DEEP DIVE

A Celebration of Kathryn Newton’s Pokémon-Inspired Detective Pikachu Red-Carpet Style

It appears that the movie star has already caught ’em all, according to her recent red-carpet style moments.

May 11, 2019

AMBRA VERNUCCIO

It won’t be long before Kathryn Newton, star of Pokémon: Detective Pikachu, disaffected teen daughter of Reese Witherspoon on Big Little Lies, concerned daughter of Julia Roberts and sister of Lucas Hedges in Ben Is Back, and curious high schooler on Netflix’s The Society, is a household name, but if you’re one of the actress’s 400,000 followers on Instagram, her position as a burgeoning style star has likely already been on your radar for quite some time.

In her Detective Pikachu role Newton plays Lucy Stevens, a Pokémon trainer who joins forces with Justice Smith‘s Tim Goodman and the titular talking furry creature voiced by Ryan Reynolds to solve the murder of Tim’s father. It’s a sci-fi neo-noir caper with a mixed live action and CGI aesthetic based on the Nintendo video game, and though it’s only been in theaters for a day, it’s acquired some delightful reviews from critics. As Lucy, Newton gets the chance to dress the part of a gumshoe, sporting some sharp looks consisting of suits and deerstalker hats, but the actress is just as stylish off-screen as she is on red carpets, or sitting front row at Paris Couture Fashion Week.

For the Detective Pikachu global press tour, the actress has been turning up in some dazzling ensembles, seemingly inspired by Pokémon themselves. Here, find a breakdown of Newton’s red-carpet looks, as inspired by various characters of the Pokémon universe.

Jigglypuff

The powder pink Jigglypuff, for example, appears to remain a source of sartorial inspiration for the actress, whether she’s in a Ralph and Russo gown or a Chrome Hearts suit.

Ash Ketchum

You might be tempted to compare this Valentino gown to a flame-breathing Pokémon like Charizard, but in reality the red color brings one of the most famous Pokémon Masters to mind: Ash Ketchum, with his iconic red hat and matching red vest.

Ho-Oh

Real Pokéheads know that the fire and flying Ho-Oh is one of the more colorful species, and kind of looks like Newton’s Rami Kadi dress that she wore to the Los Angeles premiere of Detective Pikachu.

Gothitelle

Don’t be fooled by the Poke-ball painted nails or the plush Pikachu in the frame. The all-black Dior ensemble with some white dots splattered down the front? That’s Gothitelle for sure.

Newton also shares more than just her red carpet style on Instagram. She happens to be an avid golfer (it’s part of her Twitter bio), and her three poodles (she has one in each size) sometimes join her on the course or the driving range. Of course, the actress manages to make even golfing look chic.

Perhaps being an owner of three dogs helped with some of her Pokémon training for Detective Pikachu (Small, fluffy creatures that are eager to be carried? Sounds a lot like Pokémon, when you think about it).