Crazy Rich Asians is Constance Wu’s first role in a studio film. First! And she’s the leading lady. She is The Star. This is her character’s story. Which means that at last night’s premiere, she was the Julia Roberts of the event. I’m making a point with that comparison. The point is that the hope is that, one day, the comparison will be that someone else will be the Constance Wu of the event. If I’m emotional thinking about it, I can only imagine how she must have felt, especially since, as she has said, it has been her privilege and “obligation” to advocate for representation and inclusion. And now here she is, on the red carpet at the historic Chinese Theatre on Hollywood Boulevard, the star of a Hollywood major motion picture in a silver gown, an old Hollywood movie star’s gown, right? 

I LOVE this dress choice. Because it evokes that classic Hollywood mood, non? They were often in silver, dripping in jewels. But there’s also a distinct Asian flair to the look too. Especially those long tassels off her shoulders. Tassels are big in Chinese culture. They’re commonly red, hanging off charms. In the old days, they used tassels as curtains to separate one room from another or sometimes as a bed curtain, to separate the bed from the sitting area. I used to see this in the Chinese soap operas I watched as a kid. That’s where my mind went as soon as I saw her dress – that this style feature was a nod to her heritage, to the heritage of the movie. 

Staying with style though, because fashion is a big part of this movie and, ahem, a big part of the business of Hollywood, Constance covers the new issue of Women’s Wear Daily and there’s an interview with her and her stylist, Micaela Erlanger (who also works with Lupita Nyong’o and Meryl Streep). 

As Micaela says, they’re telling a story with the pieces that Constance is wearing, both on the press tour and in the movie. WHAT?! Clothes can tell a story? Storytellers use clothes to tell their stories? Someone please explain this to Blake Lively. 

Anyway, as I mentioned yesterday, Crazy Rich Asians is one movie but this one movie is doing the most. It’s the Dwayne The Rock Johnson of movies. It has 88 different jobs. And one of those jobs is a to send a direct message to the fashion industry. Asians fully support the fashion industry. Asian money supports the fashion industry. Who do you think is buying the most haute couture? The fashion houses depend on that cash. How visible is that appreciation though? When you think of Chanel and Dior and LV and all those big brands, is it an Asian person repping that image? 

To read more about Constance in WWD and to see more images from the shoot: