Subtlety is out, bright and vibrant sunshine is in. At Tuesday night’s Zola premiere at the DGA Theater Complex in Los Angeles, the British Ann Boleyn actress Jodie Turner-Smith, 34, turned out in a bright yellow gown with a leg slit that reaches the heavens and a hairstyle that resembles a crown. A nod and a wink to the monarchal presence she plays on TV. As her Instagram bio says “Queen with a crown that be down for whatever.”
This isn’t the first time Turner-Smith has donned sunshine yellow on the red carpet however. At the 2020 EE British Academy Film Awards, the Queen & Slim star graced the scene with a sequined and solar Gucci gown. Complete with black detail work on the neckline and back, Turner-Smith equally embodied both queen bee and sun goddess.
Since the debut of this Gucci ensemble, Turner-Smith has become a key player in the Gucci Bloom fragrance campaign which is “the story of four women living in a garden of dreams,” alongside Anjelica Houston, Florence Welch and Susie Cave.
While the Zola premiere dress’ designer has not yet been revealed, it would not be surprising if it were another Gucci collaboration based on the accessories that adorned the look. To guild the lily, Turner-Smith wore a bejeweled gold-plated Gucci collar which marks her as an ambassador for the brand. While this dress doesn’t have the usual flourish and maximalism of Gucci creative director Alessandro Michelle’s design, it seems like a likely extension of a creative dynamic that has been highly successful.
While the dress, in all of it’s glory, is the first element to catch your eye, a closer look at the details in the look are fundamental to it’s success. Across her hands are opulent gold and diamond-clad rings, tastefully dispersed along her slim and elegant hands capped off with a mute pink manicure. And let’s not forget about the makeup, the focus is all on the cheeks with a healthy amount of a red-toned blush that merges seamlessly with her eyes framed by a clean cat-eye eyeliner. Everything about this flows naturally, not a single aspect out of ratio, everything considered to tell a story of grace and royalty.
What the dress lacks in complexity, it makes up for in precision and statement. It hits all the right marks, framing her legs and back in a just-enough execution of cut outs. In a fashion culture dominated by muted tones and beiges, it’s a bold choice to stand out and take daring risks in terms of color. This payed off, while not even being an actor in Zola, Turner-Smith turned heads and left an unquestionable impact on the event — not just as a gilded beauty, but as a presence in fashion and art to look out for in the future.
