Brie Larson Doesn’t Have Any Soul Sisters in Hollywood
Brie Larson in a custom Gucci gown on the red carpet. (Photo: Getty Images)
Brie Larson, who accepted the Best Actress Oscar on Sunday night for her role in Room, wears designer dresses for more than just a photo op. “I feel like the way I’ve been able to understand clothes and fashion better is it’s a great way for me to express what’s happening on the inside,” she recently said. With every gown she wears, the 26-year-old attempts to reflect what her soul looks like. Well, her gorgeous inner Gucci was coming out at the Academy Awards.
Backstage in the press room, she even mentioned that the heavy little gold man in her hand expressed, yup, soul. “Everything about this experience, down to the way that I have handled it, the way that I feel about it, the dress that I’m wearing, everything has been very pointedly about it being a representation of who I am. And I feel really strong and excited to be holding this gold guy that I do feel like it is an incredible metaphor for how I feel inside.” We’re not quite sure what she meant; it may border on alchemy. No matter, no one else in Hollywood really understands her philosophical position that high fashion represents what’s stewing inside, as proved when I brought it up with a bunch of her peers during the week leading up to the big event.
Kate Beckinsale, for one, wears what she can get her hands on. At the Costume Designers Guild Awards, the Underworld actress, wearing a black number with lace cutouts from Hamel by Melina Harris, joked at the suggestion that she might use fashion for a greater power. “It depends on who will lend you your soul for the evening, doesn’t it?” She laughed and then quickly moved on — this reporter previously had no idea she’s a lightning wit.
Kelly Rowland also gave us a quizzical look at the implication that her jumpsuit worn at the Chateau Marmont during the Cadillac pre-Oscar cocktail fete could have such power. “I dress to express my mood at the time,” she suggested. “That’s what it’s really about. I want to feel fly.”
Meanwhile, at Sama Eyewear’s celebration in Santa Monica, Melanie Griffith pondered over whether a new purchase expressed her aura. “Well, I just bought this jacket tonight,” answered Dakota Johnson’s mother. “I bought it here. Everything here is very unique and eclectic.” She looked to see if it had a label, as she wasn’t sure of the designer’s name. Pushed to answer the question at hand, she kiddingly replied, “What does this mean? Are you asking if my soul is a biker? I don’t know. I guess your clothes express how you’re feeling.”
At the Essence magazine Black Women in Hollywood lunch at the Beverly Wilshire, Zendaya sort of acceded to Larson’s assessment. “That’s kind of what it’s like a little bit,” she intuited. “I’ve been able to get to a point where I solely dress for the love of myself. You have to be able to go out there, put on your clothes, your hair and makeup, and you’re doing it all for the satisfaction of doing it for yourself.” Although, of course, ahem, others do it for her.
Speaking of stylists, Beyoncé’s go-to guy Ty Hunter rejects the idea of expressing soul in his outfit selections. “We just go with whatever the event is, that’s what we go with,” he said. “We have meetings; it depends on what the theme is. We meet with the designer and have sketches. She will pick the sketch she likes, and it is up to the designer to bring it to life.” But once she finds something she’s drawn to, it’s all about how she feels in the piece once it’s on. “A lot of people don’t realize it’s not really about the clothes, it’s about the confidence you have in yourself. When you have that, anything you wear — you have to own it and feel good about yourself.”
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