It's Fashion Week somewhere in the world---and by somewhere, I mean Paris---and our good sis Tessa Thompson was in there like swimwear. The 36-year-old Westworld actress recently pulled up to the Dior Paris Show and per the usual, her drip was on 1,000. Tessa, who has become widely known for her eclectic fashion sense, sat down for an interview with ESSENCE to break down her iconic style and we have all the details.
According to Tessa, most of her wardrobe consists of Black AF pieces picked by her Black AF stylists, Wayman + Micah:
"I like to wear things that are bold, fun, and interesting. I love to support young designers, particularly young Black designers, or designers of color. That's sort of something that we're always looking for. We have so much fun together."
In the interview, Tessa also shared she is just as geeked about an impromptu trip to the thrift store as the rest of us. When this Avengers: Endgame star isn't on the red carpet, she's probably rocking vintage-inspired fleece or a turtleneck.
"I really love vintage clothes. I like to wear a lot of turtlenecks, it is a classic piece. This season, I'm really inspired by fleece. I think fleece has never been cooler."
As someone who lives in a city who feels all four seasons (hard), it's hard to ensure that my wardrobe matches the weather but Tessa says that as a kid growing up in LA, she couldn't really relate:
"Because of the weather in Los Angeles, there are no rules in terms of dressing. The seasons don't dictate that you have to wear a coat. When I was growing up in high school, it was not uncommon for people to wear a pair of cutoff shorts and Ugg boots. Nothing made sense in relation to each other."
Today, Tessa says that New York is her favorite place to be because she has the opportunity to rock layers on layers on layers.
"If I can, I spend most of the year in New York because I love the way the seasons change. You get to really pull out a heavy coat and layer. I love that, particularly now that I've gotten more sensible about what I wear."
Tessa Thompson isn't new to this high-fashion sh*t---she's true to it. If you need a reminder, scroll below to check out 10 times this eclectic icon's unique style gave us our entire lives:
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Featured image by Instagram/@tessamaethompson.
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While speaking to xoNecole, Eva shares that she’s a lot like the beloved 1994 character in many ways. “Lyric is so me. She's the odd flower. A flower nonetheless, but definitely not a peony,” she tells us.
“She's not the average flower you see presented, and so she reminds me of myself. I'm a sunflower, beautiful, but different. And what I loved about her character then, and even more so now, is that she was very sure of herself.
"Sure of what she wanted in life and okay to sacrifice her moments right now, to get what she knew she deserved later. And that is me. I'm not an instant gratification kind of a person. I am a long game. I'm not a sprinter, I'm a marathon.
America first fell in love with Eva when she graced our screens on cycle 3 of America’s Next Top Model in 2004, which she emerged as the winner. Since then, she's ventured into different avenues, from acting on various TV series like House of Payne to starring on Real Housewives of Atlanta.
Je-Caryous Johnson Entertainment
Eva praises her castmates and the play’s producer, Je’Caryous for her positive experience. “You know what? Je’Caryous fuels my audacity car daily, ‘cause I consider myself an extremely audacious woman, and I believe in what I know, even if no one else knows it, because God gave it to me. So I know what I know. That is who Je’Caryous is.”
But the mom of three isn’t the only one in the family who enjoys acting. Eva reveals her daughter Marley has also caught the acting bug.
“It is the most adorable thing you can ever see. She’s got a part in her school play. She's in her chorus, and she loves it,” she says. “I don't know if she loves it, because it's like, mommy does it, so maybe I should do it, but there is something about her.”
Overall, Eva hopes that her contribution to the role and the play as a whole serves as motivation for others to reach for the stars.
“I want them to walk out with hope. I want them to re-vision their dreams. Whatever they were. Whatever they are. To re-see them and then have that thing inside of them say, ‘You know what? I'm going to do that. Whatever dream you put on the back burner, go pick it up.
"Whatever dream you've accomplished, make a new dream, but continue to reach for the stars. Continue to reach for what is beyond what people say we can do, especially as [a] Black collective but especially as Black women. When it comes to us and who we are and what we accept and what we're worth, it's not about having seen it before. It's about knowing that I deserve it.”
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
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Feature image by Leon Bennett/WireImage
