How Keke Palmer Brought Y2K Grunge to the Nope Premiere

Keke Palmer has proved that she's a force on the red carpet. That’s partly because the multi-hyphenate is booked and busy—starring in three feature films and a slew of TV series this year alone. But it’s also because Palmer makes excellent use of each photo opp. She always brings it.

And she did it again on Monday night, at the LA premiere for Nope. Palmer has garnered a lot of buzz for her starring role in the latest mind-bending film by auteur Jordan Peele. For the red carpet, Palmer embraced a va-va-voom-infused, Y2K grunge runway look by Marc Jacobs. The very on-trend outfit included a corset top, the designer's beloved Kiki platform boots (How fitting: Kikis for Keke), and a low-slung skirt. For Palmer, low-rise is a permanent silhouette and not a passing fad. “Mama likes to lengthen her torso at all times,” the actor says. “And that’s on God.” 

For her big style moment, Keke tapped the LA-based styling duo Wayman and Micah. The group has deep ties: Wayman and Micah styled Keke from 2014-2016, when she hosted the BET talk show Just Keke, before disbanding to pursue other ventures separately. “Through the years we always kept in contact,” says Wayman.

And now the gang's back together after a six year hiatus. Wayman and Micah, who have also styled Tiffany Haddish, Regina King, and Tessa Thompson, wanted to push Keke in a new direction for their reunion. Throughout Nope, Micah explains, Palmer’s character is “covered up” and dressed “very relaxed.” So the duo wanted to use the red carpet as a stark contrast.

Palmer says she instantly knew the look was perfect for her big night. “I loved that this look made me feel fierce immediately upon putting it on!” she says. “I’ve been a huge fan of Marc and his artistry for years so I jumped at the opportunity to wear one of his designs for the premiere. It made me feel powerful and effortless at the same time, which is very hard to do. In the end, the entire look, mixed with my braids, really felt futurist yet classic—which I thought was perfect for the Nope premiere and fit the theme of the film.” 

Palmer is sure to deliver more showstopping red carpet moments this year. But the biggest fashion lessons she's learned from the never-ending whirlwind of press tours? “Sometimes less is more," she shares. 

Below, the star walks us through getting ready for the Nope premiere.