Look of the Week: Florence Pugh assumes her villainous final form

EDITOR’S NOTE: Featuring the good, the bad and the ugly, ‘Look of the Week’ is a regular series dedicated to unpacking the most talked about outfit of the last seven days. If you want more Style in your life, consider subscribing to our newsletter here .

If clothes tell a story, then Florence Pugh’s “East of Eden” press tour wardrobe has tantalizingly mirrored that of her character in John Steinbeck’s classic novel. And at the New York premiere of Netflix’s new adaptation, she assumed her villainous final form.

After more than two weeks of period-coded outfits, the British actor wrapped up her promotional campaign on Wednesday in a dramatic, luxuriant Vivienne Westwood gown. Its puff sleeves and plunging corset would surely have pleased Pugh’s character Cathy Ames, the beautiful but manipulative antagonist described by Steinbeck as possessing a “malformed soul.”

Emilio Madrid/Getty Images

The choice of chartreuse — a borderline putrid shade of it, no less — walked an appropriate tightrope between glamorous and grotesque. The polished green tourmaline of her Bulgari choker shone like some kind of enchanted talisman. The wavy updo was fittingly severe.

Hollywood “method dressing” may have become tired and gimmicky (it is tedious to know we’re being advertised to via clothes) but with “East of Eden,” Pugh’s stylist Rebecca Corbin-Murray has crafted an intricate literary narrative through ruffles, gemstones and fine tailoring.

Unique Nicole/Getty Images

Josh Shinner/Netflix/Getty Images

In mid-September, Pugh was the picture of period romance as she kicked off the promotional campaign in LA wearing a frilly, buttery yellow Rodarte blouse and skirt. Days later, during a panel appearance at the Atlantic Festival, she was prim and proper in a long-sleeved collared Shushu Tong maxi dress. She has also toyed with Edwardian menswear (“East of Eden” is set between 1862 and 1918, from the American Civil War to the end of World War I) by styling a Dior brocade jacket as a mini dress.

Yet, just as Cathy’s narrative arc transforms her from New England schoolgirl to — mild spoiler alert! — Monterey brothel madam, Pugh’s outfits increasingly traded soft elegance for bold glamour.

John Phillips/Getty Images

By the second week’s promotional events, pleats and ruffles came to the fore. Again turning to Rodarte, Pugh wore an elaborately pleated blouse and wide-legged pants to a photocall in London, before arriving at a BAFTA screening in a voluminous gothic-inspired look, also by the LA label.

A sea of black ruffles, the off-the-shoulder gown and vibrant red rubellite necklace signaled an ongoing transformation — just as Steinbeck’s Cathy eventually becomes Kate, her neat, youthful appearance growing more sophisticated and calculated in the process.

Big Style: Where culture meets clothing

CNN senior style reporter and advanced outfit anthropologist Rachel Tashjian excavates the stylish amusements and contextualizes the world of fashion – all in your inbox. Sign up for Big Style here .

Grant Buchanan/Dave Benett/WireImage/Getty Images

Then, just to keep us guessing, Pugh attended a press event at New York’s Paley Center in an ethereal all-white Erdem gown, a personification of symbolic innocence. The next evening, however, it was back to black with the polished Vivienne Westwood cocktail dress she wore for Jimmy Fallon’s “The Tonight Show,” before the tour culminated in the villainous chartreuse look.

Subtle and coded, this was method dressing done well. Or, at least, the messaging was not as painfully literal as we’ve grown accustomed to. After all, as Steinbeck’s novels are pains to remind us, appearances are poor evidence of character anyway.

编者按：本周“最佳造型”栏目旨在评析过去七天中最受关注的穿搭，无论好坏，都力求做到尽善尽美。如果您想了解更多时尚资讯，欢迎点击此处订阅我们的电子报。

如果说服装能讲述故事，那么弗洛伦斯·皮尤在《伊甸园之东》宣传巡回期间的着装，就巧妙地呼应了约翰·斯坦贝克经典小说中她所饰演角色的形象。而在Netflix新版《伊甸园之东》的纽约首映礼上，她更是以反派角色的最终形象亮相。

在连续两周多身着符合时代背景的服装亮相后，这位英国女演员于周三身着一袭华丽的薇薇安·韦斯特伍德 (Vivienne Westwood) 礼服，为她的宣传活动画上了圆满的句号。这件礼服的泡泡袖和深V领设计，想必会让弗洛伦斯·皮尤饰演的凯茜·艾姆斯——这位美丽却又心机深沉的反派角色，正如斯坦贝克笔下那个拥有“畸形灵魂”的人物——感到欣喜。

埃米利奥·马德里/盖蒂图片社

她选择的黄绿色——确切地说，是一种近乎腐烂的色调——恰到好处地游走在华丽与怪诞之间。她宝格丽项链上那颗光亮的绿色碧玺，如同某种神奇的护身符般闪耀。波浪形的盘发则显得格外严肃。

好莱坞的“方法派着装”可能已经变得老套和噱头十足（知道我们通过服装被广告宣传是很乏味的），但在《伊甸园之东》中，普格的造型师丽贝卡·科尔宾-默里通过褶边、宝石和精细的剪裁，精心打造了一个错综复杂的文学叙事。

Unique Nicole/Getty Images

Josh Shinner/Netflix/Getty Images

九月中旬，弗洛伦斯·皮尤身着罗达特 (Rodarte) 的奶油黄色荷叶边衬衫和半裙，在洛杉矶开启了新片《伊甸园之东》的宣传活动，完美诠释了时代浪漫风情。几天后，在大西洋电影节的一个座谈会上，她又换上了舒舒童 (Shushu Tong) 的长袖翻领连衣裙，显得端庄优雅。此外，她还尝试过爱德华时代的男装风格（《伊甸园之东》的故事背景设定在1862年至1918年，从美国内战到第一次世界大战结束），比如将一件迪奥 (Dior) 的锦缎外套当作迷你裙来穿。

然而，正如凯茜的故事线从新英格兰的女学生转变为——剧透预警！——蒙特雷妓院的老鸨一样，普格的服装也越来越从柔美优雅转变为大胆华丽。

John Phillips/Getty Images

到了第二周的宣传活动中，褶裥和荷叶边元素开始流行。普格再次选择了 Rodarte 的服装，在伦敦的一次拍照活动中，她身穿一件褶裥繁复的衬衫和阔腿裤；之后，她又以一套同样出自该洛杉矶品牌的哥特式蓬松造型亮相英国电影学院奖（BAFTA）的放映会。

黑色荷叶边、露肩礼服和鲜艳的红色碧玺项链，预示着一场持续的转变——就像斯坦贝克的凯茜最终变成了凯特一样，她整洁、年轻的外表在这个过程中变得越来越成熟和老练。

时尚风尚：文化与服装的交融

CNN资深时尚记者兼资深服装人类学家瑞秋·塔什吉安（Rachel Tashjian）深入挖掘时尚界的趣闻轶事，并为您解读时尚世界——所有内容尽在您的邮箱。点击此处订阅“时尚大赏”（Big Style）。

Grant Buchanan/Dave Benett/WireImage/Getty Images

为了吊足大家的胃口，普格随后身着一袭飘逸的白色Erdem礼服出席了在纽约佩利媒体中心举行的新闻发布会，完美诠释了纯洁无瑕的形象。然而，第二天晚上，她又换回了黑色，穿着精致的Vivienne Westwood鸡尾酒裙亮相吉米·法伦的《今夜秀》，之后，她又以一身反派风格的黄绿色造型结束了这次巡演。

这种含蓄而巧妙的装扮方式堪称典范。或者说，至少它传递的信息不像我们习以为常的那样直白得令人难以忍受。毕竟，正如斯坦贝克的小说反复强调的那样，外表并不能真正反映一个人的性格。