Ayo Edebiri Brings a Red Carpet Fairytale to Life

On the Toronto International Film Festival red carpet, Ayo Edebiri brought a fashion fairytale to life.

On Friday, the actor attended the TIFF premiere of her new film Clarissa in a dress from Matthieu Blazy’s fall 2026 couture collection. The asymmetrical evening gown featured a one-shoulder column silhouette with an ethereal textural twist. Winding up the dress were thick black-and-white tassels and intricately embroidered vines—embodying the collection’s distinctly dreamy energy.

Marking Blazy’s sophomore couture show, Chanel fall 2026 brimmed with whimsical folklore. “I started to wonder, was Gabrielle Chanel’s life a fairy tale?” the designer mused in his show notes. In honoring this theory, the presentation was full of childlike world-building, pulling references from classics like Jack and the Beanstalk and Goldilocks and the Three Bears.

In true Blazy form, otherworldly narratives were present in even the smallest of details—from vines creeping up the back of heels to buttons transforming from ducklings to swans. There was also a sense of adventure, with certain pieces appearing slashed and deconstructed through intricate embroidery techniques. This was the case with Edebiri’s gown, with thick, frayed tassels that spiraled around her torso, creating an intentionally distressed finish. This sartorial sentiment is particularly fitting for the actor’s upcoming movie.

Directed by twin filmmakers Arie and Chuko Esiri, Clarissa is a drama that reimagines Virginia Woolf’s 1925 novel Mrs. Dalloway—set in contemporary Lagos as opposed to the book’s post-World War I London. It marks something of a tonal shift for Edebiri, whose performance as the titular character’s best friend has already been lauded for its mischievous allure and rich texture. Naturally, her premiere gown was imbued with just as much intrigue.