With the first hint of spring or fall, designers inspire die-hard fashionistas to chuck out the old and fill their closets with cool new duds. Churning out what's de rigeur, however, doesn't come easily. Just like us, today's arbiters of taste distill the hottest trends from what's hip on the streets.  What's supreme on the big screen? Haute hipster performers? It all melds magically into the minds of designers who dish up definitive looks.

Read on as two Canadian designers living on either side of the Atlantic let us in on their secret cache of cultural muses.

Joeffer Caoc

Canadian designer Joeffer Caoc cites 'King Kong's' Fay Wray and 'Belle de Jour's' Catherine Deneuve as his showbiz inspirations. />

"I always think of movies and women when I design," says Canadian designer Joeffer Caoc.

After founding the fashion label Misura in 1994 and rebranding it in 2005 as the Joeffer Caoc collection, the 32-year-old's sleek chic for �ber urbanites has garnered international acclaim. Angela Bassett, Julia Ormond, Molly Parker and supermodel Daria Werbowy are just some of the celebs that wear this fashion guru's sexy styles to perfection.

Strong women are drawn to Caoc's vision. But this designer, too, has had a long love affair with the tough dame. "For me "Valley of the Dolls" summed up so much about the kind of women I love and design for," says Caoc. "The women these actresses represented had such strength. They had so much going on in their lives. It's the one big movie for me. An all-time favourite."

Fay Wray ('King King, 1933')

Whether it's Fay Wray, the beauty who tamed the beast in "King Kong" (1933), or Catherine Deneuve's understated French flair in "Belle de Jour" (1967), screen queens still top Caoc's fashion muses.

Movie magic

"I don't always look to current film to find my inspiration," says Caoc. "Last spring the collection was very much influenced by "The Virgin Suicides" form 1999. It was the way Sofia Coppola created the mood of youth in it. The '70s undertones in that mood, the whole feeling of the movie. I just loved it," says Caoc.

By the book

Caoc's ongoing passion for strong women got a creative boost once he read "The Sexual Life of Catherine M," (2002). Billed as the most explicit book about sex ever written by a woman, it told the unvarnished tale of a French art critic who slept with hundreds of men.

Catherine Deneuve ('Belle de Jour,' 1967)

"I just loved the way this woman wrote about her sexual escapades," says Caoc. "That first raw enthusiasm, the lusty sex. It left such an impression on me this woman was extremely sexual and totally unapologetic about it. It inspired me to translate that kind of confidence into my work."

'70s sex appeal

While Fall 2007 had a distinct "Bell de Jour" flave, Caoc's take on Spring 2008 reflects a totally different vibe. "Life for me is all about the Halston mood and Studio 54," says Caoc. "But I also love that sexy Helmut Newton feel and the Azzedine Ala�a vibe of the '90s."

Patrick Cox

Canadian-born Patrick Cox cites a wide range of showbiz influences ranging from 'Blade Runner' to 'Queen Margot.'

With Elton John, Lenny Kravitz, Liz Hurley and the Beckhams snapping up his swank shoes, London-based footwear designer Patrick Cox has earned worldwide acclaim for his avant-garde blend of architectural structure and slick whimsy to his coveted creations.

From an early age Canadian born Cox adored British culture, loving everything from the punk scene to the Queen.

That passion prompted a move to London in September of 1983, where Cox found fame immediately after graduating from Cordwainers Technical College in the East End and launching his first collection.

He's racked up loads of laurels - among them two Accessory Designer of the Year awards from The British Fashion Council. He's used his talents for charity -- in 2006 Cox was appointed the chairman of Amnesty International's creative committee.  In short, this Canadian has come a long way since fans swarmed his first boutique at #8 Symons St. and made his "Wannabe" collection a bit of fashion history.

But as Cox admits, his artistic vision has clearly influenced by key moments and artists that shook up the 20th century.

Bonzo for "Bladerunner"

Blade Runner
Sean Young in 'Blade Runner' (1982)

Thanks to its stylized look, its dark grime and the cultural clashes, the 1982 hit "Bladerunner" was a major influence on fledgling shoe designer Cox. "It was the first movie that wasn't a "Jetson's" view of the future, where everything was happy and perfect," he says. "It's kind of clich� to say it, but it had a feel of Hong Kong or Japan about it, which was the first time that had been done."

High for "The Hunger"

In 1983 "The Hunger," starring Catherine Deneuve and David Bowie, created a sensation with its slick, MTV-worthy mix of glam and gore.  "This movie had the most fantastic '80s styling,"says Cox. "The Bauhaus soundtrack is great. I really liked the drama of the vampire and blood thing."

Queen's reign

Blade Runner
Isabella Adjani in 'Queen Margot' (1994)

Like "Bladerunner," "La Reine Margot" (1994) impacted Cox and his collection. "It looked at the future in a new way. It was also the first movie I'd seen which looked at history in a shocking way," says Cox. "It wasn't a filtered or idealized view but very real. The grim, brutality and blood versus the extreme decadence of the French court was totally mind blowing."

Amazing Grace

"Grace Jones was such a slick package," says Cox. "I loved the fabulous styling by Jean-Paul Goude. The geometry of it, the way he blocked colour and used a cut and paste method which gave it all a cartoon-like quality. The hair. The shoulder pads. This was art direction like no other."

Mad for Madonna

For Cox, the early years of Madonna's career were absolute magic. "The "Like a Virgin" tour and its overt sexuality - the trashy lace and leather look was so downtown New York," says Cox. "It was a perfect representation of Danceteria in New York."

New York Nuggets

During his first visit as an adult to New York City in 1982, Cox first saw breakdancers perform in Washington Square. "There was the emergence of Electronica and Kraftwerk, and these kids from the South Bronx took their beats and blended them with rap. It was really a seminal moment," says Cox.

That Big Apple edginess clearly impacted this shoe guru's vision. "Keith Haring graffiti. Vivienne Westwood. Malcolm McLaren and the Buffalo Gals. It all came together," says Cox.  "I loved the seediness of that time in New York, unlike now where it's become a Disney world for Hedge Fund boys."