Exclusive: The Evolution of Effie Trinket
The District 12 escort on her outrageous looks.
For years, Effie Trinket has stood out in the Capitol for her signature style. Like a couture cupcake, this fashion pioneer cuts a wide swath in her trademark pastel wigs and architectural frocks. Never once has Trinket been spotted in ballerina flats or any comfortable footwear, for that matter. One year, during fashion week, Trinket made headlines when she stormed the runway during a Thom Browne show and literally begged a model to let her try on the sky-high platforms.
But in the past season—with the Quarter Quell right around the corner—Trinket has shown that she can outdo herself. “She’s a celebrity now. She was always a fashion maven too, but I think she feels the pressure to really up her game and show off,” says Elizabeth Banks. “Effie is someone who wears fur, feathers. She says, ‘Oh a butterfly. I’m going to kill it and make a dress!’ She plunders nature for her own gratification.”
Case in point: Her monarch butterfly dress, worn for the Reaping, boasted 10,000 feathers and had to be slipped on to the escort from above because of its structured form and high collar. (What no one knows is that Haymitch Abernathy and Katniss Everdeen fanned Trinket to keep her cool on that warm, sunny day.)
Some of Trinket’s other recent flamboyant ensembles? “We had names for every dress,” Banks adds. “One—the blue with the feather shrug—was ‘The Gorilla.’ The belt is incredible too, but there was no eating and barely any sitting in that dress!” For her visit to the Victor’s Village, the escort wore a white leather laser cut Alexander McQueen with snowy curls and boots trimmed in white fur. Banks calls it “The Snow Queen” and says: “Other than the belt, it’s actually comfortable. I’m wearing custom fur boots and gloves too. I love this look so much!”
Of course, the most celebrated escort understands the rigors of beauty. All of her wigs are hand-created for her in District 1, where real gold/platinum threads and diamond dust are made. “The gold wig I wore with the red fans dress was the hardest because it was like fitting architecture to my head,” says Banks. With Capitol luminaries Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark as her charges and tours galore, this den mother admits that she sometimes has to make some concessions on her routine. “I wear amazing gloves now instead of crazy nails because the nails took 45 minutes to do,” she says.
No doubt, the upcoming Games are a cause of great inner conflict for Trinket. Imagine how she must feel, seeing her Victors off to battle. Still, it’s inarguable that Effie Trinket will continue to be an utter tornado of chic. From her pink feather faux lashes to her crystal encrusted fishnet hosiery, this Capitol icon will never lose sight of her effect. Says Banks: “Effie is a great fashion influence. She lets me be a little wild.”
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