Look of the Week: Sophie Turner stuns on the Dark Phoenix press tour

Welcome back to Look of the Week, celebrating the best in TV and film sartorial excellence, past and present across sci-fi, horror, fantasy, and other genre classics!

Moving from Winterfell to Xavier’s School for Gifted Youngsters, Sophie Turner has gone from Queen in the North to one of the most powerful mutants in the X-Men franchise. It has been a very busy few months for Turner, who was promoting the biggest TV event of the year/decade/century before hitting the road for Dark Phoenix. A vacation is definitely in order for her when this is all over.

Dark Phoenix is set in the ‘90s, so it would be easy for Turner to lean into this decade for red carpet inspiration (especially as it continues to dominate on the runway). Instead, she has been mixing retro-futuristic garments fit for Barbarella with masculine-meets-feminine tailoring. The X-Men franchise bends time, so it makes sense for Turner to sartorially showcase a variety of different periods.

A majority of Turner's looks for this world tour are from the Louis Vuitton Resort 2020 collection; this isn't necessarily a surprise, as she has appeared in recent LV campaigns and is a prominent face for the brand. Designer Nicolas Ghesquière took the audience back to the glamorous heyday of air travel with the presentation of this collection by hosting it at the TWA Flight Center. First opened in 1962, the terminal designed by Eero Saarinen looks like the setting of a sci-fi movie from that same decade. Situated at JFK Airport, the TWA Flight Center once appeared in Catch Me if You Can and has recently been turned into a hotel, proving you don’t need a machine to travel back in time. Saarinen’s terminal design was part neo-Futurist, as are some aspects of Ghesquière's recent collection, which Turner has been doing an excellent job of showcasing.

Stylist Kate Young, makeup artist Georgie Eisdell and hair stylist Christian Wood have created a cohesive and varied array of looks for Turner which chart the period of time this series of X-Men films has covered. 

Making a splash at the South Korea premiere in Seoul, the sheer silver mesh flared mini-skirt hem and high neckline LV creation worn over a striped silver bra and skirt was a Mod-ish dream. Looking part Mary Quant, part Barbarella, this was the kind of ensemble that should feature in the Man from U.N.C.L.E sequel we deserve.

At a fan event in London, an LV crop top look gave a strong amount of ‘90s inspiration, but the high ponytail and silver collar once again leaned into the retro-futuristic aesthetic. Rather than picking one decade, this is a case of marrying elements from different periods — much like the most recent batch of X-Men movies. 

The pose might be X-Men related, but Turner also showed off her Stark side with her direwolf tattoo. The North remembers and so does she.

In Mexico, Turner offered an edgy office vibe in a Louis Vuitton leather skirt and graphic blouse. Eye-catching power shoulders elevated this look and paired well with co-star Jessica Chastain’s double-breasted ladysuit. Chastain is a self-professed Sansa Stark stan, and she has some strong Game of Thrones feelings that I definitely agree with.

It wasn't all limited to Louis Vuitton, though as Turner also leaped on the tailored suit train in a stunning embroidered Cushnie velvet number, which was apparently the ideal garment for showing off just how flexible she is on The Graham Norton Show. No need for yoga pants here.

Keeping with the pants theme in Seoul, she mixed a pussy-bow blouse and cargo pants in Chloe: a combination I didn’t know could look chic and yet, somehow, here we are. These are no ordinary '90s pocket-heavy pants, as the high-waisted aspect is more Katharine Hepburn than Spice Girls.

Trying on all these different fashion hats recently — including an appearance at the Met Gala — is a part of the promotion process, but Turner has also been using her platform to discuss other broader issues. Along with co-star Jessica Chastain, she has signed a letter saying she will not work in states restricting reproductive rights.

In a recent Sunday Times interview, Turner also spoke about growing up in the spotlight, including the impact it had on her mental health, her body and why she thinks therapy is so important. She also discussed how liberating it is to finish Game of Thrones, coupled with how hard it has been, “I’ve had a bit of an identity crisis, to be honest. I’ve grown up for so many years as this character,” said Turner. “If I wasn’t filming it, I was promoting it, then it was on TV. I was immersed in Sansa, so finally stepping out of it, I don’t know what I like to do or who I really am.”  

On the red carpet, Turner is an exciting presence — and she has now played not one but two iconic characters, Sansa Stark and Jean Grey. Hopefully, a break is on her schedule, but I cannot wait to see what is next in store now she has shed that particular armor (that said, if LV can do a Sansa-inspired leather collection, then sign me up!).