Lili Reinhart’s ‘The Love Hypothesis’ press tour pays homage to 6 iconic romance film looks

When Lili Reinhart revealed her dress for the Germany leg of The Love Hypothesis press tour a couple of days later, she was a vision fit for a fairytale. Wearing a silver-beaded gown by Rodarte, Reinhart channelled Drew Barrymore’s Danielle de Barbarac in Ever After: A Cinderella Story. Echoing the empire-cut, shoulder-baring silhouette of the original costume designed by Jenny Beavan, the film’s celebrated costume designer, Reinhart’s ethereal gown brought a modern interpretation to Danielle’s Renaissance look.

Reinhart also borrowed a line from the film for her Instagram caption, writing, “Breathe. Just breathe.” The reference caught the attention of Drew Barrymore herself, who left a fitting comment beneath the post: “Putting the period in period piece.”

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Where the first two dresses were an ode to memorable looks from beloved rom-coms, the third was a love letter to BookTok girlies everywhere. Inspired by British costume designer Jacqueline Durran’s gorgeous emerald green silk dress from the film adaptation of Ian McEwan’s bestselling novel Atonement, Nasser dressed Lili Reinhart in a custom Tory Burch gown originally created for Vogue World: Hollywood.

A modern-day take on the dress Cecilia Tallis (Keira Knightley) wears during her steamy library tryst with lover Robbie Turner (James McAvoy), the gown features a plunging V-neckline, delicate straps, a low back, knotted detailing and dramatic draping. The reference went beyond the dress itself, with photos from the shoot staged in a library.

One of the rom-coms fans were hoping Lili Reinhart would pay tribute to during The Love Hypothesis press tour was 13 Going on 30, and she did not disappoint. In the film, Jennifer Garner plays Jenna Rink, an awkward 13-year-old whose birthday wish sends her 17 years into the future, waking up as her 30-year-old self. Now a fashion editor at a major women’s magazine, Jenna finds herself living the glamorous adult life she once dreamed of—complete with the wardrobe to match.

While Reinhart and Nasser did give the film’s fashion a nod, it wasn’t what people were expecting. Instead of the famous Versace minidress Jenna wears while dancing to Michael Jackson’s “Thriller”, the pair looked to one of Jenna’s playful workwear moments: a polka-dot Nanette Lepore coat worn over a Fleur du Mal Juliet Lace Mini Slip in Cocoa Plum.

Nanette Lepore’s daughter, Violet Savage, who films TikTok videos of herself going through her mother’s design archives, shared how Nasser reached out to borrow the one-of-a-kind coat for Reinhart. The outfit landed just days after Reinhart’s own 30th birthday, making her—like Jenna Rink—officially “thirty, flirty and thriving.”

In Miss Congeniality, a loose retelling of George Bernard Shaw’s Pygmalion, Sandra Bullock plays Gracie Hart, an FBI agent with little interest in fashion or grooming who is forced to go undercover as a Miss United States contestant to thwart a bomb plot. During the film’s famous makeover reveal, Gracie emerges from a plane hangar in a figure-hugging lavender Hervé Léger bandage dress, heels and sunglasses—only to famously stumble in her unfamiliar stilettos.

Reinhart and Nasser recreated the moment, with Reinhart slipping into a custom Hervé Léger bandage dress and completing the ensemble with oversized sunglasses and heels. The sartorial callback even caught Bullock’s attention, with the actress commenting on Reinhart’s post: “Stunning! Now all you need is a crown and a stunt mat to break your fall”—a cheeky reference to Gracie’s very public tumble in the original scene.

Another dress fans were hoping Lili Reinhart and Nasser would revisit during The Love Hypothesis press tour was Brittany Murphy’s playful sequined dress from Uptown Girls. Set against the backdrop of New York City, the 2003 film follows Molly Gunn, a carefree young woman who takes a job as a nanny to Ray Schleine, a precocious eight-year-old, after losing her fortune.

Murphy’s Molly is as whimsical with her wardrobe as she is with her outlook on life, making the film a particularly fitting addition to Reinhart’s growing collection of rom-com fashion references. Rather than reproduce Molly’s look, the pair sourced the Blumarine Spring/Summer 2002 dress through vintage archive Rebe Archive. She also echoed Molly’s side-swept hairstyle, wearing her hair sleek and pinned back while trading the original flower clip for a cleaner, unadorned finish.

From early-2000s rom-com favourites to a period-film classic, Lili Reinhart’s The Love Hypothesis press tour has transformed the promotional wardrobe into a celebration of movie fashion. By revisiting recognisable dresses, costumes and archival pieces, Reinhart and Ib Abdel Nasser have given each reference its own contemporary twist—while inviting fans to revisit the films and fashion moments that inspired them in the first place.

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