Tilda Swinton Dyed Her Hair Yellow in Support of Ukraine

Tilda Swinton has arrived at the Venice Film Festival, meaning the 79th edition’s already excellent red carpet just got even better. The 61-year-old actor turned up to Tuesday’s photo call and premiere of The Eternal Daughter, her latest film with life-long friend Joanna Hogg, looking like a canary with bold yellow streaks in her signature bleached hair. It may seem like a whimsical choice, but at a press conference, Swinton made sure to stress that it has a special meaning: “It’s my honor to wear half of the Ukrainian flag,” she said, expressing her support for the country amid its months-long war with Ukraine. (She isn’t alone in showing solidarity: The festival, which enlisted Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to kick things off, has organized a “Ukrainian Day” for later this week.)

Thanks to Loewe, Swinton was in the flag’s other color too. She started off the day at the photo call in a baggy blue button-down with striped cherry red pants that matched her patent leather shoes.

If you’re at all familiar with Swinton’s style, you won’t be surprised that her next look came courtesy of Haider Ackermann. The designer outfitted his muse in a long-sleeved gown that had her covered in lilac sequins from head to toe. (“What I like about the relationship I have with Tilda is that it’s a human exchange, a friendship,” Ackermann, who’s dressed Swinton for going on a decade, once told W. “It’s not just about sending a dress and hoping she’s going to wear it. There are emotions involved.”)

Even though her yellow hair wasn’t visible, the ruffled white Chanel dress and straw cap she wore while off duty on Monday was also a standout: It just so happened to match both Ackermann and their vanilla gelato.