're being sprung from prison like Will Ferrell's diabolical character Mugatu. His first move on the outside is plotting revenge over a perfectly crafted latte, natch. Because if your coffee fix doesn't feature a portrait of your own likeness, are you really even caffeinated?

4. Weird Fashion

Kristin Wiig's character nailed it in this department. Her statement hair provided a nice balance to an otherwise low-key skirt suit, turning this from just another office outfit to a straight-to-street-style-blog look.

In this BTS scene at a fashion show, she lets her outfit do the talking — since her lips quite literally don't work.

Is it weird that I actually kind of want to wear this outfit myself? I totally get it.

5. Any Time Is Selfie Time

Justin Bieber made sure to serve one last Blue Steel look — and posted it to social media with his final words, "Peace out, world," before perishing.

6. And Car Selfies Are An Absolute Must

And here, Zoolander uses a selfie stick to capture a joyride in a red convertible in Rome. NBD, but he almost drove into oncoming traffic. Still, super cute though!

7. Cultural Appropriation

Hansel's casual, layered look wouldn't be complete without cultural touches that his character seemingly has no connection to. Unfortunately, cultural appropriation is somewhat common in fashion, and that appears to be what the film is satirizing here.

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