How Monica Barbaro "Embraces Her Own Looks" on the 2025 SAG Awards Red Carpet
To celebrate her first-ever nomination, the star craved authenticity above all.


Monica Barbaro earned her first Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Award and Academy Award nominations this year for seamlessly embodying 1960s folk music icon Joan Baez in A Complete Unknown. Dressing to celebrate at the 2025 SAG Awards red carpet, and all awards season long, however, has had a two-word directive firmly grounded in the present: "consistently Monica."
Everything the 34-year-old actress wears, from the L'Oréal mascara curling her lashes to the carats of serpentine Bulgari diamonds winding around her fingers, is meant to be a natural extension of her and her alone. This star doesn't engage in trendy one-upmanship via archival fashion or, heaven forbid, method dressing. "It's been about embracing my own looks and showing up as the same person each time, as opposed to like, 'Let's pull a U-turn and play someone else today,'" she tells me.
Barbaro's brand of red carpet candor comes through in what she wears and how she describes wearing it. When we check in right before she poses for hundreds of cameras, she's honest about the effort it takes to keep her precisely tailored dress looking pristine. "I'm like supine right now," she tells me from the back of the car, whisking her to the red carpet. "I'm, like, laid back so that the dress"—custom Dior, cut from chili pepper-red fabric into a sculpted gown with a dramatic plunge neckline—"doesn't wrinkle. It's a pretty funny image."
So is the one she paints of her getting-ready process. She makes the day before she hits the best-dressed list sound like an extremely opulent tornado worlds away from the low-lit clubs and unfussy apartments her portrayal of Baez inhabits. Different sets of hands pull her hair in one direction for a blow-out, others yank her fingers for a fresh coat of polish in another (sometimes, simultaneously), all while she tries to stay "as zen as possible" with calm music and deep breaths.
She makes it through with the right team in the room, and the North Star promises that she'll leave in a recognizable (albeit glamorous) state. "My lovely team is so generous, allowing me to look as much like myself as possible. We're not doing big hair looks. We're not, you know, overpainting my face."
The trio of stylists who've worked most closely with Barbaro throughout her first major awards season meet her halfway: understanding she wants to rise to the occasion without losing herself in the dress code. Barbaro saw sketches of gown options from Dior options and liked hers in white—but she loved the idea of it being red. (After a season where sequins and neutrals were in heavy supply, "I think every award show series deserves one red moment.") So wardrobe stylist Jeanann Williams supported her inclination to request a swatch in Barbaro's preferred color.
I've been really craving showing up as authentically myself as possible.
Makeup artist Samantha Lau has primed Barbaro for every appearance of her whirlwind red carpet season with "timeless and cohesive" looks grounded in a single statement—sometimes a bold eye, other times a bright lip. It's an approach that can meet the grandeur of the moment without losing sight of the star's natural beauty.
A nomination night didn't change their beauty strategy, either. "When it comes to a night where she’s nominated, the approach becomes even more intentional," Lau says. "When Monica showed me her SAG Awards dress, I envisioned a soft, defined eye to complement its sleek, sophisticated silhouette." The "subtle yet refined" result involved a few swipes of L’Oreal Paris Big Deal Mascara , an accompanying glow courtesy of Lumi Le Glass Highlighter Stick, and a finishing spritz of Infallible 3-Second Setting Mist to lock it all in.
Similarly, hair stylist Owen Gould's approach was less rigid and precise, more "effortless and touchable." Between prep with an Everpure Glossing Lamination Mask and a blow-out set with Elnett hairspray, Barbaro walked the carpet with commercial-worthy volume and shine that didn't feel far off from her everyday.
Movement that could complement a couture dress without going over-the-top is another fine balance to strike. "I wouldn’t say the direction necessarily changes because she’s nominated, but the pressure was on to execute a flawless look," Gould says. "I think as a team, including stylist and makeup, we absolutely nailed [it]."
Before A Complete Unknown, red carpets were just about ticking the fun, if superficial boxes for Barbaro: dressing up, arriving at the event, networking. After the nominations and all-around bigger role, the calculus has shifted.
"I've been really craving just showing up as authentically myself as possible," she says. Her taste in beauty products and color palettes hasn't necessarily changed—but her conviction in her style has gotten stronger. With more eyes on her than ever before, "It's nice to feel a sort of sense of ownership and a connection to how I'm presenting, as opposed to characters out of a hat."
Back when her SAG Awards dress was still a work in progress, before she knew exactly how her hair would fall over her shoulders or which heels she'd step into, Barbaro went to fittings as the most undone version of herself. "You stand there with your tousled hair and glasses and no makeup, and you start to try and read between the lines and see what the rest of the look could come out as," she recalls.
Barbaro ultimately didn't take home the trophy she was nominated for at the SAGs. She did, however, secure another personal style win. Looking at photos of the full look the morning after the ceremony, I'm sure Barbaro agrees the final result was consistently—and brilliantly–—Monica.
Photographer Cibelle Levi | Stylist Jeanann Williams| Hair Stylist Owen Gould | Makeup Artist Samantha Lau
Halie LeSavage is the senior fashion and beauty news editor at Marie Claire, where she assigns, edits, and writes stories for both sections. Halie is an expert on runway trends, celebrity style, emerging fashion and beauty brands, and shopping (naturally). In over seven years as a professional journalist, Halie’s reporting has ranged from fashion week coverage spanning the Copenhagen, New York, Milan, and Paris markets, to profiles on industry insiders like celebrity stylist Molly Dickson, to breaking news stories on noteworthy brand collaborations and beauty product launches. (She can personally confirm that Bella Hadid’s Ôrebella perfume is worth the hype.) She has also written dozens of research-backed shopping guides to finding the best tote bags, ballet flats, and more. Most of all, Halie loves to explore what style trends—like the rise of emotional support accessories or TikTok’s 75 Hard Style Challenge—can say about culture writ large. She also justifies almost any purchase by saying it’s “for work.”
Halie has previously held writer and editor roles at Glamour, Morning Brew, and Harper’s Bazaar. She has been cited as a fashion and beauty expert in The Cut, CNN Underscored, and Reuters, among other outlets, and appears in newsletters like Selleb and Self Checkout to provide shopping recommendations. In 2022, she earned the Hearst Spotlight Award for excellence and innovation in fashion journalism. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in English from Harvard College. Outside of work, Halie is passionate about books, baking, and her miniature Bernedoodle, Dolly. For a behind-the-scenes look at her reporting, you can follow Halie on Instagram and TikTok.
-
Kendall Jenner and Hailey Bieber Twin in Athleisure Outfits
The models effortlessly deliver an athleisure masterclass in matching leggings.
By Amy Mackelden Published
-
Why Duchess Sophie Allegedly Feels "Snubbed" by King Charles
"There should be an opportunity for Sophie to be allowed to do more," a royal expert claimed.
By Amy Mackelden Published
-
Dua Lipa Swaps Her Valentino Dress for a Marni Mini Skirt
The singer accessorized her outfits with more than $120,000 of jewelry.
By Amy Mackelden Published
-
Chase Sui Wonders Finds '90s Nostalgia in a Rare Spring '97 Prada Dress
At \201cThe Studio\201d premiere, she channeled Gwyneth Paltrow’s '90s-era style with an archival Prada print once worn by the star.
By Lauren Tappan Published
-
Hailey Bieber Copies Kaia Gerber's Hack for Elevating Ballet Flats on an LA Lunch Date
She added a few of her own signatures.
By Halie LeSavage Published
-
Sydney Sweeney Takes the Loud Luxury Trend on Vacation in a Vintage Dior Beach Set
She jetted off somewhere sunny in vintage Dior.
By Halie LeSavage Published
-
Zendaya Rejects Italy Vacation Dressing for a Classic Black Trench Coat and Jeans
She looks more ready for the streets of NYC than an island retreat.
By Halie LeSavage Published
-
Did Hailey Bieber Use Justin Bieber's Instagram to Tease Her Next Fashion Project?
Did the model just soft-launch Rhode's sister brand?
By Halie LeSavage Published
-
Dua Lipa Layers a Sheer Skirt and Chanel Beach Bag Over Her Teeny Polka Dot Bikini
The star would rather go seaside in Chanel.
By Halie LeSavage Published
-
Zendaya's First 'Odyssey' Photos Will Definitely Inspire a Greek Goddess Dress Trend
She washed up on the shores of Italy in a goddess-worthy gown.
By Halie LeSavage Published
-
Kendall Jenner Pairs the Optical Illusion Skirt-Pant Trend With a Rich-Girl "Amazon" Clutch
"More than meets the eye" was the motto of this look.
By Halie LeSavage Published