Our weekly look at the stunningly beautiful and beautifully ugly celebrity ensembles that set the group chat alight.
Best voting ensemble
Here at Ensemble, we stan a statement-making voting ensemble. And Selena Gomez has knocked this one out of the park, stopping to vote on the way home from the premiere of The Wizards of Waverly Place (don’t ask me to explain this please, I’m an Only Murders in the Building Selena fan, not an OG one) in this incredible and utterly perfect Rodarte dress. Again, I will always bow down to the Rodarte sisters, who manage to run a wholly independent brand yet dress celebs the big luxury conglomerates pay beaucoup to. This dress was on my ‘best’ list even before she stopped to vote in it, an act that made it instantly iconic. Also iconic? Her ‘I Voted’ sticker affixed to her Roger Vivier purse. — Rebecca Wadey
Best two for the price of one
Lots of my favourite things happening in this one from Cynthia Erivo. A 20s style dress exuding old Parisian glamour with its low square neck and dropped waist; crystals that give elegant not tacky (though a little tacky bedazzling does have its place); a deconstructed skirt that grunges it all up a bit. Then there’s the layer underneath, also full of my favourite things: monochrome grey, pinstriped pants, slouchy fit.
On paper, these two things together are a bit like cheese and marmalade (sounds questionable; objectively good). And Erdem has done its job well – while I’d wear both these outfits individually, together they make up more than the sum of their parts. Also very on brand for someone starring in Wicked. The ol’ publicity machine never rests. — Georgie Wright
The best.
I was already amped for this weekend’s episode SNL, hosted by John Mulaney with musical guest Chappell Roan (and just days before the US election 🫠). Then I saw Chappell’s jaw dropping look, created by Gunnar Deatherage, for the promo and I SCREAMED. This is a pop star! The extravagance is even better alongside Mulaney’s uptight preppy. If this is the energy she’s bringing to the brief promo, I can’t wait to see what she does for the show proper. — Zoe Walker Ahwa
Best big bow
“Bows and lace… how can you go wrong?” captioned ‘fluid luxury’ NYC-based brand Tanner Fletcher this post with Troye Sivan, also summing up the Ensemble ethos. If there was one brand I would shop right now if I was rich and not working in media in 2024, it’s Tanner Fletcher, with its love and subversion of playful lace, ruffles, bows, sequins, blouses and more (they also have an incredible eye for vintage homewares).
I was thrilled to see them up for the emerging designer award at the CFDA awards, which they attended wearing these divine looks and having dressed Troye in this sick lace, satin, lingerie and tailored look. Also adore their custom look for Brandon Flynn at the same event; similar to their own ensembles, but with a comically large pussybow. — ZWA
Best small bow
Okay Zoe stole my ‘best bow’ this week and I do concede that delightfully floppy pussybow is brilliant. But Katie Holmes also caught my eye in a bow of a very different kind. I consider Katie Holmes to be somewhat of a stealth fashion girlie, she’s had some truly brilliant moments (the boyfriend jeans, the cashmere bra twinset) but because they tend to be pap moments rather than red carpet appearances she doesn’t get credit.
I love her appearance at the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) awards this week in Carolina Herrera, alongside designer Wes Gordon. Pink and red is my absolute favourite colour combo, and while I don’t usually like either colour paired with black, as a trio (and with the black clutch) the black bow really works. Her hair and makeup also look great, carefree and casual yet dressed to impress. — RW
Best niche and probably unintended reference
A few weeks ago I saw a photo of Chloë Sevigny and Haley Wollens at the launch of Myth Mag, which Wollens founded. I got this strange pang of familiarity, a sort of tidal wave of nostalgia, like when you smell that reminds you of your childhood home. It took me a while to figure out why: the dress Wollens is wearing reminded me of the one Ginger wears in the opening credits of the Spice Girls’ movie Spice World.
Like many 90s kids, the chokehold the Spice Girls had on me was all consuming. To this day, Spice World would be on my Letterboxd top five. It’s a surreal, absolutely batshit movie that I can’t imagine one of the world’s biggest pop bands making now – featuring alien invasions, bombs on double decker Union Jack buses, and pop star bootcamps (ok that one would happen today); appearances from the likes of Roger Moore, Meatloaf, Alan Cummings, Jools Holland and Jennifer Saunders. I probably watched the opening scene upwards of 100 times (in one week?).
All that to say: while I was Baby Spice 4eva, white dresses with writing on them like the one Geri wears will perpetually tug at my heart (except the one Taylor Swift wears in the Eras tour; not really doing it for me). So I loved this EmRata dress in an extremely niche way. Did she intend to evoke all my childhood dreams? Probably not. Do I support it? Yes. — GW
Best shell
“This is so fun ugh” was my intellectual comment when I sent this video to our Ensemble group chat, which I think I watched like 10 times in a row. I love people who wear fashion with a wink, and Addison Rae is doing it so well right now — see her MTV Awards lingerie look, every outfit in the Aquamarine music video, and this for the CFDA awards. She and her stylist Dara seem like they’re having an absolute blast together creating her ensembles; I think it's because both really, truly LOVE and are obsessed with Fashion, capital F, but they know that it's not just about the garments but how you wear and pose in them, too.
This Thom Browne corset with an "archival mermaid skirt with iridescent tulle madras embroidery" is so on brand for Addison, but it's the 'shellphone' that she carried as a purse, used as a phone, and posed with at her crotch that makes it so damn fun. I’m obsessed. — ZWA
