London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Wednesday, Sep 02, 2026

Why Is Bad Girl Style So Good?

Why Is Bad Girl Style So Good?

We’re introduced to Emma Stone’s take on Cruella de Vil in the new Cruella trailer through fashion.

The iconically villainous fashion designer with a hankering for Dalmatian fur walks into a ballroom in a white hooded coat, which suddenly erupts into flames, revealing a sinister red gown underneath it. Talk about an entrance! With costumes designed by the Oscar-winning Jenny Beavan, the film is guaranteed to be a maniacally stylish flick, with Cruella getting an edgy, punky makeover. (It will be hard to top Glenn Close’s portrayal in 1996’s 101 Dalmatians, of course, but it already looks very promising.) Few antagonists are as overtly glamorous as De Vil, but Hollywood has a history of making antagonists impeccably dressed-both in cartoon and live-action form. And there’s something about bad girl style that’s indeed just so good.

When looking at the scope of villainous fashion plates, two categories emerge: There’s the faux innocent, à la Regina George, and the slick, edgy sexpots. For the former, look to the Fembots in Austin Powers and their marabou feathers, or Villanelle’s frilly Molly Goddard tutu gowns in Killing Eve. These evil chicks enjoy dressing sweetly to take their prey by complete surprise. It was Shakespeare, after all, who wrote, “Look like the innocent flower, but be the serpent under’t.”

Then there’s the predator who barely masks her malice. When Halle Berry portrayed Catwoman in 2004, her menacing outfit totally made the otherwise-panned movie. Her reimagined black leather catsuit by Angus Strathie was strappy and sexier than the one famously worn by Michelle Pfeiffer-and totally more badass too. Grace Jones’s hooded Azzedine Alaïa getups in A View to a Kill would make anyone want to join the dark side. Simply put, bad girls just do it better-and below, more of the most stylish villains of all time prove it.



Miranda Priestley in The Devil Wears Prada



May Day in A View to a Kill



Regina George in Mean Girls



Yzma in The Emperor's New Groove



O-Ren Ishii in Kill Bill



Patience Phillips/Catwoman in Catwoman



Villanelle in Killing Eve



Maleficent in Sleeping Beauty



Catherine Tramell in Basic Instinct



Kathryn Merteuil in Cruel Intentions



Courtney Shayne in Jawbreaker



Queen Akasha in Queen of the Damned



Ursula in The Little Mermaid



Meredith Blake in The Parent Trap



Vanessa in Taxi



Harley Quinn in Suicide Squad



Madison Lee in Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle



Fembots in Austin Powers



Queen Ravenna in Snow White and the Huntsman

Comments

Oh ya 6 year ago
Other than the beautiful dogs and the cool PX200 mod vespa there is nothing of interest in the photo

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Cleveland Police Receive £2 Million to Tackle Serious Crime in Middlesbrough
Number of Young People in England Without a Close Friend Reaches Record Level
Five Arrested After Newborn Baby Dies From Stab Wounds in Sheffield
Nigel Farage Faces Questions Over Reported Second Parliamentary Standards Investigation
UK Retirement Funding Requirement Rises by £64,000 Compared With 2021
UK House Prices Rise for First Time Since April, Nationwide Says
FCA Chief Faces Allegations of Intimidating Consumer Group Over £9 Billion Car Loan Inquiry
Scottish Government Presses Ahead With Cap on Essential Food Prices
Burnham Government Moves to Overhaul Early Prison Release Scheme
UK Records Hottest Summer on Record in 2026, Met Office Says
UK Government Announces Major Reset of Diplomatic Policy Towards Israel
UK Pushes Back After Trump Reopens Falkland Islands Sovereignty Dispute
Keir Starmer Resigns as MP, Triggering Holborn and St Pancras By-Election
Andy Burnham Blames Brexit for UK’s Decade of Weak Growth in First Commons Address
England Faces Renewed Scrutiny Over Sewage Discharges and Water Quality
Victoria Beckham Business Reports First Operating Profit Since Launch
BT Expects £2 Billion From Copper Sales During Full-Fibre Rollout
UK Train Drivers Secure 3.6% Pay Rise and Avert Strike Action
FCA Chief Faces Scrutiny Over Alleged Pressure on Consumer Group in Car Finance Case
Kemi Badenoch Names Andrew Griffith Shadow Chancellor in Conservative Reshuffle
UK House Prices Rise for First Time Since April
UK Shop-Price Inflation Accelerates to 1.5% in August
Met Office Data Point to Hottest UK Summer on Record
UK Announces Emergency Prison Release Measures and £110 Million Capacity Expansion
UK Launches Expanded Free School Meals and 1,400 Breakfast Clubs
Bank of England Governor Warns G20 of AI-Related Economic and Cyber Risks
Prime Minister Andy Burnham Calls for Greater Public Control of Water, Energy and Transport
UK Gains Full Access to £13 Trillion Trans-Pacific Trade Bloc
UK Long-Term Borrowing Costs Hit 28-Year High as Oil Shock Drives Global Bond Selloff
Royal Mail Keeps First-Class Stamps at £1.80 and Second-Class at 91p
Church of England Prepares Formal Apology Over Historical Forced Adoptions
UK Competition Regulator Caps Veterinary Prescription Fees at £21
UK Aviation Authorities Roll Out Airspace Changes to Reduce Flight Delays
England Makes School Allergy Policies Mandatory Under Benedict’s Law
England and Wales Tighten Child Safeguarding Checks by Removing Supervision Exemption
Cornwall Geothermal Plant Begins Commercial Power and Lithium Operations
UK Inflation Holds Near 2.9% as Energy Costs Remain a Risk
UK Productivity Growth Averages 1.1% Over Two Years, Resolution Foundation Says
England Introduces Nationwide School Smartphone Ban and Uniform Limits
UK Gives Border Officers New Powers to Seize Migrants’ Mobile Phones
Green Party Wins First Westminster By-Election in Gorton and Denton
UK and EU Advance Gibraltar Border Deal Allowing Spanish Guards to Conduct Arrival Checks
Robert Jenrick Joins Reform UK After Losing Conservative Whip
Andy Burnham Faces First Prime Minister’s Questions After Labour Cabinet Overhaul
ScottishPower Recycles Nearly All Materials From Historic Hagshaw Hill Wind Farm
Millions Travel Across England, Wales and Northern Ireland for Summer Bank Holiday
Met Office Issues Yellow Thunderstorm Warnings Across Southern England
Four Arrested After Bank Holiday Stabbing Violence in Kettering
Scottish Chamber of Commerce Warns Tax and Business Costs Risk Holding Back Scotland
UK Government Launches Youth Employment Drive With Major Retailers
×