{"id":383467,"date":"2026-04-09T16:18:10","date_gmt":"2026-04-09T16:18:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/383467\/"},"modified":"2026-04-09T16:18:10","modified_gmt":"2026-04-09T16:18:10","slug":"elle-fanning-makes-the-case-for-slouchy-old-school-femininity","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/383467\/","title":{"rendered":"Elle Fanning makes the case for slouchy, old-school femininity"},"content":{"rendered":"

\n EDITOR\u2019S NOTE:\u00a0 Featuring the good, the bad and the ugly, \u2018Look of the Week\u2019<\/a> is a regular series dedicated to unpacking the most talked about outfit of the last seven days.\n<\/p>\n

\n This spring, it\u2019s all about tradwife with a twist. For a recording of the \u201cMark and Kelly Show\u201d in New York on Wednesday, Elle Fanning wore a girlish iridescent tutu and a buttery yellow polo shirt. From the waist down, she was dressed in her shimmering Sunday best. From the waist up, the look was slouchy and boy-ish \u2014 like an off-duty tennis player, or someone\u2019s golf-loving father. The worlds-colliding look was designed by Paris-based brand August Barron, helmed by August Vestb\u00f8 and Benjamin Barron, who subvert feminine and housewife aesthetics through unexpected layering, silhouettes and cutouts. Or often just by adding big black leather boots<\/a>.\n <\/p>\n

\n Fanning is currently promoting the Apple TV show \u201cMargo\u2019s Got Money Troubles,\u201d and so far her outfits for the press tour have largely followed this line: slouchy, nostalgic and at times ironic versions of femininity. For her \u201cToday Show\u201d appearance, Fanning wore the opening look from Rabanne\u2019s Fall-Winter 2026 collection, which was inspired by tea dresses from the 1940s. The pinafore-style dress was in a twee ditsy print and flowed well past her knees, while a leather belt sat happily on her waist without exerting effort to cinch. On Monday, Fanning slipped into an equally vintage-inspired Alberta Ferretti rose-colored satin dress, covered in even more florals, with a built-in neckerchief.\n <\/p>\n

\"Fanning<\/p>\n

\"Her<\/p>\n

\n The silhouettes here are billowing and (for once!) aren\u2019t concerned with accentuating, sculpting or smoothing out the body\u2019s curves. It\u2019s the antithesis to a Herv\u00e9 L\u00e9ger bandage dress, which once defined modern femininity. Fanning isn\u2019t the only one taking a leaf out of this Betty Crocker-style of dressing, either. This week, Julia Fox became an unexpected adopter of conservative kitsch at the Fashion Trust US Awards, arriving in a frilly satin salmon pink oversized nightgown from rising cult label Ashley Williams. Williams, whose studio is based in London, said for Spring-Summer 2026 she was inspired by the provincial clothes of factory workers, housekeepers and nurses. Fox finished off her pink nightie with a stacked beehive and Twiggy-style \u201860s lashes.\n <\/p>\n

\"This<\/p>\n

\"August<\/p>\n

\n Referencing some bygone version of femininity<\/a> is very much Fanning\u2019s preferred way to dress. With stylist Samantha McMillen, the fashion for her public appearances often takes cues from the \u201840s, \u201850s, \u201860s and \u201870s. But she is also reaching for some of the buzziest up-and-coming designers, many of whom aren\u2019t rejecting conservative dress codes but nodding to them, messing around with them and re-interpreting them. Barron and Vestb\u00f8\u2019s collections have drawn on a range of visual references, from Lewis Caroll\u2019s \u201cAlice in Wonderland<\/a>\u201d and old-fashioned doll-houses<\/a> to \u201cThe Age of Curiosity,\u201d a 1963 film starring Mia Farrow. The result is clothing packed with fashion history and a knowing wink.\n <\/p>\n