Sophie Okonedo’s ‘Clarissa’ Press Tour Is All About Texture

Sophie Okonedo is one of my favourite celebrities, so I was delighted to see her back on the red carpet for the Clarissa press tour. However, while looking back at her appearances today, I realised that I completely missed her at the film’s Cannes Film Festival premiere. So that is where I’m going to start.

Cannes Film Festival Premiere

Since Sophie has always had an affinity for simple silhouettes with dramatic accents, this custom Dior feather-trimmed dress made perfect sense for her.

What I appreciate most is that the feathers aren’t treated as an embellishment confined to one area. They trace the asymmetric neckline before sweeping around the skirt and into the train, giving the black dress the kind of personality Sophie’s red carpet looks tend to have. It’s glamorous, but still feels entirely within her wheelhouse.

I think the new hair colour and style may have been the reason she slipped under my radar in Cannes. I’m so accustomed to seeing Sophie with her signature cornrows that I genuinely didn’t recognise her at first.

BAFTA Tea Party Q&A

Not only did Sophie’s signature hairstyle return for the BAFTA Tea Party Q&A on Sunday, but so did another hallmark of her style in this Luar Fall 2026 halter dress.

This is where Sophie excels: taking a long, lean silhouette and choosing a design where the interest comes from the construction. The slashed embellishments and fringed sections are the heroes here, while the asymmetric panel through the skirt prevents the look from feeling too straightforward.

Jimmy Choo Ixia pumps completed the look.

Press Junket

On Monday, Sophie was spotted leaving her press junket in Midtown New York wearing Chanel Fall 2026, and once again she gravitated towards a simple silhouette with plenty happening on the surface.

This is probably my favourite of the three. The texture does all the work, and I especially love how the embellishment becomes more pronounced towards the hem. It gives the look character while maintaining the clean shape that Sophie clearly favours.

I can’t say that I love the Jimmy Choo Ixia pumps or the Chanel croc clutch individually, but together with the sunglasses, they work almost like a storybook: they give the look a beginning, a middle and an end.

You may remember that Paloma Elsesser wore the same Chanel look to the Fall 2026 Haute Couture show back in July.

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