When Fernanda Torres, dressed in a backless Olivier Theyskens design, won the Best Actress in a Motion Picture Drama trophy at January’s Golden Globes, it was perhaps the biggest surprise of the evening. That is, a surprise for those yet to see the Brazilian actress transform as the housewife turned lawyer and activist Eunice Paiva in director Walter Salles’s I’m Still Here. Just weeks later, Torres earned her first-ever Oscar nomination for Best Actress, over two decades after her mother, Fernanda Montenegro, did the same for Salles’s 1998 film Central Station.
Torres, an acting legend in her native Brazil, has navigated her awards season fashion with an air of ladylike elegance that’s hard to come by nowadays. The actress, working with the stylist Antonio Frajado, favors demure designs mainly done in black and jewel tones—perhaps, an intentional choice so as to not overshadow the harrowing true story of I’m Still Here. Aside from the occasional leg slit or backless silhouette, don’t expect the standard Hollywood glitz and glam from Torres as she readies for Oscars Sunday.
Here, a guide to Fernanda Torres’s I’m Still Here press fashion.
Ladylike Chanel has been a constant throughout Torres’s awards run. She wore a tweed design from the French brand’s fall 2024 couture show to attend the Santa Barbara Film Festival. A center leg slit added just enough risk to the look and framed her black sandals.
Rather wisely, Torres’s attendance at Chanel’s couture show in January worked as an extension of her press style. She slipped into a gothic coat dress that featured silver embroidery.
Over-accessorizing isn’t a concern when it comes to Torres’s outfits. Look no further than this belted shirt dress that she styled with just a pair of black stilettos.
Torres’s big win at the Globes was made special by this custom Olivier Theyskens number. Elegant De Beers jewelry completed her look.
An appearance at W’s annual Best Performances Party called for ladylike silk done in black and off-white.
Simple yet impactful details—like this Dior sheath dress with a built-in collar—are a staple of Torres’s style.
Though Torres has mainly kept to dark dresses and gowns, this belted two-piece suit was a nice switch-up at the BFI London Film Festival.
Even with a hint of skin and the flash of some leg, Torres was the picture of elegance at the I’m Still Here TIFF premiere.
I’m Still Here debuted at the 2024 Venice Film Festival in September where it won the event’s Best Screenplay prize. This simple Alexandre Herchcovitch look Torres wore to the premiere laid the groundwork for her subsequent awards campaign.
