On a sunny Tuesday afternoon in September, I arrived at Tribeca’s Locanda Verde restaurant to interview Olivia Wilde with the goal of looking serious. Wilde was one of several jurors participating in Chanel’s ninth annual "Through Her Lens" program with the Tribeca Film Festival, an initiative that selects ten promising women and non-binary filmmakers for mentorship by the industry’s leading directors—and a chance to secure funding for short films that go on to debut at Sundance or stream on Netflix.
One hundred other influential women in entertainment, from director Janicza Bravo to actors Beanie Feldstein and Rosie Perez, were also attending the program’s kick-off power lunch. I’m not often in rooms like that with company like this. So I chose a tailored black waistcoat, khaki trousers, and knife-toe heels, each coming from one of several interchangeable minimalist brands. This, I thought, conveyed purpose. Or at least, it would help me blend in.
Then Olivia Wilde arrived in a grapefruit pink and citrus tweed suit styled by Karla Welch. The Booksmart and Don’t Worry Darling director could have plucked it from the racks of a ’70s period piece, between the ultra-saturated palette and the pant legs so wide, she could lunge in them while we chatted. (To clarify, her look came from the Fall 2023 ready-to-wear collection.) Her blazer had the structured shoulder and the epic proportions of a boardroom special, but it also paired perfectly with a pink quilted Chanel flap bag. It wasn’t just powerful; it was fun.
Wilde told me she almost considered a Chanel-ified black power set with shells woven into the neckline. But she just “gravitated” toward her pink power suit, with its slightly mismatched fabrics and sequin detailing along the pockets.
“I just love that there's something really joyful about it,” she said. “I love the combination of colors—together, it just feels like this kind of yummy citrus, delicious moment.”
It’s also a suit that takes up space and commands attention, by virtue of not following the power dressing codex of all-black-everything. Wilde still looks the part of a juror at an esteemed event, but she’s also being herself. “[There’s an] idea of ‘Directors, we're serious professionals, we have to wear a black suit so we’re taken seriously.’ I’ve definitely done that and there is a real power to that,” she said. In a more traditional suit, “You can feel like you’re a real Helmut Newton boss bitch.”
Palm Springs pink, loose waves by hairstylist Ben Skervin, and peachy beachy makeup courtesy of Hung Vango, let her tap into that same energy—albeit in a way that’s more authentic to who Wilde is right now. “Like any person as I've gotten older, I've become more true to myself and less concerned with fitting into any sort of trend or what I think people expect of me. So I think it's just a growing authenticity that comes with maturity,” she said.
Wilde has also seen her style evolve as she’s transitioned from acting, to directing, to now, balancing both. (She’s set to star in a project with Charli XCX next year.) “I am embracing the kind of duality of my personality and my work. I'm a boss, but I'm also a performer, so I think that my style sort of swings between those two energies.”
She added that it took time to feel confident in going with her gut over going with convention. “I think for many years, I was wearing things that I thought I was supposed to wear,” she said. “And then as I've gotten older, it's like, ‘Oh no, I wear exactly what I want.’”
This week, Wilde is dressing for the exact job she wants. Over the next few days, she’ll be reviewing projects from a field of exciting new filmmakers and choosing the one that earns Chanel’s extra support for its next phase in development. I ask what stands out to her in a sea of submissions. What defines a project she’d want to work on? “I think I'm not looking for the person who would fit very well into the existing structure of the kind of stories we're seeing. I'm looking for the person who is breaking the mold and telling a story that is incredibly specific,” she said. “You know, Quentin Tarantino says, ‘Make the movie only you can make,’ and I'm looking for the person who's really willing to do that.”
When our brief chat ended and Wilde swished away in her perfect pink power suit, I guessed that there’s a fashion version of that quote. Power dressing is assembling an outfit like only you can—and if you’re in the right room, you’ll still be taken seriously. The next time I’m in an important space, I’m not just defaulting to neutrals.
