The style highs of SDCC 2019 panels, from Marvel to Westworld

All eyes at San Diego Comic-Con are on the big casting announcements and new trailers of highly anticipated projects. This year’s offerings did not disappoint, with a huge presentation from Marvel, TV teasers from Westworld, Star Trek, The Walking Dead, His Dark Materials, and Watchmen, plus Linda Hamilton's Terminator return. Knowing what to wear for a moment like this when there isn’t a strict dress code involves a lot of different panel interpretations, but this year, it wasn't all jeans and T-shirts. Fancy summer frocks, tailored-to-perfection suits, and some very funky shoes were some of the repeat trends.

Unlike a lot of attendees, the cosplay levels were low. Sadly, Ezra Miller was absent this year, so there was no repeat of him rocking up to the Fantastic Beasts panel as sexy Toadette. 2019 was on the low-key end, but that doesn’t mean there weren’t plenty of sartorial highs from those who were SDCC veterans as well as the first-timers.  

From the cast of Thor to the Riverdale squad, here are SYFY WIRE FANGRRLS' sartorial highlights from SDCC 2019.

The hottest accessory at the Marvel Phase Four presentation was Thor’s hammer, which Taika Waititi presented to returning cast member Natalie Portman, much to the delight of the Hall H crowd and those fans following online. Portman's Dior strapless mini dress was on the delicate end, but a skull image was hidden among the pretty floral embroidered bodice. Portman also noted this look on Instagram as “the before picture for when I get jacked” as Jane takes on the superhero crown.

Taika Waiti’s love of bold print is well-documented and while this wasn't quite pineapple romper levels, his purple bird shirt was appropriately loud for this event. The Thor: Love and Thunder quartet perfectly showed off the spectrum of SDCC style with Portman and Chris Hemsworth dressing more for a red carpet premiere and Waititi leaning more casual. Tessa Thomspon's tasseled Gucci frock was eyecatching but it was her odd silver and gold platforms that were the crowning moment — and also felt very on-brand for this psychedelic arm of the Marvel universe   

A-listers Angelina Jolie and Salma Hayek kept things simple in black, a memo director Chloé Zhao and their Eternals co-star Richard Madden also got.

Meanwhile, SYFY FANGRRLS style favorite Brian Tyree Henry showed how to inject bold color and raise your accessory game. Kumail Nanjiani and Dong-seok Ma opted for the playing-it-safe route in polo shirts and button-downs. When in doubt, go the summer dress route. Lauren Ridloff also looked great in a red Three Floor frock. Topping it off was the youngest member of the cast, Lia McHugh, who had one of the most fun ensembles of the weekend in retro-futuristic Armani.

The biggest Marvel announcement came at the end of the panel when Mahershala Ali put on a black Blade logo baseball cap, a moment that caused the crowd to go wild once again. Of course, Ali looked cool AF in an Etro geometric print suit — a trippy unseen detail can be found in the forest design lining. Previously in the Marvel universe, Ali played the debonair Cottonmouth in Luke Cage, and his style IRL is just as suave.

Teyonah Parris is another Marvel newbie, joining Elizabeth Olsen in WanderVision as Monica Rambeau. The leopard print Zimmerman flared-sleeve top paired with white shorts and gold Jimmy Choo sandals looked ideal for going dancing and beating the heat. Meanwhile, Olsen looked like a badass in leather separates that didn't seem conducive to the summer temperatures. 

Last year, Jameela Jamil cosplayed as her own Good Place character Tahani, but for the final panel celebrating one of TV’s smartest comedies, she opted for toned-down leopard print in a fabulous Kooples suit. Meanwhile, D’Arcy Carden got the black and white memo, throwing on some bold yellow pumps for a sharp contrast, and it would seem like Kristen Bell is cosplaying as Pepto Bismol. The guys, on the other hand, were pretty much the embodiment of how most famous dudes dress for this event, circling the casual clothing section of the department store.

Ryan Hansen was sporting quite the beard at the Veronica Mars panel, as fans got an early release of the long-awaited new season to coincide with SDCC. Kirby Howell-Baptiste joins the cast, here wearing a collar strong enough to feature on Chilling Adventures of Sabrina and the patterned shirt theme continued with cute-as-a-button Percy Daggs III.

The women of The Walking Dead universe looked a lot happier here than they do on screen (though that isn’t much of a stretch). Fear the Walking Dead’s Danay García joins soon-to-be-departing Danai Gurira, Eleanor Matsuura, Nadia Hilker, and Walking Dead showrunner Angela Kang, crushing it in red. It wasn't just those on-camera who worked their sartorial magic. Again, SDCC doesn’t have a dress code but summer frocks you could also wear to a wedding are good middle ground. 

Cast clothing coordination isn’t just for the Eternals, as Team Star Trek also opted for a mostly muted palette to celebrate the return of Patrick Stewart. Thankfully, Michelle Hurd and Isa Briones were there to serve white jumpsuit and blue tailored ensembles to break up the dark attire. 

You can count on the Riverdale cast to bring the fashion to SDCC, with Lili Reinhart in floral Marc Jacobs, Madelaine Petsch in rose-patterned Prada separates, and Camila Mendes leaning more casual in a Sandro silver skirt and tee. The boys weren’t slacking either, and while they were far from matchy-matchy, there was definite cohesion.  

Major kudos to Westworld co-showrunner Lisa Joy for wearing the standout look in a panel of SYFY FANGRRLS red carpet round-up regulars Evan Rachel Wood, Tessa Thomspon, and Thandie Newton. This was an ensemble that could've come from one of the Westworld corporate scenes, with those strappy heels very much in Charlotte Hale’s style wheelhouse. Again, the guys look fine in a range of looks that look vacation-ready. 

The Game of Thrones line-up was more muted than in previous years, but Maisie Williams rocked up in sneakers, a black dress, and pink hair in an outfit that was very late ‘90s and therefore super on-trend. Meanwhile, Ruth Negga continued to ooze cool. In the case of the final season Preacher panel, Celine overalls give off solid laidback vibes.

Negga shares a stylist with Mackenzie Davis, and Karla Welch opted for pattern clashing Prada for Davis’ big Terminator: Dark Fate panel moment. It was edgy and fun, plus the white Aldo ankle boots offered the perfect final touch.  

The women of the DC CW line-up showcased a range of bold prints, but the unifying trend was white shoes of all different styles. Melissa Benoist delivered a retro picnic aesthetic in red and white gingham, Candice Patton’s dress could hypnotize you, and Caity Lotz was '70s rocker adjacent. Sign us up to be a sidekick for all three. 

The views and opinions expressed in this article are the author's, and do not necessarily reflect those of SYFY WIRE, SYFY, or NBC Universal.