Mckenna Grace Channels Katniss as Panem Fashion Returns to Paris
Timed to coincide with Paris Fashion Week, Lionsgate celebrated the fashion legacy of The Hunger Games and the upcoming The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping with a gala at Paris’ Musée Rodin for the opening of Elegance Is Authority: The Story, Style and Power of Panem.
Stars Mckenna Grace and Joseph Zada joined the celebration, but with a theme this rich in fashion references, the clothes were always going to be part of the story.
The Katniss Connection
You might be looking at Mckenna Grace in Monique Lhuillier and thinking prom, but I immediately saw something much more familiar.
The white tulle skirt and silver embellishment extending across the bodice and shoulder instantly took me back to Katniss Everdeen’s wedding gown in Catching Fire. If you know, you know.
Mckenna will play Maysilee Donner in Sunrise on the Reaping, and the Monique Lhuillier gown was deliberately designed as a reference to Katniss Everdeen’s wedding gown in Catching Fire. So that sense of familiarity is exactly what you’re supposed to feel. For Mckenna’s first major fashion moment connected to the franchise, I couldn’t think of a better place to start.
It also makes me wonder whether this is the beginning of a fashion story that will continue into the press tour. After Maisie Williams referenced Sandra Bullock throughout Practical Magic 2 and Lili Reinhart looked to iconic rom-com fashion for The Love Hypothesis, could Mckenna give us a run of Katniss references when Sunrise on the Reaping arrives?
Capitol Tailoring
Joseph Zada, who plays young Haymitch Abernathy in Sunrise on the Reaping, wore a grey ERL suit, but it was the Tiffany & Co. Bird on a Rock brooch featuring an amethyst of more than 50 carats that immediately caught my eye.
I love how the brooch sits directly beneath the turned-up black collar, making the jewellery feel like part of the construction of the look. Against the grey tailoring, that flash of purple was all the embellishment he needed.
Effie Would Approve
Dara Allen hosted the occasion, and I’m sure no reference is needed here. The stylist channelled their inner Effie Trinket in McQueen, drawing from the house’s Fall 2009 The Horn of Plenty collection.
The stylist went full Effie Trinket in McQueen, and why wouldn’t you? Elizabeth Banks’ wardrobe gave us some of the franchise’s greatest McQueen moments, making the exaggerated houndstooth hat, coat and skirt exactly the kind of tribute I wanted to see at this event.
Even the beauty look joined in. The pale complexion, graphic eye and red lip made the reference unmistakable without becoming an Effie replica.
Of the three approaches, Dara had the most fun with the assignment.
Set in the Musée Rodin gardens, the exhibition brings together archival costumes from The Hunger Games films alongside pieces from Sunrise on the Reaping, giving fans their first fashion-focused glimpse at the 50th Hunger Games. The exhibition is open to the public on October 7 and 8.
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