Hunter Schafer’s Sculptural Minidress Is Pure Effie Trinket

We don’t know what we did to deserve a Hunter Schafer press tour of this level, but we’re just glad it’s happening. Over the past two weeks, the actress has been on a whirlwind of next-level looks as she’s stepped out to premieres for The Hunger Games: The Ballad Of Songbirds & Snakes. And on Wednesday night, Schafer pulled out what just might be her most dramatic, and meaningful, dress yet.

The 24-year-old attended a screening of the prequel in New York City wearing a floral dress from Marni’s spring/summer 2024 collection. And no, the piece wasn’t printed with images of flowers, but rather, hand embroidered with dozens of 3D appliqués. The pieces were designed in a sea of pink, red, and purple. Some were adorned with metal stems that extended from her shoulders and the bottom of the dress.

The result was equal parts art piece and garment, making it look like Schafer was some sort of floral goddess who just emerged from a field of roses and peonies. Never one to go overboard, the actress completed the look with white stilettos and pink drop earrings from Swarovski. And though the ensemble was quite spectacular on its own, true Hunger Games fans might draw a comparison to an earlier fashion moment in this franchise’s history.

During the 2013 Catching Fire movie, Effie Trinket (played by Elizabeth Banks) wore a look from Alexander McQueen’s spring/summer 2011 collection. Like Schafer’s, Trinket’s piece was designed with dozens of appliques—black and orange butterflies that created a turtleneck shape. The exact McQueen piece was used in promotional imagery for the 2024 Met Gala—and, truly, Schafer’s Marni wear would fit well within theme of “Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion.” Schafer’s character, Tigris, is unrelated to that of Trinket, but the latter’s fashion in the film was quite in line with what the Euphoria has been pulling out recently.

While it’s impossible to know if Schafer had this exact reference in mind, she’s been having quite the streak of press hits—from glittering Prada, to painterly Schiaparelli, and gothic Alexander McQueen. Schafer was forced to find a new stylist after Law Roach stepped back from full-time red carpet dressing, but clearly she’s found fashion kismet with new stylist Dara Allen.