Zendaya appears at a photocall in Rome, promoting her most recent film Challengers in which she plays a former tennis prodigy turned coach. She looks as sleek and chic as she always does, in a close-fitting, plunge silver dress with a pleated mini skirt that means she could slay the photocall, grab a racquet and make it to the courts without the need to change—just about. But then look at her feet—she’s wearing custom Loewe white stiletto pumps that look like they have impaled two green tennis balls. It’s, as her stylist Law Roach later quips on Instagram, “Tennis but make it FASHION”. A total score.
From Zendaya to Margot Robbie’s Barbie run with looks directly referencing the doll’s archive of outfits, it seems that ‘method dressing’ has become every it-actor in Hollywood’s album era. What do we mean by method dressing? Well: it’s when an actor takes their film aesthetic and thematic elements—the plot, props, scenery, character arcs—and channels it (sometimes incredibly literally) into their red carpet looks. Method dressing has become the new method acting. Roll past the credits, and out onto the red carpet.
For decades, actors have largely dressed for award ceremonies and red carpets not as a reflection of their film but as something wholly apart from it—the classic, pristine movie star with their own sense of style. Think the siren aesthetic of Angelina Jolie in the ’90s, or Halle Berry’s love of sheer and satin show-stoppers. Nods to an actor’s film were subtle and small, with a few little bits of whimsy here and there—like when Geena Davis wore a dress with baseball stitching to the premiere of A League of Their Own in 1992.
In the last year, we’ve seen actors leaning into their projects on their promo tours and red carpet turns like never before. Zendaya, Margot Robbie, Halle Bailey a la The Little Mermaid in figure-hugging, fish-tale referencing sequins and pastels, and Jenna Ortega in her Wednesday Addams era, are leading the way in this now more mainstream approach. They’re blurring the lines between on-screen and off-screen personas, and playing dress-up at its most sartorially satisfying.
Dr Carolyn Mair, the author of The Psychology of Fashion says that by method dressing, “actors can express their identity through their clothing”, enhancing their performance and allowing them to engage with their audiences more deeply.
The rise of method dressing mirrors the era-driven narratives we have come to expect from musicians, who use their music and style to tell cohesive, thematic, theatrical stories that evolve with each album release. Look at Beyoncé’s ‘Lemonade’ era, which celebrated Black womanhood, layering influences from the southern environment in Louisiana with Victorian and “regal African” motifs and used pieces from luxury brands like Gucci and vintage Alexander McQueen. In Taylor Swift’s ‘Reputation’ era, where she explored themes of revenge and media criticism, her clothing exuded a dark and sexy aesthetic, defined by rocker and punk styles and snake motifs—it was edgy, bold, and confident. She took to the stage once in an embroidered snake print Roberto Cavalli catsuit, a definitive moment.
Actors are working with their stylists in a similar way. Olga Timofejeva, a stylist who has teamed up with clients including Jessica Henwick, Tom Rhys Harries, Hannah Khalique-Brown, and AJ Odudu, tells Cosmopolitan UK that she weaves a client’s background, culture, heritage, and unique character traits through their looks so that the styling becomes a “natural extension” of who they are and their stories.
Timofejeva did some serious method dressing on the Matrix Resurrections promo tour with actor Jessica Henwick. They worked together to pull looks from designers like Iris van Herpen, known for designs that meld the naturalistic and futuristic, to pay homage to some of the movie franchise’s aesthetic. “We recreated the iconic moments from the trilogy, from the infamous ‘Sparring Program’ scene to Trinity’s leather outfits. We used the colour blue throughout her wardrobe as an ode to Jess’s character’s hair. We even had a ‘liquid’ dress!” The Iris Van Herpen ‘liquid’ dress has a silicon coating that gives it a “wet” appearance, to give it an otherworldly. V Matrix.
Margot Robbie’s Barbie press tour wardrobe has of course been the ultimate schooling in album-era dressing. From pastel-hued outfits to playful accessories, each carefully curated to reflect Barbie’s iconic, often hot pink, polished style. Margot donned a Hervé Léger dress that took cues from the classic black-and-white outfit of the original 1959 Barbie doll, complete with matching glasses. During a photocall in LA, she wore a custom Valentino ensemble inspired by a “Pink & Fabulous” Barbie from 2015, while posing next to Barbie’s dream car.
Zendaya’s long-time collaboration with the legendary stylist (and self-described ‘image architect’) Law Roach is a sartorial worldbuilding exercise. During the promo tour for Spider-Man, where Zendaya played Michelle “MJ” Jones, she wore a cobwebbed grey glitter blazer dress created by Alexander McQueen, paired with a set of tights. Subtle, chic!
There’s no way to succeed without a team and all the moving parts that help bring an era of fashion into life—whether that’s from designer archive pulls to custom pieces. And to keep it cool is no mean feat. Dressing so literally can become too campy, cringe, and too on the nose in the wrong hands. Holly White, a stylist who has worked with Florence Pugh, Gillian Anderson and Emma Watson, says it’s in the fittings experience with her clients that they can iron out the vibe. “It’s a fun and exciting journey that involves lots of references, mood boards, emails, fittings and ‘finessing’ until we land on that perfect moment,” she says. “Sometimes a client will be involved every step of the way, and for others, it means less.”
Ugo Mozie, a designer and celebrity stylist who has worked with Naomi Campbell, Justin Bieber, Maluma, and Travis Scott, tells Cosmopolitan: “Method Dressing is a fundamental approach that guides my creative process when working with clients. “I meticulously deconstruct every moment to unveil a thematic essence.”
“Usually the theme either represents the era we are in stylistically or the mood we want to evoke that night,” says Mozie. His favourite part of the styling process is creating the vision board or treatment for the explored era. “I believe fashion is becoming more bold and intentional again, so it’s giving stylists and talent the opportunity to have fun again and dig into their creative bag.”
Mozie worked with the iconic Diana Ross to design an ensemble for her 80th birthday celebration. “This project was not only thrilling, but also presented a unique opportunity for me to delve deeply into themes, eras, and aesthetics,” Mozie says. It was about “understanding the importance of crafting a look that exuded royalty, timelessness, and sheer beauty. I drew inspiration from Queen Idia of Benin and the majestic coronation of Queen Elizabeth. Naturally, as Diana is royalty!”
The celebrity stylist has become a more prominent and collaborative figure in recent years. And stylists know that red carpets are a strategic power play. You could say the last year has been ‘the year of the stylist’. Law Roach has become an all-out celebrity in his own right.
Stylist Dara Allen has kept Hunter Schafer slaying all through her promotion of her Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes turn and beyond—the looks are lithe and elegant, but also inventive and vibrant, a perfect inflection of the fantasy thriller. Ensembles straight out of the Panem’s Capitol. In the film, Schafer plays Tigris, the cousin of the future president and a fashion stylist apprentice. Fashion is a throughline of her character, and thus unspools in Hunter’s press wardrobe: like an opulent gold Prada two-piece that recalls the Capitol’s decadent lifestyle, futuristic nature-indebted pieces like a sumptuous pink Marni dress adorned with 3D butterflies. Fans are as devoted to following and unpicking these storylines through the garments.
As the boundaries between on-screen and off-screen personas continue to blur, there’s a new approach to storytelling through fashion—keep the Hollywood album era coming, we say!
