Sophie Nélisse stars in one of the goriest shows on television: a gender-swapped, Lord of the Flies-inspired thriller that follows a group of stranded high schoolers fighting for survival and supremacy in the wilderness. On Yellowjackets, hell really is a teenage girl. And after a lengthy hiatus, fans of the Showtime franchise are thirsty for blood.
Luckily, Nélisse and stylist Alexandra Mandelkorn intend to give the people what they want—starting with this crimson bouclé Isabel Marant dress the pair pulled for the show's season 3 premiere on Feb. 13. There's tension between the gown's intentionally rough-hewn edges, form-fitting silhouette, bold hue, and off-the-shoulder neckline—a perfect distillation of the feral feminine rage Nélisse explores through her character, Shauna.
"This season is really fun for Shauna because she takes on a whole different arc," Nélisse tells me. "We've seen her undergo a lot of loss and trauma. And I think because she feels so guilty for these past events, she's channeling all of that shame and sadness into anger. She's at such a low point in her life and has nothing else to lose anymore, so she's just very erratic and unhinged and almost scary because of how unpredictable she is."
Equal parts slinky and threatening, what could be more fitting for Shauna's tipping point than a subversive take on femme fatale fashion tropes accessorized with matching Jimmy Choo slingback heels?
"We definitely wanted something that was quite elegant and that was going to catch people's eyes," the 24-year-old actor continues. "But the distressed pattern kind of reminds me of the distress of the show, so I thought that was very on-brand for Yellowjackets."
This press run marks the Canadian star's first time working with Mandelkorn, who also styles Wicked darling Marissa Bode, Grammy winner Janelle Monae, and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel's leading lady Rachel Brosnahan.
"Isabel Marant is the epitome of French bohemian chic and we loved that this dress wasn't super refined or polished, giving it a bit of an edge," Mandelkorn explains. "The hem and the sleeve ends are frayed, and we leaned into that slightly distressed feel for both her premiere and press looks—a little nod to the show and the survival fashion of it all. When you get stranded in the forest, your clothes are bound to get a bit tattered."
That said, don't expect anything too obvious from Nélisse's savage style era.
"I like the idea of this sort of 'diet-method' dressing approach—nothing too on-the-nose, but incorporating subtle details and accents that say, 'If you know, you know,'" Mandelkorn adds. "Like little fashion Easter eggs. So far, I'm loving this survivor aesthetic where clothes are a bit fucked-up, aged, and worn-out, but we're making it feel elevated for a premiere or press event."
There's a deeper message embedded in the look, too—one that reflects Nélisse's own coming of age as well as that of her character.
"I'm trying to take more risks with shapes and lean towards something that's grungier," she concludes. "I used to always wear the same style of dresses, and they were very cute and very princess. I think we're trying to steer me in a direction that feels like a bit more mature and elevated and womanly rather than little girl. So that's been really fun. I'm growing as a woman and I want to embrace that."
