Margaret Qualley Goes For Baroque With Bows

Margaret Qualley is going for baroque. Last night, the actress arrived at a Toronto International Film Festival screening of The Substance in Chanel couture that mixed high French historical fantasy with some very modern hotpants.

Selected from the brand’s 2024 couture collection, the actress’s look started with an upscale take on a romper. Over the top, Qualley layered a dramatic cape coat that nodded to boho, rococo, and coquette stylings all in one go. The showpiece featured ornate embroidery along the top, tiered draping, and two black bows situated along the actress’s shoulders. Qualley finished off her look with peep-toe Chanel shoes, a glossy lip and, of course, some ribbon accessories to match. She accented her updo with a black hair bow and wore a selection of bow-shaped Chanel high jewelry including their 18k white gold and diamond “Ruban” necklace and earrings.

Later in the evening, Qualley took to the red carpet with her The Substance co-star Demi Moore. The actress followed Qualley’s cue in a black-and-white look of her own, but instead opted for something more office-appropriate. She donned a slick Thom Browne look that turned the menswear suit into the perfect red carpet dress.

The Substance has been delighting and horrifying critics since its debut at the Cannes Film Festival in May. The body horror, directed by Coralie Fargeat, follows Elisabeth Sparkle (Moore) as she is fired from her aerobics show and subsequently begins to promote a serum that creates a younger version of herself. Fargeat won the award for Best Screenplay at Cannes.

“One of the reasons why this movie was exciting for me was because I haven’t really done something head-on like this where the character is superficial and meant to be mega-hot,” Qualley said of her role in The Substance. “I’ve played a bunch of fucking freaks, so I consider myself lucky. It’s more of a challenge than I realized, pretending to feel hot when you don’t feel hot.”