The badass women issue

THE LOOK

40 Read the full interview at instyle.com/stylecrush

ELLIE BAMBER: Jessica, I have to tell you, I loved The Sinner so much.

And I also love your style. The gowns you choose have such grace.

JESSICA BIEL: Thank you, gosh! I just try to find a balance. Some

things that are super fashion don’t make a lot of sense on the red

carpet. My off-duty look is usually just jean on jean with high-tops.

EB: Same. When I go to the pub, it’s almost always Air Force 1s

with jea ns. Do you have a piece that you’re liv ing in r ig ht now?

JB: I have an oversize embroidered jean jacket that’s on 100 per-

cent repeat. It’s by Katya Dobryakova and pretty affordable too.

EB: That white strapless dress you wore to the Emmys last year

[ bottom, right] was so gorgeous. Was it a favorite of yours?

JB: Definitely, but it’s tough to play favorites. I feel like I need to

Google myself and look at all the previous stuff. The other one

that pops into my head was the sheer red Giambattista Valli gown

I wore to The A-Team première [right]. How about you?

EB: I wore a beautiful black Chanel Métiers d’Art dress when I

walked in their show in Tokyo [ bottom, left]. I loved it so much

that I asked if I could wear it to my first Va nit y Fai r Oscar party. It

was kind of weird that I wore it twice, but I didn’t care [laughs].

JB: I think that’s great. I always go back to Giamba over and over.

He made my wedding dress, so there’s a little nostalgia there.

EB: Sweet! I’ve also loved every single Tom Ford dress that I

have ever worn. On the set of Nocturnal Animals I remember

he’d a lways wea r den im on den im too, with a cowboy hat.

JB: He did? Well, I love him even more now.

EB: He wea rs ever y th ing with absolute con fidence, a nd that

has always stayed with me. After I finished that film I went

to Flight Club in New York and bought a really expensive pair

of trainers. What was your first big splurge?

JB: It took me a minute to get into bags a nd shoes, but in my

20s a light bulb went off and I was like, “I get it now.” So I got a

leather Marc Jacobs bag, which was super high-end to me.

EB: What do you wish you would’ve known about fashion then?

JB: I wish I would’ve explored some different shapes and not gone

so sexy all the time. Maybe it didn’t need to always be about the

body. I know it’s a vibe you feel when you’re young , but still.

EB: I’m going to take that onboard now too. Do you have any cool

vintage hand-me-downs from your mom or grandmother?

JB: I have some amazing costume jewelry from my grandmother.

I had a few of her pearl pieces remade for my bridesmaids to wear.

EB: Last question: Whose fashion opinion do you trust the most?

JB: My husband’s, for sure. I say, “Justin, does this work? What’s wrong

with it? And how do I fix it?” He is my best fashion bounce-off.

ELLIE

BAMBER

JESSICA

BIEL

ACTRESS ELLIE BAMBER TA L K S S H O P

WITH HER FASHION ICON JESSICA BIEL

THE ADMIRER

ST YLE

CRUSH

EMILIA

WICKSTEAD

GIAMBATTISTA

VALLI

RALPH &

RUSSO

COUTURE

JOHANNA

ORTIZ

GIAMBATTISTA

VALLI

ELIE

SAAB

HAUTE

COUTURE

JASPER

CONRAN

TOM

FORD

CHANEL

HAUTE

COUTURE

CHANEL

THE CRUSH