11 Celebs So Skilled At Theme Dressing They Used Accessories To Hint At Their Films Or Albums

    Barry Koeghan's Saltburn reference at the Golden Globes was perfectly subtle!

    Joseph Longo
    by Joseph Longo

    BuzzFeed Staff

    On Monday, Zendaya, as she is known to do, made headlines for one of her most recent press tour looks. The actor, who is playing a tennis prodigy in the new film Challengers, wore a Loewe dress and heels to a photocall for the movie in Rome. Even better, her footwear had tennis balls on the literal heels.

    Woman in sleeveless dress with trim detail, standing on a rooftop with "CHALLENGERS" backdrop
    Daniele Venturelli / WireImage / Getty Images

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    A person in high heels stands on a tennis ball at a sporting event
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    While Zendaya might be the current champion of highlighting her projects in her clothing (aka theme dressing), she's among an impressive cohort who've done the same. Even better, many have figured out how to add subtle or, in some cases, not-so-subtle references through accessories. So here are 11 celebs, including Zendaya, who've mastered the art of theme accessorizing:

    1. Margot Robbie: Barbie handkerchief

    Margot Robbie in a black gown with ruffled detail, waving on the 'Barbie' premiere backdrop
    Axelle/Bauer-Griffin / FilmMagic / Getty Images

    Margot Robbie changed the theme dressing game with her Barbie promo tour last year, stepping out in full-blown, high-fashion recreations of some of the doll's most memorable looks over the years. Still, nothing proved just how committed Margot was to theme dressing red carpet craft than coming as Solo in the Spotlight Barbie to the film's Los Angeles premiere with a life-sized version of the doll's pink handkerchief in tow.

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    Woman in a black gown with a ruffled hem and strapless neckline, smiling on the red carpet
    Albert L. Ortega / Getty Images

    2. Taylor Swift: Midnights clock

    Taylor Swift wearing a white dress with a pearl necklace and black gloves at an event
    Neilson Barnard / Getty Images for The Recording Academy

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    Taylor Swift wearing a white dress with layered necklaces at an event
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    Taylor Swift is the queen of Easter eggs. So it should come as no surprise that for the Grammys in February, where she won Album of the Year and Best Pop Vocal Album, the singer paired her Schiaparelli dress with a black-and-white Lorraine Schwartz watch-turned-choker set to midnight. What project the choker could be a reference to is up for debate. Is it a nod to Midnights, an homage to the still-to-be-re-released Reputation, or a hint at her upcoming album The Tortured Poets Department, which she announced that night? Your guess is as good as mine. 

    3. Beyoncé: Cowboy Carter cowboy hats

    Person in a wide-brimmed hat and black studded jacket
    Kevin Mazur / Getty Images for The Recording Academy

    The only person giving Zendaya a run for her money in theme dressing right now is Beyoncé. For her Cowboy Carter era, the singer has gained a recent penchant for wearing cowboy hats at public appearances. She most notably did so at the Grammys in February before her new album was even announced.

    4. Jennifer Lopez: This Is Me... Now earrings

    Jennifer Lopez in a pink gown with large ruffled sleeves at the Golden Globes
    Monica Schipper/GA/The Hollywood Reporter via Getty Images

    For her Golden Globes appearance in January, Jennifer accessorized her Nicole + Felicia gown with, among other items, a pair of Boucheron hummingbird earrings. Her stylists Rob Zangardi and Mariel Haenn told Vogue that the earrings had a "profound personal meaning to Jennifer" and her new album This Is Me... Now. The record, released in February, includes a song titled "Hummingbird."

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    Close-up of a celebrity with large earrings, wearing makeup and a hairstyle with waves
    MICHAEL TRAN/AFP via Getty Images

    5. Barry Keoghan: Saltburn brooch

    Man in a patterned red suit with hands clasped in front of a flower wall with gold letters
    Monica Schipper/GA/The Hollywood Reporter via Getty Images

    In an interview with Barry's stylist Ilaria Urbinati, Vogue noted that the Tiffany & Co. brooch is a) vintage and b) a nod to his Saltburn character Oliver, who dons deer antlers in the film.

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    Man in red checkered suit jacket with white shirt, brooch, and circular earrings
    MICHAEL TRAN/AFP via Getty Images

    6. Megan Thee Stallion: Mean Girls nails

    Megan Thee Stallion poses at an event in a purple, form-fitting dress with gemstone details
    Kristina Bumphrey/Variety via Getty Images

    Megan Thee Stallion teamed up with Mean Girls star Reneé Rapp on a song for the new musical film, "Not My Fault." Fittingly for the film's premiere in January, Megan, aka "thee Black Regina George," referenced the movie in her nail art with "MEAN" on one hand and "GIRL" on the other.

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    Close-up of intricately designed long nails with embedded jewels and various patterns
    @theestallion/Instagram / Via instagram.com

    7. Rachel Zegler: The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbird and Snakes necklace

    Woman in blue strapless dress and necklace at event with winged logo in background
    John Nacion/Variety via Getty Images

    "Tonight we are the book! We've got songbirds and we've got a snake here," Rachel Zegler told Entertainment Tonight of her outfit at a screening for The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes in November 2023. For the event, Rachel wore a blue Givenchy dress, with the color serving as a reference to a mockingbird. She reportedly paired it with a Gray & Davis snake necklace and a hairclip in the shape of a songbird.

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    Rachel Zegler at an event, wearing a strapless blue dress and a green necklace
    John Nacion/Variety via Getty Images

    8. Lily Gladstone: Earrings made by Indigenous designers

    Woman in a floral patterned gown poses on the red carpet with photographers in the background
    Daniele Venturelli / WireImage / Getty Images

    Throughout the recently capped awards season, Killers of the Flower Moon star Lily Gladstone intentionally honored her Blackfeet and Nez Perce heritage (as well as her role as an Osage woman in the film) on the red carpet by wearing earrings made by Indigenous designers. One of the most notable examples was actually before awards season even began. According to Vanity Fair, when Killers of the Flower Moon held its premiere at the Cannes Film Festival in May 2023, Lily paired her Valentino gown with earrings by Native American designer Jamie Okuma.

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    Woman at event wearing a blazer with abstract design, paired with large tassel earrings
    Stephane Cardinale - Corbis/Corbis via Getty Images

    9. Zendaya: Spider-Man earrings

    Zendaya in a grey blazer dress with crystal embellishments and matching sheer tights at a Spider-Man premiere
    Karwai Tang / WireImage / Getty Images

    For a Spider-Man: No Way Home London photocall in 2021, Zendaya wore an Alexander McQueen blazer with spider web-like embroidery. She styled the look with accessories evoking spider webs, including Jacob & Co. earrings.

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    Zendaya wearing a bejeweled outfit with intricate earrings
    Gareth Cattermole / Getty Images

    10. Scarlett Johansson: Avengers hand jewelry

    Scarlett Johansson in a glittery strapless dress at a premiere, posing with hand on hip
    VALERIE MACON/AFP via Getty Images

    At the Avengers: Endgame premiere in 2019, Scarlett Johansson paired her Atelier Versace dress with hand jewelry that evoked the Marvel character Thanos' "Infinity Gauntlet." The piece was custom-made by jewelry designer Sonia Boyajian, who told the Hollywood Reporter at the time that Scarlett's then-boyfriend (and now husband) Colin Jost came up with the jewelry idea. "He explained that he had this crazy idea and asked, 'Can you do the glove of Thanos?'” Sonia told THR. "That’s very much his sense of humor; he is maybe the funniest person I've ever met. So I told him, 'Sure, I'll give it a try.' I did some sketches, and he was completely involved in the process." Talk about theme accessorizing!

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    Close-up of a person's adorned hand with a sparkling clutch, gold bracelet, and colorful rings
    Amy Sussman / Getty Images

    11. Finally, Brie Larson: Avengers rings and bracelet

    Brie Larson in a sleek, sleeveless gown with a thigh-high slit at an Avengers event
    VALERIE MACON/AFP via Getty Images

    Similarly, according to THR, Brie Larson at the same Avengers: Endgame premiere wore a series of rings and a bracelet from designer Irene Neuwirth that also evoked Thanos' "Infinity Gauntlet."

    Close-up of someone's hands by their side, adorned with multiple rings and a large watch
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