What is method dressing, the art of embodying a character to promote a film?

by Léa Zetlaoui.

Published on 12 March 2024. Updated on 7 May 2026.

Margot Robbie, a larger-than-life Barbie on the red carpet

It was impossible to miss the Barbie tornado that took the world by storm in 2023. Well-received by the critics, Greta Gerwig‘s film quickly reached the top of the box office. The “Barbenheimer” phenomenon on social media helped the feature become a classic. It stemmed from the rivalry with Christopher Nolan’s epic Oppenheimer, released the same day, on July 19th, 2023.

A few days before “Barbenheimer” went viral, photographs of Margot Robbie dressed as the famous Mattel doll she embodied in the blockbuster were already flooding Instagram and X on a daily basis.

The 33-year-old Australian actress multiplied her Barbiecore looks to promote the film during the press tour. Directly inspired by her character, or even recreated for the occasion, her outfits were designed by major fashion houses. Versace, Chanel, Balmain or Schiaparelli all play their role in building a larger-than-life Barbie.

Flirting with cosplay — the Japanese art of recreating the costume and hairstyle of a fictional character — this trend is fairly recent. Referencing a character off set in order to promote a film has a name now: method dressing.

Several months after the release of Barbie, Margot Robbie kept imitating the doll until the Golden Globes ceremony in January 2024. All her promotional looks, handpicked by her stylist Andrew Mukamal, are now gathered in a book published by Assouline in 2024.

Method dressing, or when fashion becomes a performance

While its name is reminiscent of method acting, a naturalistic acting technique also known as the Stanislavski’s system that encourages actors to dive deeply into their roles, method dressing is closer to performance art.

While one emphasizes the psychological and emotional aspects of acting, and the other the visual and aesthetic aspects of embodying a character. In both cases, the goal is to go beyond the mere limits of performance.

First mentioned in a Vogue article about Halle Bailey’s mermaid-like looks for the release of The Little Mermaid in 2023, method dressing owes its designation to journalist Andre Wheeler.

Wheeler described that technique as “a chance to extend a project’s cinematic universe onto the red carpet even before the film’s premiere.” In other words, turning actors and actresses into ambassadors of the film through the lens of fashion. The aim is to appeal to audiences and, above all, go viral on social media.

One just has to look back at the big promotional marathon for Dune: Part Two in 2024. The tour started in Mexico City and was a testimony to the role of method dressing as a marketing strategy.

That evening, Zendaya and Florence Pugh opted for two opposite looks. One was designed by Torishéju, the other by Galvanas. Both matched their respective characters in Denis Villeneuve’s saga. The following day, the Internet relished in comparing their outfits, which echoed the costumes of Warrior Chani and Princess Irulan.

A recent trend fostered by social media

Although method dressing is becoming increasingly common on red carpets, it is still too early to form a comprehensive analysis of its origins, impact and limits.

From memory, the first occurrence of the practice emerged in 2018. At the time, Blake Lively opted for a series of power dressing looks for the release of the film A Simple Favor. One can also think about Taron Egerton’s discreetly eccentric looks as he embodied Elton John in Rocketman in 2019. Or the Infinity Gauntlet-inspired jewels worn by Scarlett Johansson and Brie Larson in Avengers: Endgame released that same year.

2021 and the end of the COVID-19 pandemic marked the advent of the trend. Zendaya and her stylist Law Roach turned it into an online phenomenon. Throughout the promotion of Dune: Part One and Spider-Man: No Way Home, the American actress sported custom creations filled with references to the two blockbusters.

Her Balmain and Rick Owens dresses paid tribute to Chani. The Valentino dress and Alexander McQueen ensembles adorned with spider-web patterns reminded us of Spider-Man. Each one of her looks was massively shared on Instagram and TikTok, to the delight of the fans… And the fashion industry too.

To some extent, the film industry transformed social media into relevant digital tools to promote a project and reach a wider audience. While Zendaya took the promotion of Dune: Part One very seriously, the viewers would later discover that she only appeared on-screen for ten minutes.

Numéro met Clémence Gautherin, communications manager at TikTok France, during the Cannes Film Festival in 2023. “Warner’s teams told us that the success of Denis Villeneuve’s Dune (2021) among young people was partly due to the release of an interview with the actors conducted before the film came out. It had a great impact [on TikTok],” she shared.

Easter eggs and fan service to win over audiences

In addition to Zendaya, who deserves the title of Queen of method dressing, many other actresses (and a few actors) have also adopted the trend. One can think of Anya Taylor-Joy for Mario Bros, Jenna Ortega for Wednesday, and Lily James for Pam and Tommy.

And for good reason. Beyond its obvious promotional aspect, this practice is above all seen as a new means of expression for movie stars, thanks to its fashion and creative approach.

Even better, method dressing encourages fan service — a marketing technique that consists in satisfying the fans’ expectations. But also Easter eggs, these more or less subtle clues that communities love to decipher on social media. For instance, Taylor Swift’s fans engage in intensive analysis every time the singer releases a new song.

The treasure hunt was observed in November 2023, during the promotion of the film The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes. Actress Rachel Zegler’s looks referred to Katniss Everdeen, the character played by Jennifer Lawrence in the first trilogy. Meanwhile, the jewellery worn by Scarlett Johansson and Brie Larson on the red carpet hinted at the ending of Avengers: Endgame.

In 2024, Anya Taylor-Joy offered us a memorable fashion and cinema moment. The actress announced her presence in Dune: Part Two at the film’s premiere in London. Dressed in a gorgeous, virginal white Dior gown, inspired by Marc Bohan’s archive design from the 1960s, she revealed part of her role in the battle staged in the film.

Interviewed by British Vogue during the promotion of Dune: Part Two, Law Roach confirmed the use of method dressing in his collaboration with Zendaya. “We adopted method dressing. The looks are an extension of the wardrobe from the movie. It was intentional and purposeful. I always try to be a storyteller more than anything else, and this is such a strong story to tell,” the stylist declared.

Judging by the overwhelming buzz created on social media, method dressing surely has a long way to go.

Traduction Emma Naroumbo Armaing.