After a summer of dressing like actual Barbie dolls, Margot Robbie has apparently regained creative control over her wardrobe. Her most recent public appearances are a reminder that the Australian actress has a sophisticated sense of style after all.
In one week of November alone, Robbie rocked two brown looks, marking a total departure from the Barbie era (it was fine while it lasted but we must keep it pushing).
Stylist Andrew Mukamal first dressed her in a sheer Schiaparelli corset — with a belly button piercing detail (!) — over massively wide-legged, unbuttoned velvet pants for the Saltburn premiere on November 14. With her minimalist gold choker, Robbie looked like a rockstar and red carpet-ready all at the same time.
Just days later, Robbie attended another event in Los Angeles draped in a similar brown shade, this time imparted by a Fendi off-the-shoulder corset. Below, a silk, georgette skirt, just a single shade of brown lighter than the top layer.
That was in and of itself quite strong but with her brown-ish red lip, strappy beige heels, shimmering clutch, and Ana Khouri diamond ear cuffs, Robbie was the very picture of an A-list fashion powerhouse, impeccably dressed and perfectly poised.
When Robbie signed on as a Chanel ambassador back in 2018, the pairing made sense — the world’s foremost luxury label and one of the most in-demand actresses around.
It’s hard not to look good in a legacy brand like Chanel but as the years went on and the outfits came out, feedback was… mixed. No one can doubt that Robbie’s capable of making a tablecloth look good but Fashion Twitter thought the looks were too frilly and conservative for Robbie. Harley Quinn would never mess with tweed and all that.
Robbie herself might’ve even agreed with the critique, to some degree; once her Chanel contract was up, she ditched the fringe for Bottega Veneta leather.
But almost as quickly as she was released from her Chanel contract, Robbie became Barbie, enduring a months-long press tour through summer 2023 wearing outfits inspired by actual Barbie dolls.
While that was cute and all from a marketing perspective, Robbie was merely dressed the part. To be honest, I think it lacked a little heart. It all looked great but was it really Margot Robbie wearing clothes or clothes wearing Margot Robbie?
While her prior relationship with Chanel and the Barbie tour left Robbie looking simply put together, the actresses’ new looks have plenty more personality, an edginess that’s been lacking from her previous red carpet moments. Robbie’s work always has an assured point of view, and it’s about time that her fashion choices do, too.
