There’s a certain finesse required to engineer a red carpet renaissance. Look to Anne Hathaway, who did so in vampy Versace minis, or Jennifer Lawrence in a slew of ‘stealth wealth’ silhouettes from Dior or The Row. But when you’ve been a movie premiere mainstay since childhood, how does one stage a sartorial ‘comeback’ in an arena so ingratiated with their upbringing?
A specific question to pose, yes. But after you look at Dakota Fanning at the global opening of Netflix’s limed-series adaption of The Talented Mr. Ripley, you’ll understand why we’re asking it.
Fanning first made her red carpet debut at age seven in a gilded satin mini-dress appropriate for a leading lady in the making. And while both Dakota and her sister Elle felt fashion’s warmth throughout their adolescence, it was The Great star who enjoyed the ‘It’ girl treatment by the industry, having served as a muse for everyone from Karl Lagerfeld to Miuccia Prada and Sofia Coppola.
Compounded by a brief on-screen hiatus in the late 2010s and early 2020s, Fanning’s eager return is evidence of the adage ‘good things come to those who wait’. In Ripley, Fanning takes over the mantle of Marge Sherwood, who was originally portrayed by Gwyneth Paltrow in the 1999 film adaption. But at the premiere, the only gift taking place was the fact we were robbed of more instances of press tour dressing.
Fanning made up for lost time, however, in a powder-white gown from Fendi’s Haute Couture Spring/Summer 2024 season. The angelic dress cascaded in diaphanous tiers from the asymmetrical bodice, pouring into layers of sheer silk that ethereally swept the floor.
Make no doubt, this is merely Fanning’s entrée in a feast of fashionable looks that will transpire over the course of the Ripley promotional excursion. And as the star in current campaigns for Marc Jacobs and Loewe, we can only imagine the arsenal of designer looks being assembled. The Talented Ms. Fanning, indeed.
This story originally appeared on GRAZIA International.