There's a special moment during a fashion show when attendees stop seeing a new collection and start seeing themselves—their taste, their styling habits, the essence of their personal style—on the runway. Attendees bump elbows as they jockey to film the model wearing their dream outfit, and some can't help but blurt out, "That is literally me." Rachel Brosnahan just crossed continents to make that same soul-closet connection in Dior's front row—twice—with slightly different lines.
Shortly after walking the SAG Awards red carpet in Los Angeles on Sunday, shimmering in a micropleated tiered metallic gold gown, the Marvelous Mrs. Maisel star touched down in Paris on Tuesday for Dior's Fall/Winter 2024 show. When she landed, she fell head over heels for two looks, starting with the menswear-inspired pieces she wore in the front row.
Working with longtime stylist Alexandra Mandelkorn, Brosnahan dressed for Dior in a soft take on menswear suiting: a smoky gray oversize suit jacket, white button-down, and a flowing black midi skirt with a dramatic slit. It was a casual swerve from the gowns she's worn for red carpets and even from her look for last season's show, when she wore a plaid jacket-and-skirt set with a very Maisel-esque silk scarf tied over her hair.
"I’ve been having fun with different silhouettes lately and this oversize suit jacket with menswear inspired shirt and skirt felt like a fun change from other looks I’ve worn," she tells Marie Claire. The jacket was the piece she felt most at risk of packing up and taking back stateside, with its discreet Eiffel Tower painting along the side and its perfectly oversize proportions.
Her beauty and accessories leaned classically Parisian, including a dainty pearl choker, a quilted Dior handbag, and a black bow tied into her tousled ponytail. "Dior plays with the masculine and feminine in a way I’ve always appreciated," the actress explains, "so we decided on a more feminine lip and ponytail to juxtapose the rest of the look." Her rosy lips and cheeks and cheeks came, naturally, courtesy of Dior Beauty.
She didn't just wear the look; she connected with it. The same feeling arrived moments later, when Brosnahan was seated in Dior's front row, with Natalie Portman, Blackpink's Jisoo, and Jennifer Lawrence.
Creative director Maria Grazia Chiuri presented a collection grounded in shades of khaki, black, and white, heavy on trim suiting and jackets painted with "Miss Dior" graffiti. Brosnahan says she capital-L loved the '60s inspired silhouettes and all of the coats. (Not just one coat—the lot of them.)
Then came The Look, the combination of design and styling so specific it compelled Brosnahan to consider something drastic: "There was a black coat with gold buttons shown with a black cap and high boots with a buckle that I would have ripped off the runway, if I thought I wouldn’t get tackled by J.Law’s security."
Obviously, Brosnahan would never crash a runway. But her quip has a kernel of truth to it, in the way good fashion makes us want.
"Fashion shows are an opportunity to push your style boundaries a little bit and wear things you wouldn’t necessarily wear in another venue," Brosnahan reflects. That said, "Some years, like this one, feel more reflective of my personal style where others are more about having fun or embodying a particular character."
No wonder she almost couldn't resist bringing those looks home with her.
