Is Method Dressing Really Over? Two Vogue Writers Debate

This year, method dressing was bigger than ever, with Dune: Part Two, Challengers, It Ends With Us, Furiosa, Deadpool & Wolverine, and Wicked all proving ripe opportunities for theme dressing. But it also reached a boiling point. While we covered it relentlessly here at Vogue, we also declared that it had grown stale. So, will stylists take heed in 2025, or have we reached a new normal? Below, Vogue fashion writers Christian Allaire and Hannah Jackson discuss.

Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande doing Wicked press.

Photo: Getty Images

Zendaya promoting Dune: Part Two.

Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images

Hannah Jackson: Hi Christian! We talk a lot about method dressing around the office. But I’ll ask you here, on the record: What is your stance on method dressing?

Christian Allaire: My god, method dressing really took over this year, huh? At first, I was charmed by it: it was fun to see how actors could nod to their films with their red carpet choices. Zendaya, with her tennis flick Challengers, did it well—finding chic looks in different shades of tennis ball green. But now, I feel like it is fast becoming overkill. Not every single movie needs method dressing. And in some cases, it’s actually becoming lazy; gimmicky, versus creative. How have you been feeling about it all?

HJ: I completely agree. With Barbie it felt innovative and appropriate in the context. Like, of course Margot Robbie is going to wear all of these campy, fabulous outfits when she’s promoting a pretty lighthearted film about a doll. But not every film should lean on method dressing. Blake Lively caught a lot of flack earlier this year when she promoted It Ends With Us in a litany of floral outfits—her character was a florist—which some people took as making light of the domestic violence plot. You’re right, method dressing is gimmicky and, dare I say, boring. My biggest gripe is that it just seems like another way to squeeze as much promotion as possible out of a film, which really kills the creativity. Where do you think method dressing will go next year?

CA: We’re at an interesting point where it’s sort of reached its peak. But I really don’t think it will go away just yet. Considering some of the biggest films of 2025—Snow White, Frankenstein, Wicked 2, the new Bridget Jones—I think we will continue to see stars nod to their characters with their fashion choices. I feel like it could work well for films like Frankenstein—bring on the macabre designs, baby! I am quite curious how Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande will follow up their first Wicked press tour. Surely, they have run out of pink and green gowns. What are you hoping to see next year?