For anyone that spent their childhood falling off of Rainbow Road or bouncing around on mushrooms, the red carpet appearances at The Super Mario Bros. Movie” premiere should make them say “Mamma Mia!” Anya Taylor Joy and Jack Black, who voice Princess Peach and Bowser respectively, sported not-so-subtle looks as homages to their characters on the red carpet.
Designed by Dior, Anya Taylor Joy’s bubblegum pink moto suit was complete with knee-high racing boots and black studded gloves. It was as if Princess Peach herself stepped out of the console and onto her pink City Tripper motorbike. Jack Black’s look was equally incredible with Bowser’s shell spikes on his suit back and embroidered flame details on the sleeves and pants.
Despite the controversy surrounding one Chris Pratt voicing Mario, I’m legitimately excited to see the movie, and I’m anticipating what these looks mean for the future of red carpets. While we’ve seen looks inspired by movie characters in the past (i.e. Lily James as Cinderella and Jenna Ortega as Wednesday), this is the first time such theatrical and cosplay-adjacent displays of artistry walked the carpet. Previously, all red carpet looks had the glamor of traditional high fashion, and most of those had or could very well walk the runway during fashion week. This is an entirely different approach to styling and I’m here for it.
Like many of the changes in society, the desire for a more out-of-the-item-box approach to fashion can be tied back to our emergence from a post-lockdown world. As the cultural zeitgeist moves towards performance-based media, costume fashion is a breath of fresh air from the high fashion, final boss couture looks. The craving for change is satisfied by a shift in traditional looks to those of characters backed by stories. It’s experimental and new as well as a reminder that fashion is always leveling up. There are always new ideas to be had and Peach and Bowser are the gateways to a whole new world.
Hopefully, other celebrities and their stylists will follow suit for future films. Specifically, I’m looking forward to Greta Gerwig’s “Barbie” which premieres this summer. Greta brings the hope of Kate McKinnon wearing a distressed, punk “wrecked Barbie” look and Dua Lipa as an actual mermaid. Other dreams include glamorized but coordinating spider suits for the cast of “Across the Spiderverse” and Cynthia Erivo in a witchy Elphaba getup for “Wicked.” I might actually lose it if Hunter Schaefer shows up in a Capitol-esque Tigris costume for the premiere of “The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes.”
I digress, but the future of runway looks hangs on a precipice. I hope that fashion designers will look to costume designers for both inspiration and collaboration, bringing together the two facets in a fun, funky, and fresh way. My eye is on the film premieres of the future, and maybe even at SCAD Film Fest where I’ll see it in person.
Words by Caroline Tetlow.
Graphic by Josh Jamili.