How I Shop: Julia Garner

We all buy clothes, but no two people shop the same. It can be a social experience, and a deeply personal one; at times, it can be impulsive and entertaining, at others, purpose-driven, a chore. Where do you shop? When do you shop? How do you decide what you need, how much to spend and what’s “you”? These are some of the questions we’re putting to prominent figures in our column “How I Shop.”

From her Emmy- and Golden Globe-winning role as the fierce Ruth Langmore in Netflix’s “Ozark,” to her painfully on-the-money portrayal of fraudster Anna Delvey in “Inventing Anna,” to (almost?) being attached to star as Madonna in the singer’s (seemingly scrapped) biopic, Julia Garner has established herself as a true Hollywood heavyweight. 

The 30-year-old has also become known for her effortlessly cool attitude and style — on and off the red carpet. She’s emerged as a front-row favorite at several fashion houses (particularly Gucci) over the last few years.

Garner has a unique, slightly mysterious, Old Hollywood quality; her neatly tousled short platinum-blonde curls and bold red lip have become something of a signature. While sipping a coffee, Garner admits to Fashionista that her style inspiration mostly comes from classic films.

“I’m an actor. I love film,” she says. “‘All About Eve’ is my favorite movie and Edith Head did the costumes for it, and she’s probably the best costume designer ever. I also love the costumes in ‘Rosemary’s Baby’ and ‘Bonnie and Clyde.’ Basically in any Faye Dunaway film, the costumes are incredible. It’s also rare that someone has that acting ability and can look like a model.”

When Garner played con artist Anna Delvey, she got to step into a very fashion-y role herself — a character she resonated with more than any other when it came to her wardrobe. “Lyn Paolo did all the costumes. The clothing was phenomenal. [Paolo] is iconic,” the actor says. “I was able to keep some of them, like the iconic Alaïa dress, which I love.”

Although her upcoming projects “Wolf Man” (a thriller set in the woods) and the rebooted “The Fantastic Four” (where she’ll play the complex Silver Surfer) may not deliver capital-F Fashion, the press tours surely will. Whether she shows up to host a casual Nespresso breakfast in a glittering Simone Rocha top or goes for a brisk walk wearing head-to-toe Gucci leather, we can always count on Garner to deliver, both on and off duty.

Ahead, Garner lets us in on the pieces she reaches for every day for a seamless street-style look, whom she deems the ultimate “New York City cool girl,” full-circle footwear moments and more.

“I think fashion is one of the most creative art forms — from designing clothes to putting them on your body. It’s also an identity thing because people dress how they want to be perceived in a way. So that’s always something that interests me.

“I would say my two biggest style icons are probably my grandmother — my dad’s mother had a fabulous style — and then my stylist, Elizabeth Saltzman. Her fashion really inspires me. They’re my two muses. And maybe Chloë Sevigny! As a kid watching her, I was like, ‘Oh my god.’ The only time I’ve gotten very nervous [around a celebrity] was when I saw her at the park once. To me, she’s the ultimate New York cool girl.

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“I love the basic things that I have in my closet. I love a really good pair of vintage jeans, specifically a Levi’s pair from the ’70s. I also love 501s because I like it when denim doesn’t stretch. And a blazer. I think everybody should have a few really good blazers if you can. I love a good white T-shirt — James Perse makes a really nice cut. I also like Alex Mill’s T-shirts. But some of my favorites are ones I got when I was 16 years old. I am very big into vintage.

“I don’t really like sticking to trends. I never do any trends. It doesn’t feel authentic to me. I stick with what I feel confident in because I think that’s going to change the way you carry yourself. It’s all about how you walk. You can wear the most beautiful outfit, but if you don’t feel beautiful in it, it’s not going to come across [well].

“It’s really hard, in the best way, to pick a favorite red carpet look when you work with Elizabeth Saltzman. I’ve never met anybody that has her brain. She really just gets the whole world. One that sticks out to me, though, is when Sabato [De Sarno of Gucci] made my Golden Globes 2024 dress. That one was really special because it felt very me. It might be my favorite red carpet look. I love a sequin when it’s done in a really sophisticated way. I don’t like big sequins, and this dress was all micro sequins.

“I like to hoard clothes a little bit. I still have clothes from when I was 14 years old. It’s crazy, but those are still my best T-shirts. They’re comfortable and you can’t buy history.

“If I’m getting someone a really nice gift, I would just get them a piece of jewelry or anything with monograms. A personalized name on a toiletry bag or trinket box. Things that you would never get for yourself. I think those things are really nice and very chic. I’ve gifted a lot of Nespresso machines, particularly to the hair and makeup teams on sets because the coffee is usually so bad.

“The first big fashion item I splurged on was a pair of Gucci loafers. It was so emotional when I started working with them because that was the first thing I spent money on and it was a really big deal. I still wear them.

“At the last Gucci show, I did see these burgundy ballet flats that became my obsession. They gifted them to me and I wear them all the time. I want to get another pair because I wear them out so much. I also just got a pair of sneakers from Onitsuka Tiger and they’re so comfortable. That was my most recent purchase. I stick to flats because I’m from New York and I’m always running around. But I also love a platform.

“I love Nili Lotan. I think that’s amazing stuff. Obviously, The Row. It’s really nice, so gorgeous. I have a pair of platform boots from them I wear every day too. I bought them years ago before they became a thing. I also really love Charlotte Simone’s coats. They feel like a rock-and-roll version of Eloise at the Plaza.

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Source: Fashionista.com