The looks Hunter Schafer has pulled for the press tour for The Hunger Games prequel, The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, can only be described as pure euphoria.
After a famine of beauty on the red carpet caused by the recent SAG-AFTRA actor’s strike, Schafer has made it her mission to revive the theatrical flair we’ve come to revere from premieres. (For those concerned that Schfer violates union guidelines, fear not. The press tour was cleared as an expectation based on an interim agreement between the union and production).
Earlier this week, Scahfer stepped out in a haute couture creation by Daniel Roseberry for Schiaparelli, donning a surrealist dress from his Spring/Summer 2023 collection for the film’s Berlin premiere. The artistic piece consisted of hand-painted fabric fragments that were crocheted together to form a watercolour mosaic that clothed her body. A stellar start to the tour.
However, her best look to date came for the film’s London premiere—the first public outing on the promotional jaunt since the strike concluded.
For the occasion, Schafer and her stylist Dara Allen looked to a custom recreation of one of Mrs. Prada’s most iconic silhouettes of all time; a gilded, crumpled set from Spring/Summer 2009.
Schafer and Prada’s symbiotic relationship began in 2021 after she fronted the Italian luxuriate’s Galleria handbag campaign. A Met Gala look, a runway appearance and several more campaigns later, it’s clear the model-turned-actress has Mrs Prada’s tick of approval to dip into the archives any time she wishes. A decision that has led to one of the most iconic red carpet moments this year.
For the uninitiated, Prada SS09 is a tentpole collection in the Maison’s history and has become one of Mrs Prada’s most enduring contributions to fashion’s anthology. To put it plainly, this look cements Schafer’s stature as a bona fide fashion girl. Taking inspiration from the lavish surroundings of the post-rebellion Capitol explored in the film, Schafer’s liquid gold set is a not-so-subtle reference to the source material she’s promoting.
The custom look itself consists of two parts. The top half is a sweet balconette bra made edgy through the addition of a structured halter neck and billowing ballero accompaniment. Black ribbons and Prada’s trademark triangle symbol fastening the bralette together hark back to the original designs presented on the runway over a decade ago. The skirt also continues the crinkled motif, appearing like a piece of gold leaf that swathes her legs.
Sure, The Hunger Games is all about the girl on fire, but on the red carpet, Schafer is contending that the girl in gold is equally, if not more, worthy of our attention.
