Since making headlines for her head-turning Wicked press tour looks, Cynthia Erivo has become synonymous with major red-carpet moments. Never one to play it safe or opt for the obvious choice, her style is playful, bold and bursting with personality – her accessories (including those signature talon-like nails) being no exception.
At the GLAAD Media Awards in Beverly Hills, where she was honoured with the Stephen F Kolzak Award for her work supporting LGBTQ+ visibility, it was the actor’s Lady Dior bag that caught our eye. Not only is it rare to see a full-sized handbag on the red carpet these days, but the style was a limited-edition design from the house’s Lady Art series, which invites artists to reimagine the classic silhouette as a piece of wearable art.
Cynthia’s iteration came from African-American artist Mickalene Thomas, with the highly embellished design featuring rhinestone lips – a signature of her paintings (some of which happen to be on display in an exhibition at the Southbank Centre’s Hayward Gallery right now). “My paintings – they’re just these abstract faces with eyes and lips and noses,” Thomas previously said. “Collage is a huge part of my practice. And so what I wanted to do was to take all these different materials and possibilities and collage them together.”
Of course, Cynthia has long made it clear that she is a woman with an eye for detail. Think back to the 2024 Met Gala, where she wore a custom petal-strewn Thom Browne ensemble, meticulously hand-embroidered and finished with an impressively regal train. Trophy vintage also featured in her awards season wardrobe: see the silver raffia gown from Alexander McQueen’s autumn/winter 1997 couture collection for Givenchy that she and stylist Jason Bolden sourced for the SAG Awards.
Now, with her Mickalene Thomas-designed Lady Dior in tow, Erivo has added yet another collector’s item to her wardrobe. As always, she leaves us watching, waiting, eager to see what she’ll wear next.
