Throughout her nearly three-decade career, Cate Blanchett has portrayed several iconic characters: an ethereal elf in The Lord of the Rings, a thief in Oceans 8, a manipulative psychologist in The Talented Mr. Ripley, a femme fatale in Nightmare Alley, a monarch in Elizabeth, goddess of death Hela in Thor: Ragnarok, and so much more.
But if my memory serves me right, the 55-year-old actress hasn’t had many opportunities to play a character with all guns blazing. That is until she was tapped to play Lilith in Borderlands, the sci-fi action-comedy film helmed by Eli Roth based on the video game series by Gearbox Software.
Sadly, most of the reviews for Borderlands were negative; on Rotten Tomatoes, a website aggregating movie reviews, just 9% of 99 reviewers gave it a good rating.
Cate Blanchett stars as bounty hunter Lilith in the sci-fi action-comedy Borderlands based on the video game series of the same name (Credit: Lionsgate Films)
But I’m glad Blanchett didn’t disappoint style-wise during the movie’s promotional run. Making the most of her new role, Blanchett dressed in ways that were as brave as her latest character, demonstrating her subtle take on method dressing.
1. Cate Blanchett in Hodakova Silver Spoon Top and Paul Andrew Pumps
Cate Blanchett is known for fusing elegance with a dash of avant-garde edge, so I wasn’t surprised to see her at a Borderlands Los Angeles fan event wearing a whimsical, slightly strange Hodakova Fall 2023 top fashioned from antique silver spoons.
Blanchett’s halter top perfectly embodies Hodakova’s knack for creating unique utilitarian ensembles from repurposed materials. Ellen Hodakova Larsson designed the top using 102 layered vintage spoons sourced from the Swedish countryside. Can you imagine how much that weighs?
What’s interesting is that the spoons rattle with every step Cate takes, and Hodakova describes the sound as “cacophonous spoons.”
Cate Blanchett dons an avant-garde Hodakova top with 102 layered vintage spoons at a fan event for Borderlands held at the TCL Chinese Theatre IMAX (Credit: Abaca Press / INSTARimages)
In a statement to CNN, Hodakova said her Stockholm-based label “is dedicated to building the first fully sustainable fashion house in the world and change the fashion industry’s perspective on the possibilities of circularity.”
“By converting old materials into luxurious goods, Hodakova crafts stories through repurposing and conceptually upcycling everyday found materials into one-of-a-kind pieces.”
I love how the brand’s emphasis on sustainability aligns well with Blanchett’s personal views. As you know, she’s the queen of sustainable fashion, having repeatedly walked the red carpet in the same designer ensembles.
Cate Blanchett’s halter top looks so heavy as it’s layered with vintage spoons sourced from a Swedish countryside (Credit: Abaca Press / INSTARimages)
I’m glad she skipped the jewelry, save for a Louis Vuitton ring, and allowed her top to speak for itself. Renato Campora styled Cate’s short blonde bob in slicked-back, sultry waves to go with the edgy ensemble. Mary Greenwell, meanwhile, used mascara and eyeliner to highlight her blue eyes and a rose color palette to keep the rest of her look natural.
Stylist Elizabeth Stewart, whose clientele includes Julia Roberts, Viola Davis, Jessica Chastain, Amanda Seyfried, and Rebel Wilson, put together Blanchett’s ensemble. Considering the avant-garde style of her top, I commend her for keeping the rest of Cate’s ensemble simple.
She teamed the top with black cigarette trousers and pointy pumps—which weren’t exactly your typical black pumps. They were the creation of English fashion designer Paul Andrew, renowned for giving traditional women’s shoe silhouettes an edgy twist.
The “Spike Pump Zip” is a classic pointed-toe pump with slim spike stiletto heels. The silver metal zip trim around the edge of the sole is what sets them apart.
Cate Blanchett complements her edgy top with black Paul Andrew pumps featuring a silver-tone zip trim around the sole (Credit: Abaca Press / INSTARimages)
2. Cate Blanchett in Kallmeyer Blazer, Meryll Rogge Pants, and Volo Colville x Diadora Sneakers
Cate Blanchett often does power dressing with sophisticated suits, and she did exactly that for her appearance on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen.
The Paradise Road actress teamed the black Kallmeyer Resort 2024 “Emilio” blazer with the black Meryll Rogge Fall 2021 pleated tuxedo pants with white side stripe accents.
Underneath was a basic white tee, but Cate gave the ensemble some flair with a wide black-and-white checkered belt, striking a balance between classic and modern aesthetics.
Cate Blanchett mixes classic elegance with modern flair by styling her black Kallmeyer blazer and black Meryll Rogge pants with a wide checkered belt and chunky tri-color sneakers (Credit: Janet Mayer / INSTARimages)
I was impressed by how Blanchett injected a youthful edge into the sophisticated business wear, demonstrating her fearless sense of style. Instead of office pumps or any other kind of heels, she opted to finish the look with chunky tricolor sneakers from Colville and Diadora’s collaborative collection.
The sneakers are part of the Double Dipped Sneaker capsule collection, unveiled at the Salone del Mobile in Milan in April. They are modeled after Diadora’s Mythos Blushield Volo running shoes, redesigned with “a white upper enriched by a double dip immersion into two different hues.”
Completing her drip, Blanchett styled with a ring and a set of oval-shaped ivory sunglasses from Longchamp.
Cate Blanchett’s Volo Colville x Diadora sneakers feature a white upper with double-dipped green and black trims (Credit: Roger Wong / INSTARimages)
3. Cate Blanchett in Brandon Maxwell Canadian Tuxedo and Christian Louboutin Pumps
The Noughties’ Canadian Tuxedo, aka double denim, is making a huge comeback this summer, and Cate Blanchet adopted the trend during her visit on Good Morning America.
Only the fearless ones can pull off this tricky trend, and Cate did so effortlessly, wearing a double denim set from Brandon Maxwell’s Resort 2025 collection.
I assumed they were made of denim, but to my surprise, they were denim-printed velvet. They included the $2,300 “The Gage” jacket, which was expertly tailored to fit Blanchett’s slender frame, with four flap pockets and gold-tone buttons.
The lower half of the ensemble featured the matching $1,195 “The Reid” straight-leg pants cut from the same denim-printed velvet material.
Cate Blanchett embraces the Canadian Tuxedo trend by pairing a denim-printed velvet jacket with matching straight-leg denim-style pants by Brandon Maxwell for her GMA appearance (Credit: MediaPunch / INSTARimages)
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button actress kept her blonde bob down and wore minimal makeup with black-rimmed spectacles for a geeky vibe.
I love how Blanchett styled the double denim ensemble with brown accessories to create a unified look. She punctuated it with a brown belt by Brandon Maxwell, whose belt line contains quirky buckles. Cate’s had an oversized marble heart-shaped buckle that was evocative of the early 2000s and fastened around her waist to highlight her slim figure.
It complemented her brown faux crocodile leather “Kate” pumps by Christian Louboutin, designed in Italy with pointed toes and 3.34-inch stiletto heels. They sell for $845 at Saks Fifth Avenue.
Cate Blanchett teams her double-denim ensemble with brown faux croc pointed-toe Kate pumps by Christian Louboutin (Credit: Roger Wong / INSTARimages)