If you’re going to save the universe, you might as well do it in style. And so when it came time for Zoe Saldana to promote her latest hit, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, she didn’t hold back. As one of the titular heroes, Saldana is tasked with being fearless on-screen, and during the film’s press tour, she’s carried that spirit onto the red carpet with direct-from-the-runway ensembles that steer clear of the standard. Whether taking out crimson Givenchy for the Tokyo press conference or arriving at Live With Kelly and Ryan in mint Sies Marjan, Saldana has gone for the kinds of clothes that are typically reserved for editorials.
The high-fashion vibe owes much to Saldana’s willingness to experiment with wearing young talent, but she gives full credit to her longtime stylist, Petra Flannery. “I tell her what I’m envisioning and with her incredible abilities she will find the criteria that I suggested,” said Saldana at the Cinema Society’s New York screening of the film. “She puts in her incredible expertise—and then we dance!”
This collaborative approach is part of what keeps things interesting. “[Zoe] is just a dream because she truly loves the process,” says Flannery. For this tour, both were eager to push the envelope. Inspired by the movie’s sci-fi theme, they played with metallic textures, dramatic shapes, and head-to-toe color for a look Flannery playfully dubs “avant-guardian.”
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Saldana kicked things off with a transparent Loewe look for the Japanese premiere back in April. Breaking nearly every red carpet rule with its see-through pants and blouse combination, it made for a refreshing fashion moment. “I loved everything about it,” Flannery says, “because it had the sheer [fabric] with the rhinestone embellishment—which a lot of people thought were polka dots.” They kept the momentum going at the London premiere with a sculptural Ulyana Sergeenko dress with a built-in corset. “We felt strongly about her couture collection because it has a little bit of a gothic vibe,” says Flannery. “Zoe does that well. She’s so feminine, and it works when we go in that direction.”
That goth moment may have been memorable, but futurism returned to the fore at the film’s Los Angeles premiere, where Saldana wore a fringe-covered tangerine creation from Pucci. With its bold color and shiny sequins, the Massimo Giorgetti–designed gown wouldn’t have seemed out of place within Gamora’s wardrobe, and for Flannery, that was the point. “We got a little galactic with the orange Pucci and the black-and-gold McQueen she wore in New York,” says Flannery. “Zoe definitely inspires me. You have to have that confidence [to wear these], and she does.”
Saldana credits this to the art of compromise. “If my team only did exactly what I told them to do, how would I be challenged as a person?” she said. “We meet in the middle to create something incredible.”