Eye on Ellen

Ellen on Vanity Fair’s Hollywood Issue cover

When I met Ellen Page back in October to interview her about her role in Juno, the actress was dressed in a black hoodie, a flannel shirt and jeans. Her look, more skater kid than Mischa Barton, was refreshing. “I totally respect fashion, it’s just not my cup of tea,” she said, shrugging. She was most proud of the “sweet” pair of Reeboks she was sporting, which she said she got to keep after a recent shoot with a music magazine. The sneakers had an illustration of bowling pins and the letters B-O-W-L on them (in other words, they weren’t the sort of thing you’d see in W).

At our fashion shoot, she politely declined to wear several of the looks our fashion editor offered her, and seemed particularly horrified at the idea of heels. The photo turned out fine, of course. And we couldn’t help but respect her determination to assert her own style.

Of course, Page is now the young It actress winning rave reviews—not to mention an Oscar nomination—for her star turn as the punk-rock loving pregnant teen. So when it was reported that she was going to be Teen Vogue’s next cover girl, I thought, Uh-oh, it’s happening—the inevitable fashion metamorphosis! At the recent SAG Awards she wore Zac Posen, but it was simple, black, knee-length and youthful—nothing too awkward or fashion-forward. And, as WWD reported, when reporters asked her about her bag and shoes, she had no clue who designed them. (Anya Hindmarch and Manolo Blahnik, respectively.)

Portrait for W, wearing Zac Posen at the SAG Awards

But I guess it couldn’t last. On Monday, when we got a look at the cover of the Vanity Fair Hollywood issue, there was our Ellen, this time nearly unrecognizable, channeling classic silver screen glamour in a goddess-y Dior gown, her hair in Veronica Lake-style waves. And the shoes? Manolo Blahnik heels, naturally.

Photographs: Portrait for W, Eric Ogden; SAG Awards, Dan MacMedan/WireImage; Vanity Fair cover, Annie Leibovitz