Gisele Bündchen in Taxi Is the Summer Outfit Inspiration You Need 

If you need Y2K outfits to add to your mood board, look no further than Gisele Bündchen’s fiercest—not to mention most villainous—movie role. The Brazilian supermodel made her acting debut in 2004’s Taxi, where she starred as Vanessa, the well-clad leader of a babelicious group of bank robbers. In the film, a taxi driver, Belle (Queen Latifah), teams up with a goofy police detective, Andy (Jimmy Fallon), to track down the devious thieves. It’s got fast-paced chase scenes and loads of slapstick humor—but more importantly there are plenty of delicious fashion-forward Y2K looks from Bündchen.

When we first meet the stylish Vanessa in the film (her entrance is set to Tone Loc’s “Wild Things”), she emerges from the airport in a white skirt suit that’s zippered and super mini, finished off with thigh-high boots, a chain belt, and shield shades. Her posse of fellow bad girls is wearing trendy outfits that are equally 2000s: leopard jackets, body-con dresses, and Louis Vuitton monogrammed duffle bags. “Don’t you scratch them, you idiot,” Vanessa snarls as her limo driver packs their expensive bags in the trunk.

Photo: Courtesy of Everett Collection

As the film—with costume designs by Sanja Milkovic Hays—progresses, we learn that Vanessa and her crew have an elaborate plan to execute a major Manhattan bank heist—which they (briefly) pull off! One of the best scenes in the movie is right after the robbery: The four villains park their getaway car in an alleyway and shed their disguises—sleek black suits and ties—to reveal sexy, summery looks underneath. Vanessa wears a printed bra top with an itty-bitty sarong skirt and stilettos; her devious friends also wear printed bikinis and strappy sandals or cork wedges. They rob banks and then blow all their money on designer goods (the dream).

It’s the film’s climactic ending, however, when Vanessa really busts out a look. When the cops catch on to the girls and start tracking them down, she’s involved in several car chases and a standoff while wearing a black tank top, khaki miniskirt (very spring 2022 Miu Miu), and pumps. “On the ground now,” shouts a police officer to her. “In this skirt? I don’t think so,” quips Vanessa. She then proceeds to take a detective as a hostage, giving her a cheeky, full-body frisking before doing so. The whole film is so entertainingly absurd, especially the idea that Vanessa could speed down the streets of New York and dodge traffic in heels. While Bündchen’s cameo as Serena in The Devil Wears Prada will forever be iconic, it’s her catwalk-worthy Vanessa outfits that mark her best movie role to date. We demand a sequel!