What do you do when someone says you can’t take your action figure collection to Cannes Film Festival? You say “fuck it” and do it anyway. Solo: A Star Wars Story actress Thandie Newton wore a custom Vivienne Westwood dress to the film’s Cannes premiere that featured action figures of all the black characters in the Star Wars universe. And yes, they’re all from her collection.
It may be hard to see a few of them depending on the agles, but Newton’s dress is emblazoned with images of Finn, Mace Windu, Captain Panaka, and Saw Gerrera action figures. Of course, there’s also a Lando Calrissian from the original trilogy.
According to Red Carpet Fashion Awards, it’s a custom Westwood gown (using the designer’s “Absence of Roses” print) with images of Newton’s personal Star Wars figurine collection (they’re all 3.75″ scale—my coworker James Whitbrook verifies this) taken by Christian Hogstedt overlayed on top.
The gown serves as a stunning tribute to Newton’s debut in the Star Wars universe as Val in Solo: A Star Wars Story, as she’s the first black woman to have a leading role in a Star Wars film. In fact, the gown is a fashionable statement about the overall dearth of black characters in Star Wars—a point Donald Glover hilariously made in a Lando Calrissian sketch on a recent episode of Saturday Night Live. There has been some progress made in the Star Wars universe, but there’s still a long way to go in a galaxy far, far away—a reminder Newtown couldn’t have made in any more style.
