Daisy Ridley Swamps Her Figure in 4 Different Outfits in 1 Day for Young Woman and the Sea Press Tour

Daisy Ridley is set to make a splash as swimming champion Gertrude “Trudy” Ederle in the upcoming biographical drama movie Young Woman and the Sea. However, on Monday, she failed to leave much of an impression while making the rounds on the media circuit to promote her latest project.

Ridley, styled by Leith Clark, donned four ensembles in one day, but only one drew my attention. This surprised me because I’ve always admired her taste for elegant, timeless, and flattering ensembles. Although her clothing choices are stylish, I don’t think they fit her figure well.

Daisy Ridley makes the rounds on the media circuit to promote her upcoming biographical drama movie Young Woman and the Sea (Credit: Roger Wong / INSTARimages)

Playful Gingham Co-ords for the Summer

The gingham pattern is one of the biggest trends for the summer season. You can’t go wrong with gingham, they say. But the same cannot be said of Ridley’s gingham look when she was pictured arriving at the Good Morning America studios.

The actress, 32, donned a two-piece gingham set from Adeam’s Resort 2024 collection. The New York-based Japanese label is known for its feminine, whimsical designs that fuse modern silhouettes with Japanese aesthetics.

Ridley’s outfit features the “Yuka” top and the “Hari” pants. It has an edgy, stylish sense about it on the model, but it doesn’t seem very interesting on Ridley.

The top has a fitted silhouette with epaulette-like foldover shoulders and long sleeves, while the bottom has a waistband with dart pleats, which aren’t visible on Ridley’s. If she had tucked the top into the pants like the model, it would have enhanced her figure and done the ensemble justice.

Daisy Ridley wears a summery gingham-patterned top and pants by Adeam for her appearance on Good Morning America (Credit: Roger Wong / INSTARimages)

The styling didn’t do the look any good either. The chunky loafers with high block heels felt rather heavy with the gingham design; Ridley could have gone for elegant pointed-toe pumps or open-toe sandals instead.

I like the shoes—just not with Ridley’s gingham coordinates. These are the $510 “Trench” loafers from the sustainable Parisian shoe brand Nomasei. They have 3-inch block heels and the brand’s gold-tone emblem on the vamps.

Daisy Ridley teams her black-and-white gingham ensemble with chunky black patent loafers by Nomasei (Credit: Roger Wong / INSTARimages)

Injecting some glamour to the black-and-white look, Ridley accessorized with gold jewelry by Parisian jewelry designer Belperron. She wore the $18,500 “Roof” ear clips and the matching $12,500 “Roof” ring, named for its gable roof design. They are made from 22k virgin gold and 18k gold.

Christopher Naselli swept her hair back in a retro style with flipped ends, while Gita Bass gave her a rosy look with pink blush, lipstick, and a hint of eyeliner and mascara.

Daisy Ridley wears soft makeup and a slicked-back hairstyle and styles her outfit with Belperron gold jewelry (Credit: Roger Wong / INSTARimages)

Preppy in Blue-and-White Striped Shirtdress

Inside the GMA studio, Ridley swapped her gingham co-ords for a preppy blue-and-white striped shirtdress also from Adeam.

I was taken aback to see Ridley in the wrap shirtdress—not because the dress was fancy, but because it appeared very basic. And then I realized she was wearing it wrong.

Ridley looked like she was sporting a typical A-line wrap shirtdress with a nipped-in waist and a knee-length hem. But when worn correctly, one side should resemble an oversized boyfriend shirt, and the other should show the pleated underskirt.

She shouldn’t have tightened the D-ring strap closure to emphasize the boyfriend shirt look. The dress also featured a spread collar, blouson sleeves with buttoned cuffs, and a rear storm flap. It’s available for $995 at Neiman Marcus.

Daisy Ridley parades her legs in a preppy blue-striped wrap shirtdress by Adeam after promoting Young Woman and the Sea on Good Morning America (Credit: Roger Wong / INSTARimages)

Ridley wore the same soft glam and sleek hairstyle. She also accessorized her summertime look with the same Belperron jewelry but swapped her chunky loafers for the $1,043 Gina “Paisley” sandals in “In Platinum Tebe” or light gold.

If I were her, I would have paired these shoes with the gingham co-ords and the knee-length shirtdress with the loafers to give it a more contemporary edge.

These open-toe sandals are crafted from exotic embossed leather and feature strappy crisscross vamps, ankle straps, and 3-inch wedge heels.

Daisy Ridley teams her summery striped shirtdress with metallic gold platform wedge sandals by Gina (Credit: Roger Wong / INSTARimages)

Oriental Meets Modern Edge in Blue Prada Dress

I don’t know about you, but Ridley seems to be going for an oriental look with a dash of modern edge for her guest appearance on The View. It’s not something I especially like, but I also don’t dislike it.

She wore a sky-blue Prada Fall 2024 sleeveless dress with a high neck, white floral motif, and swirl designs referencing her new movie. Its wavy hem, which ends at her knees, may be an allusion to the waves of the sea.

Daisy Ridley heads to the View studios to promote Young Woman and the Sea in a light blue Prada dress with a high neck and sea elements (Credit: Roger Wong / INSTARimages)

To keep the look cohesive, Daisy accessorized with the “Gemini” ear clips in Chalcedony, again from Belperron.

Her ruched knee-high Prada Fall 2024 boots, which feature square toes and about 3-inch block heels, gave the ensemble a modern, tough-chic edge.

She also had the same slicked hairdo, which I felt went better with this outfit.

Daisy Ridley adds edge to her modern oriental Prada dress with black knee-high Prada boots (Credit: Roger Wong / INSTARimages)

Elegant in a White Crochet Cape and Skirt

For her final appearance of the day, Daisy Ridley attended the New York screening of Young Woman and the Sea at iPic at the South Street Seaport.

Daisy saved the best for last with her white crochet ensemble by Loro Piana, an Italian fashion brand renowned for its understated yet sophisticated designs and use of premium textiles.

The $4,275 “Nikko” skirt, made from a luxurious combination of silk and cotton, looks stunning on her. Its balloon line lends it a quirky appeal, and its crochet-like stitching gives it a fascinating 3D look. A midi-length hem and an elasticated waistline complete its design.

Daisy Ridley looks elegant in a white crochet skirt and matching cape by Loro Piana at the New York screening of Young Woman and the Sea at iPic at the South Street Seaport (Credit: INSTARimages)

The cape is made of the same material and features three-button fastenings, giving it a classic cape style.

She’s topless underneath, revealing a glimpse of her flat abs. I wish she had worn the matching hat to bring some summer drama to the ensemble.

Regarding accessories, I like how her stylist, Leith Clark, kept everything cohesive. She accessorized her with the Wing ear clips and the Pebble bracelet in moonstone by American fine jeweler Verdura. The same jeweler created most of the jewelry for the Hulu series Feud: Capote vs. The Swans.

Daisy Ridley keeps a cohesive look with Verdura moonstone jewelry and adds a pop of color with bright red lipstick (Credit: Janet Mayer / INSTARimages)

Daisy’s black patent Roger Vivier shoes weren’t too bad, but I would have chosen to wear the white ensemble with more sophisticated heels.

Her chunky sandals have open toes, thin buckled ankle straps, and the French fashion designer’s signature buckle. The high block heels and thick platforms added extra inches to Ridley’s 5’7” height.

When it came to her glam, makeup artist Gita Bass and hairstylist Christopher Naselli switched up her look to go with the ensemble’s elegance.

Her shiny brunette hair was neatly parted in the middle, and her features were accentuated with rosy blush, eyeshadow, and bright red lipstick.

Daisy Ridley teams her white crochet outfit with black patent Roger Vivier platform sandals (Credit: Janet Mayer / INSTARimages)

Young Woman and the Sea: A Story of Female Empowerment

Young Woman and the Sea is a biographical drama movie based on the 2009 book of the same name by Glenn Stout, available on Amazon for $7.49. It recounts the real-life story of Gertrude “Trudy” Ederle, dubbed the Queen of Waves, who made history in August 1926 when she became the first woman to swim 21 miles across the English Channel.

Only five men had successfully crossed the English Channel before Ederle; Enrique Tirabocchi had the quickest time, 16 hours and 33 minutes. Ederle finished in 14 hours and 34 minutes, two hours faster than the men’s record.

An American competitive swimmer, Ederle won a gold medal at the 1924 Summer Olympic Games as part of the US team in the 4×100 meter freestyle relay, setting a new record of 4:58.8 in the event final. Between 1921 and 1925, she held 29 US national and international records.

From Lily James to Daisy Ridley

Young Woman and the Sea has been in development since 2015, when producer Jerry Bruckheimer acquired the rights to the book and initiated production at Paramount Pictures. Screenwriter Jeff Nathanson was brought on to write the script, and Lily James was initially cast to play Gertrude Ederle.

However, Paramount Pictures eventually put the film in turnaround. In 2020, Walt Disney Pictures acquired the rights, with Daisy Ridley taking on the role of Ederle and Joachim Rønning directing the film.

Daisy Ridley’s look-alike Lily James was initially considered for the role of Trudy Ederle in Young Woman and the Sea (Credit: Cover Images / INSTARimages)