In the opening scene, I was already greeted by a stunning dress that set the precedent for the other outfits I was about to witness.
The School for Good and Evil was not only a fantastic movie but also an astounding fashion show.
The first look that caught my eye was Sophie’s (Sophia Anne Caruso) dress; it was a patchwork of a multitude of fabrics that layered to make a puffy, straight-out-of-a-storybook ensemble. This dress gave the wanted effect of looking ratty and elegant simultaneously, the rather perfect description of Sophie’s character.
Next to Sophie was her best friend, Agatha (Sophia Wylie), whose outfit was even more dreadful next to Sophie’s colorful display. A white blouse tucked into brown pants alone would not be so worthy of scorn, yet paired with an odd, large belt, a scarf that doubled as a tie, and a coat with way too many buttons, I was left shaking my head, and sadly, this wasn’t the worst outfit forced on Agatha.
The outfit I loathe the most in the movie is definitely the pink and purple gown Agatha wears when confronting her teachers. The sleeves are the worst part; they make a full gown skirt look flat in comparison, but instead of continuing all the way down her arm, the sleeve goes completely skinny and wrinkly. Then, the bodice of the dress is your grandmother’s sweater cut to fit the sleeves, hot pink with brooches and buttons to match the grandma aesthetic. The skirt of the dress has potential; the purple and pink flowers would be fine if they weren’t paired with the rest of the dress, but in all, the costume designers truly did Agatha dirty with this outfit.
However, the rest of Agatha’s gowns were to die for. I wanted nothing more than to be Agatha as she came on screen in an off-the-shoulder pink gown adorned with flowers of pink, blue, and yellow. This was the perfect princess dress, and I—an aspiring princess—would faint at the chance to just touch it. This dress was matched with a large statement necklace with two layers of pearls that meet at a clump of blue flowers. It matched the dress stunningly and allowed the outfit to feel sophisticated and easygoing at the same time. I can not stress enough how much I am obsessed with this dress.
I also adore the light blue dress Agatha wears in the tower at the end of the movie. It is Cinderella’s dress paired with a choker that has a pearl dangling onto her neck, and she also has small pearls tangled into her hair. It was simple but breathtaking; I applauded the homage to Cinderella and prince charming as Agatha’s prince, Tedros (Jamie Flatters), wears a corresponding prince charming suit with a sword and brown hair to match.
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This was the perfect princess dress, and I—an inspiring princess—would faint at the chance to just touch it.”
Tedros’s only other outfit worth mentioning is his all-black “evil” suit, as he rocked the bad-boy look. The suit was exactly the same as the one he wore to match Agatha but turned black, and it was even more charming. He looked more sophisticated, royal, and put-together. Black most definitely suited him.
Speaking of all-black outfits, Sophie was no stranger to the dark color. When she embraces her evil side, she switches up her once-colorful look, and she looked good doing it. My favorite is her first all-black ensemble, which was a corset top with a short, wide skirt, sheer arm cuffs, and the winged top of a cloak tied with a red string. She radiates power, and in each void-of-color outfit, there was originality, and there was no way to mistake one outfit for the other. My second favorite adds a little bit of color with a tight, dark, flower/berry pattern top that stretches into the sleeves that puff and turn sheer; the rest of the dress is black. I would wear this dress as it is casual and reminds me of Christmas.
I absolutely loved the all-black era for Sophie, but her best outfit was the white and pink dress she adorns in the tower scenes. It reminds me of armor designs with gold stitching dancing down the front of a white dress—then added is a hot pink train that puffs out behind her. She again wears sheer-like arm bands to match the dress, these ones being purple. The knee-high boots added to the armored look of the dress; it looked like a warrior’s outfit, and it radiated power.
While almost every outfit in the movie was stunning, the actors’ premiere outfits were disappointing.
Wylie and Caruso are the exceptions. Wylie wore a dress my friend described as “the feather duster from Beauty and the Beast live-action movie, and that’s a good thing.” I agree—Wylie looked gorgeous. She dressed to match her good character in an all-white feathery gown paired with dangly diamond earrings. She was radiant.
Caruso also got the memo and dressed in the elegant version of her character, Sophie’s, all dark dresses. She appeared wearing a tight top that dropped with a sleeveless v-neck that flowed into a multi-layered skirt that was anything but restricting. She matched it with simple jewelry and indeed looked stunning.
A notable mention would be director Paul Feig in his all-white suit with four pins, one of which being a swan: the symbol of the schools that the movie focuses on. He also has a black and silver tie that looks like it is swirling. He then matches it all with a black cane and looks rather handsome.
Then, there are the atrocious outfits I cannot believe were allowed onto the red carpet.
The ensemble that I can’t stand is the bright green cropped polo paired with a bright green long skirt. It was worn by Kerry Washington, who looked beautiful in the movie with fairy godmother outfits but took the wrong turn for the premiere. This clash of casual and dressy mixed with the fact that the shirt and skirt are different shades of green left me appalled.
Then, Dior decked out Charlize Theron in a sheer top with a low bra underneath tucked into a long slit skirt, high boots, and fishnet leggings. The sheer shirt and bra looked lazy in all honesty, but I have nothing negative to say about the skirt and boots. The worst part of the dress was the brooch. It looked like it was falling apart since its bright pastel flowers were falling in multiple directions. It contributes nothing to the outfit and made me despise it more than had it not been added.
The bra look may not have been my favorite, but it was still semi-dressed to the occasion; Michelle Yeoh, on the other hand, seemed underdressed. Her outfit gave me going out to a business dinner vibes. She looked lovely, and I’m sure the dress is worth more than my whole closet combined, but it was not a premier-worthy dress.
Overall, I was astounded by the fashion in The School for Good and Evil movie and the Netflix premiere. Seeing the dresses alone is worth watching the movie. Next week, I will dive into the movie aspects now that I have gotten my rant about the dressing choices out of my head.
