Stylist Elizabeth Saltzman on Crafting Saoirse Ronan’s Sensual New Style
Saoirse Ronan is a force to be reckoned with this awards season. The 25-year-old actress is nominated for Best Actress at the Oscars in February, for her turn as Jo March in Greta Gerwig’s Little Women. She will also appear on all of the season’s most anticipated red carpets, including at the upcoming Screen Actors Guild Awards and BAFTA Awards, among others. In honor of the many fabulous fashions to come, Vogue spoke with Ronan’s longtime stylist, Elizabeth Saltzman, about crafting a new “sensual” look for the megawatt star.
By now, Saltzman is a pro at tackling the awards marathon: She has worked with Ronan for several years, and has styled her for many ceremonies, including when the star nabbed her second Oscar nomination in 2016 for Brooklyn. Ronan wore an emerald Calvin Klein gown that night. (Her first Oscar nod was for Best Supporting Actress for Atonement, when she was just 13 years old.) Over the years, the stylist says Ronan’s taste in fashion has matured. “The evolution is someone who has grown in confidence, who understands what they like and what they don’t like, and are willing to take some risks,” Saltzman said, adding that the actress has consistently approached what she wears on the step-and-repeat with an open mind.
One recent style risk Ronan and Saltzman took together was during this month’s Golden Globes. The stylist dressed Ronan in a slinky Celine gown—a cowl-neck silhouette completely covered in crystals—that proved to be sexy new territory for the actress, who typically gravitates toward a more whimsical aesthetic. “We went sensual versus what we normally do, and that sensuality is what I have been seeing in her,” said Saltzman. “I really based it off of her beauty and skin.” The look in particular evolved from Ronan’s ongoing love of Celine and her trust in its current designer, Hedi Slimane. “I had a [Celine] suit in for her and she must have worn it five or six times over the last few years,” she said, adding that, “the very first dress I ever did for Saoirse was with Hedi and Saint Laurent. Hedi’s clothes are timeless.”
While Saltzman shook things up at the Globes, she said Ronan’s playful and irreverent fashion choices are bound to make a comeback in the coming weeks. She’s going to keep fans guessing, too: At the Critics’ Choice Awards this past Sunday, for instance, Ronan wore a floral Erdem gown that was deliberately more covered-up than her Globes look. (As for any labels or pieces that are potential Oscars contenders? That’s still under lock and key.)
Rather than adhering to a specific vibe for the carpets to come, Saltzman said their shared fashion ethos will continue serving as the through line. “The one thing Saoirse and I have really talked about is rewearing things, using vintage, and using independent labels that aren’t about contracts but a genuine respect and love for a brand,” she said. On the vintage front, Saltzman even incorporated some throwback pieces during Ronan’s recent Little Women press tour, sourcing pieces from vintage fairs and even Ronan’s own closet. “It was funny because it was literally clothes from the cupboard,” she said. “I love having custom clothes, but I really want to use the clothes that are out there, too.”
One Ronan signature that Saltzman will continue to emphasize is a fearless attitude toward color—something Saltzman tries to encourage in all of her clients, including celebrities such as Gwyneth Paltrow and Killing Eve’s Jodie Comer. “I love color, and I like Saoirse’s face with an awful lot of color,” Saltzman said. “I don’t want people in black. It’s not that I have anything against it—I use it—it’s just that it doesn’t give you the joy and the folly that fashion should.” The stylist added that, at the end of the day, she simply wants Ronan to continue having fun with fashion, and to treat red carpet dressing like embodying a character for the night—much like she does in her films. “She paints such an extraordinary picture [in films] that you forget who you’re watching, you believe it’s the character,” Saltzman said. “I want her to have the same fun and feeling on the carpet.”
Below, more of Ronan’s best red carpet looks to date.
Photo: Getty Images1/12In Giambattista Valli at the BAFTA Los Angeles Tea Party
January 4, 2020
Photo: Getty Images2/12In Ralph Russo at the AACTA International Awards
January 3, 2020
