Amandla Stenberg Isn’t Saying Goodbye to Method Dressing

Has method dressing run its course? Well, Amandla Stenberg’s latest red carpet outfit has answered the question with a definitive “no.” Today, the actress took to the UK premiere of Star Wars: The Acolyte in a high-glamour take on theme dressing.

Stenberg, who plays an assassin named Mae in the Disney+ live-action series, hit the red carpet in a draped gown that went all in on risqué cut-outs. The bodice of the actress’s dress featured a halter neckline and two exposed sections on either side. From there, Stenberg’s gown flowed into a cut-out midsection and a draped maxi skirt that sat loosely on her hips. The actress accented her red carpet look with matching sandal heels, a studded gold choker necklace, and a statement auburn hair braid.

The sandy, earth color tone of the dress would look at home of any of the Star Wars universe’s dessert planets, while several characters in the sci-fi saga have been known to favor some draped fabric. Though, it’s Stenberg’s hair that really screams Star Wars. It’s almost the same coif that Carrie Fisher wore as Princess Leia with that famous metal bikini.

In fact, Stenberg and her stylist Chris Horan have been on a theme dressing streak during the actress’s The Acolyte press tour. During an event in Los Angeles last week, Stenberg slipped into a black cut-out Oude Waag dress that she paired some major silver accessories. Per Horan, the actress’s jewelry, which imitated the shape of knives, was designed out of an up-cycled Mugler necklace.

Later that evening, Stenberg switched into a custom Acne Studios set that felt like it could have come straight from Daisey Ridley’s wardrobe for sequel hero Rey.

Although some have grown tiresome of seeing method dressing on red carpets, Stenberg seems to have hit a sweet spot with her latest look. As opposed to the overly costumey wears that tend to plague the movement, Stenberg’s version is relatively refined. Much like Zendaya who reworked bits and pieces of her Dune character into her red carpet style, Stenberg has managed to pay homage to her Star Wars role without going overboard. There’s a consistent color palette in plenty of muted earth tones, an aversion to patterns and, above all, an affinity for skin-baring cut-outs. Clearly, method dressing isn’t going anywhere.