The new romantic comedy The Love Hypothesis, starring Lili Reinhart and Tom Bateman, is something of a hybrid between classic love stories and modern cinematic romances.
Its story centers around the familiar and well-loved trope of two totally mismatched single people who are thrust into a contrived situation that forces them to consider whether they might just be right for each other after all. At the same time, it’s the product of the very 2020s trend of a tale going from fan fiction to BookTok sensation to major streaming release.
Reinhart has embodied that fresh/throwback duality in the weeks leading up to the film’s release on Amazon this Wednesday by recreating some of the most iconic looks from rom-coms of the past.
The movies she has chosen to honor through fashion all come from the late-1990s and 2000s, an era when Reinhart was a young girl and romantic comedies were a box office staple.
How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days
For her first look, Reinhart referenced one of the signature outfits in rom-com history by donning a silky yellow gown inspired by the dress Kate Hudson used to beguile Matthew McConaughey in 2003’s How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days.
Ever After
A couple of days later, Reinhart paid tribute to the 1998 period romance Ever After with a custom Rodarte gown inspired by the fantasy-meets-fashion look worn by Drew Barrymore in the film.
“I coveted my VHS tape we had at home and fell in love with period pieces because of this film,” Reinhart wrote on Instagram.
Atonement
She stuck with the period romance theme for her next look, which designer Tory Burch described as “a twisted, draped, and hand-knotted interpretation of the iconic green dress” worn by Keira Knightley in 2007’s Atonement.
13 Going on 30
Reinhart followed that up by going back to early-2000s rom-coms, specifically the Jennifer Garner classic 13 Going on 30. Out of the many memorable outfits from the film, Reinhart opted to recreate the moment where Garner’s magically all-grown-up character dons a stylish polka dot jacket over a silky nightgown.
The coat, an identical version of the one in the movie, was borrowed from the archives of renowned fashion designer Nanette Lepore.
“We typically don’t loan things out, especially a piece that is this precious to us … but I knew this press tour was going to be iconic,” Lepore’s daughter, actress-producer Violet Savage, said in an Instagram post explaining how the look came together.
Miss Congeniality
Next up for Reinhart was a skin-tight lilac cocktail dress custom-made by Hervé Léger to mimic Sandra Bullock’s bombshell look from 2000’s Miss Congeniality.
Bullock herself called the homage to her tomboy-turned-beauty queen character “stunning” and said to Reinhart, “Now all you need is a crown … and a stunt mat to break your fall.”
Uptown Girls
Most recently, Reinhart paid tribute to actor Brittany Murphy, who died in 2009, with a floral dress from Murphy’s 2003 hit Uptown Girls.
“A genuine dream dress since the day I first saw it when I was 7 years old. The way Brittany wore it- and the magic she brought to Molly Gunn- made it unforgettable,” Reinhart wrote on Instagram.
“We couldn’t leave NY without paying homage to one of the most iconic leading ladies and NY movies there ever was,” her stylist, Ib Abdel Nasser, wrote in his own post about the dress.
Reinhart’s appreciation for the last generation’s romances goes deeper than an appreciation for their most stylish moments. She has also said that the genre itself doesn’t get nearly the amount of respect it deserves and wants to change that.
“I think … people are understanding the value of romantic comedies now, and they’re understanding that quality rom-coms are being demanded of them, and not just the same thing over and over and over again,” she told the Hollywood Reporter recently. “I do think there is hopefully a shift, and I do hope that this movie helps with that shift and encourages more of it.”
