To say Elle Fanning has been turning it out on the red carpet at the 2019 Cannes Film Festival would be a serious understatement. As a member of the festival’s jury (the youngest ever!), she’s expected to show up for all the major premieres—and oh, has she shown up.
Night after night, event after event, Fanning and longtime stylist Samantha McMillen have been putting together some epic looks, and people can’t handle it. One particular Dior ensemble—a custom couture creation, inspired by an iconic 1947 photograph—has gotten everyone talking. The actress wore a full skirt, a ruffled blouse, and a wide-brim hat to the premiere of Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon a Time In Hollywood and, appropriately, and looked like an Old Hollywood movie star. She even got the poses down on the red carpet.
The outfit is actually a callback to a famous black-and-white photo of a model wearing one of Christian Dior’s haute couture creations in the 1940s. According to the brand, it took 450 hours to make Fanning’s modern recreation of the look.
And every last second was worth it, judging from the extremely positive reaction on social media. “ELLE FANNING….. THANK YOU FOR SHOWING UP AT THIS LEVEL,” one user wrote. Another had a brilliant request for the Hollywood powers that be: “Y’all better cast elle fanning (21) and rosamund pike (40) as a daughter-mother grifter duo in some noirish movie asap!”
Fanning’s fashion commitment to her lewks appears to be endless: Earlier this week, it was reported that she actually fainted at a cocktail party because the corset on her Prada dress was too tight. But not to worry, she posted on Instagram afterward about it, reassuring fans that she was okay.
“Oops, had a fainting spell tonight in my 1950’s Prada prom dress but it’s all good!! #dresstootight #timeofthemonth,” she captioned a selfie.
In light of the Dior look, To All the Boys I Loved Before author Jenny Han chimed in on the Twitter conversation, sharing her thoughts on what makes Fanning’s approach to fashion so delightful to watch. “What I love about Elle Fanning’s red carpet style is she is always very much herself,” she wrote. “There’s always a little bit of whimsy, a little tartness, and it’s always fun. She’s evolved just beautifully while staying completely true to herself! What I’m saying is I stan.”
Well said, Jenny.
