The Color Purple Whoopi Goldberg steals the limelight in the 1985 film, but it’s Desreta Jackson as the young Celie and Akousa Busia as her sister Nettie who get the best prairie dresses. High necks, long sleeves and floral prints, the film’s dresses tap into this summer’s Laura Ashley-infused fashion as seen on the catwalk at Chloé, Gucci and Ghost, and popularised by Batsheva and The Vampire’s Wife, among others.

Photograph: Warner Bros/Shutterstock