The last person to hear Brenda Song is undergoing a 2025 "Brendaissance" might just be her.
The 36-year-old former Disney Channel darling—best known to millennials as the teenage hotel heiress London Tipton from The Suite Life—has put in the work, catalyzing the portmanteau that's gone baby-viral. She's just landed two major roles that showcase her impressive range. First, in Gia Coppola’s The Last Showgirl, playing an exotic dancer on the eve of her Vegas show's shutdown alongside Pamela Anderson (currently in theaters). Next, as the foul-mouthed chief of staff to Kate Hudson's enthusiastic team president in the Mindy Kaling basketball comedy Running Point, streaming on Netflix on Feb. 27.
"Brendaissance" has been dropped in at least two cover stories about Song's new gigs and has received a not-insignificant number of views on social media. It's definitely within her orbit—a sweet, if extremely online, way to refer to her return to the spotlight in nuanced, decidedly not-Disney roles. (Of course, those of us who loved her brief role in The Social Network already knew what she could do.)
But her jaw drops when I ask Song how she feels about it—and whether there's a style evolution to parallel the juicier roles she's booked of late—a few hours before Running Point's Feb. 13 red carpet premiere. "No!" she hasn't even registered the term yet. And while I grew up watching her react to hotel hijinks on command, her shock and gratitude that people care enough about her current career era to give it a catchphrase don't feel forced. It's evident even on a grainy video call as she's driven from an interview to premiere prep.
Then, she pauses for a second to consider what a "Brendaissance" means. Wearing a corseted archival Chanel gown she and stylist Jordan Grossman picked out for the premiere to coordinate with her soft glam by Kristee Liu and wavy half-up do by Anna Lee Fiorino; she decides the term actually is fitting for this night's look and her career evolution.
"It's a great way to express my fashion journey because, for the first time, I really feel like this is me who you're seeing now," she says. "This is the person I've worked really hard to be these last few years. This is the culmination of a lot of self-growth and change in my life."
Before her critically acclaimed indie film and soon-to-hit streaming comedy, Song felt at a "crossroads" in every sense. Now, she's on the other side with a reignited creative passion and a more authentic wardrobe to go with it. "I feel like for the first time in my life, I finally feel like I'm in the next phase," she says. "I feel so different from the person I was five years ago and my entire life."
This phase celebrates who Brenda Song is now, including how she wants to dress. She says she and Grossman considered going on-theme for Running Point press: maybe something sporty or vaguely referencing her character's boss-lady suiting on the series. Then she locked eyes with her Chanel gown: strapless, embellished by a black bow at the bodice, almost creating a two-piece illusion with the contrasting white corset at the center. It was the first piece she tried on and the only one she wanted to wear again to the premiere.
"I was debating [whether] I wanted to wear black, and I kind of went past it, but for some reason, I saw the built-in corset, and I was like, Oh, this is interesting," she says. "When something is right, it's just right."
Song describes her authentic style as "what no one expects me to wear in real life": classic pieces with a slightly edgy twist. Sometimes, this equates to oversized Rick Owens; other times, it's lace-up Ludovic de Saint Sernin dresses, or Chanel tweed skirt sets with an exposed bralette.
The through-line is what Grossman, her stylist, considers contrast: "Her warm, joyful personality meets a sleek, sophisticated vibe," she tells me in an email later. "She gravitates toward classic, structured tailoring from brands like YSL and Celine, favoring long, lean silhouettes. We avoid anything overly embellished, fussy, or pink!" (Anything Song's first role would have found her wearing.)
Growing up in front of the cameras and figuring out her style in the public eye hasn't made big outfit reveals like this one any easier. That's all the more reason why comfortable pieces matter. "I still have such impostor syndrome, and it's always so nerve-wracking on the red carpet," Song explains. "So I always try to choose something that's not finicky or fussy, and I'm confident in. That's how I felt when I put on this dress."
While Song's style moment is all her own, choosing the exact pieces to bring it to life was a collaborative effort. She began working with Grossman when The Last Showgirl screened at TIFF (Toronto International Film Festival) and noticed an immediate difference in what she wore (think Burberry, Christopher John Rogers, and more Chanel) and how genuine she felt in those outfits. "I've never felt so me on a carpet," Song reflects.
Her recent costars have also opened her mind and closet to more styling possibilities. Pamela Anderson's embrace of runway couture with a makeup-free beauty beat has been a major influence. Song recalls an instructive moment where Anderson demonstrated, through her presence alone, the importance of wearing what feels authentic to oneself. "At a cast dinner at Benihana, Anderson arrived wearing the most incredible cashmere skirt and heels, without a stitch of makeup. And I was like, ‘That’s what I love about fashion—you know what I mean?’"
And on the set of Running Point, Song says, "Working with someone like Kate Hudson, there's no one I trust more. She's like a big sister to me, and I often turn to her for fashion advice because she's just iconic. Even yesterday, during our press junket, I literally said, 'This is my dress. What do you think?'"
Song is clearly a bona fide fashion girl, one I wish I'd seen more of at New York Fashion Week this month. (I get it, she's too busy.) But the arc of her "Brendaissance" style has taught her that, ultimately, the person wearing the outfit is more important than the pieces themselves. "I don't need my clothing to tell my story," she says. "My clothing amplifies my story."
London Tipton's outrageous style may have raised millennials, but Brenda Song's is how they want to dress when fully grown up: self-assured, grounded, and totally themselves. A quick online search will show countless fans are cheering her on—even if she hasn't noticed it yet.
Photographer Emily Sandifer | Stylist Jordan Grossman | Hair Stylist Anna Lee Fiorino | Makeup Artist Kristee Liu | Location The Everly Hollywood
