Recently, Margot Robbie appeared in the Summer issue of Vogue magazine, wearing a pink Versace dress, heavily reminiscent of her upcoming film Barbie. The whole shoot, which was shot by photographer Ethan James Green, perfectly echoed the scope that the iconic doll possessed. From posing in traditional cowboy attire to having a whimsical lightness while wearing a Valentino dress, Barbie, and now Margot, can pull anything off.
With the excitement around the movie, and especially the costumes by legend Jacqueline Durran in the film, now is the perfect time for Margot and the team behind the film to both up her fashion game and also promote ‘Barbie-core’ through her outfits.
Method dressing has become a heavily used marketing and storytelling trick adopted by actors nowadays as the sheer amount of promotions they need to do to market a movie creates the perfect situation for them to showcase their fashion game and simultaneously give the audience a better understanding about the film itself. Let us look at some more examples of actors practising method dressing.
Halle Bailey in custom Valdrin Sahiti, for The Little Mermaid (2023)
Recently during the promotions of her new movie The Little Mermaid, Bailey has been spotted increasingly donning outfits which have elements of the sea, most commonly in the colour blue and having seashell motifs on them. One of the most jaw-dropping looks from the tour was the custom blue metallic Valdrin Sahiti gown that she wore while attending the world premiere of the film. The metallic shine that the look radiated, along with the sculptural neckline of the dress, made Bailey look like a Goddess from ‘Under the Sea’.
Zendaya in Bottega Veneta and custom Balmain, for Dune
Zendaya, along with image architect Law Roach, masterfully incorporated elements of the world of Dune into outfits that she wore to premieres and to promotional events. To reference the military suits that Paul Atreides and the House of Atreides wear in the movie, Zendaya embraces the military suit by wearing the opening runway look from the Bottega Veneta 2020-2021 season. With a powerful pair of ‘Storm Boots’, and a pair of black sunglasses to capture the no-nonsense look that often members of the House of Atreides don, Zendaya and Law’s subtle styling makes this one of her most iconic looks.
Lastly, a look into Zendaya’s style during Dune will be incomplete without mentioning one of her most iconic looks till date — the Balmain custom leather dress. In a beautiful colour, which closely resembles the colour of the boundless sand in the world of Dune, the draping and the silhouette not only make it a spellbinding piece of clothing, but further the narrative that Law and Zendaya have worked on impeccably.
Zoe Kravitz in Yves Saint Laurant, for The Batman (2022)
During the promotions for The Batman, Kravitz proved to the world that no one could truly embrace method dressing as subtly as her. Among the many amazing looks that she wore during the period, none is as iconic as the Yves Saint Laurent column dress that she wore to the London premiere of the movie. Retaining her character’s figure-hugging wardrobe in the film, the dress also had daring cut-outs, which falls in line as something her character in the film Catwoman would also be donning if invited to such a premiere.
Carrie-Anne Moss in Oscar de la Renta, for The Matrix Resurrections (2021)
For the premiere of The Matrix Resurrection, actor Carrie-Anne Moss wore a custom Oscar De La Renta gown which had a monochromatic bodice, embroidered silver and green sequins and threadwork, which referenced the “digital rain” sequence that The Matrix films opened with. Along with the embroidered detailing, the name ‘Oscar De La Renta’ was written in green thread. Along with that, stylist Sydney Lopez also added a pair of triangular green earrings, further referencing the sci-fi elements of the movie.
Saoirse Ronan in Carolina Herrera, for Mary Queen of Scots (2018)
At the London Premiere of her movie Mary Queen of Scots, Saoirse Ronan wore a Carolina Herrara gown which was adorned with a medieval-style collar and sleeves which echoed the styles of Victorian times. This gown serves as an excellent example of retaining the character’s essence in the dress, yet opting for modernity, by opting for a lighter fabric and dewy makeup, as opposed to the heavy fabric and makeup often adorned by women belonging to royalty at those periods of time.