A LOOK INTO LILI REINHART’S METHOD CARPET LOOKS
WRITTEN BY: AVERY CARL
PHOTO: Lili Reinhart in her “13 Going on 30” look - Getty Images
Late September, the movie adaption of the widely beloved book, The Love Hypotheses, was released on Prime Video. The project had been greatly anticipated for the past four years - it was announced on October 2022, with Lili Reinhart and Tom Bateman attached to the project in July 2025. From there, the adaptation was heavily promoted on the Riverdale star’s TikTok, using various audios and trends to allow her followers to follow along with the film's progress.
Then, it came time for the press tour, where films of all genres’ marketing really starts to shine. In the past, stars like Zendaya and Margot Robbie used fashion to capture the attention of a wider audience, wearing looks that are either references to the films they’re promoting, their characters, or just attention-grabbing garments.
Reinhart followed in those footsteps, though her references weren’t in reference to The Love Hypothesis or her character, Olive Smith, at all. Her looks were all celebrations of the romantic comedy genre. She told Vogue her looks were inspired by a Pinterest board she titled “Rom-Com Baddie.”
Starting off with a bang, Reinhart wore the infamous and heavily regarded yellow from the classic 2003 rom-com, How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days. The butter yellow dress was worn by the main character, Andi Anderson (Kate Hudson), as she tries to win—then lose—the heart of Benjamin Barry (Matthew McConaughey) in ten days. The floor-length gown features an open back with crossing straps, made from silk charmeuse; it flows effortlessly, shimmering as the smooth fabric catches the light. The gown is a fan favorite and is thought of by film fashion enthusiasts as the best “yellow moment” in film costuming.
Photo: Lili Reinhart in her “How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days” dress - Instagram @lilireinhart
The look wasn’t featured on any red carpet, but it was posted on the Forbidden Fruit star’s Instagram and pretty quickly went viral. The look has gathered almost four million likes on Instagram and kicked off what was going to be a very iconic series of looks.
To follow up the iconic How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days look, Reinhart referenced the cult classic rom-com and Cinderella reimagining, Ever After, during her stop in Germany for the press tour. The Riverdale star wore the gown that Danielle De Barbarac (Drew Barrymore) wore during her grand entrance to the prince’s ball. Though not a one-to-one recreation, the silver dress Reinhart wore, created by RODARTE, had intricate beading and an off-the-shoulder look that was very reminiscent of the 1998 movie’s look. It might be a nicher look than the yellow gown, but it is still widely regarded as one of the greater Cinderella gowns in film history.
Then, on par with the yellow moment from Hudson’s infamous rom-com, Reinhart wore a look referencing the green dress from the 2007 film Atonement, worn by Cecilia Tallis (Keira Knightley). The dress, created by Tory Burch for Vogue World in 2025, was lent to Reinhart for the London stop of their tour. The olive green gown features very deliberate draping and a drop waist, and a very low-cut back. It’s described by Burch as “A twisted, draped, and hand-knotted interpretation of the iconic green dress in 'Atonement,' designed by Jacqueline Durran."
Photo: Lili Reinhart in her “Atonement” dress - Instagram @lilireinhart
To celebrate her 30th, she donned a Fleur du Mal slip dress and a trench coat, a reference to the 2004 film 13 Going on 30, a look that Jenna Rink (Jennifer Garner) wears after waking up as her 30-year-old self.
As the tour went on and Reinhart’s 30th birthday passed, her looks got more and more deliberate. First, she wore the lavender bandage dress that Sandra Bullock wore in the 2000 film, Miss Congeniality, that her character, Gracie Hart, wore after her transformation from an FBI agent to a beauty contestant. Then, she put on an archival look from the 2003 film, Uptown Girls. The floral dress, worn by Brittany Murphy’s character, Molly Gunn, to her birthday party, is the epitome of early 2000s fashion: a beige slip with flowers cascading along the sides; it’s the perfect dress to celebrate in. The dress was supplied by Rebe Archive.
One look that people were really excited about was a reference Reinhart made to the 1998 Disney original movie My Date with the President’s Daughter: a short velvet pink dress. A dress Reinhart said every girl wanted after seeing the movie.
Each look was a look into the mind of a rom-com-obsessed actress: the red carpet looks, street looks, and everything in between were all inspired by the rom-coms that had come before The Love Hypothesis. They were the work of someone who clearly loves the genre and wants to give it the recognition and the publicity that they think it deserves. Though it might’ve started off as a Kylo Ren and Rey fanfiction—which Reinhart also referenced with a blue butterfly look—it ended up being a film that knew exactly what it was: a rom-com for the ages, one that gives love back to the rom-coms that came before it and paved the way for future modern rom-coms.
