Mckenna Grace Takes on Sunrise on the Reaping
By: Gianna Taft, Senior Writer Edited by: Sheza Qasim
With the new The Hunger Games film Sunrise on the Reaping being released in less than a month, the cast has been on a lengthy press tour to promote the film. From banter in interviews to creative trailers made by the Lionsgate social media team, there has been a clear standout in promotion tactics: Mckenna Grace’s fashion looks.
The press tour, which started on Oct. 6 in Paris, featured Mckenna Grace wearing a vintage Monique Lhuillier gown. The gown elicited a large reaction from many on social media, deeming the look(s) “iconic.” It was heavily inspired by Katniss Everdeen’s wedding dress in the franchise’s second film, Catching Fire. At the 27th annual Newport Beach Film Festival, a week and a half after Katniss’s wedding inspired dress, Grace appeared in a strapless black Nicole + Felicia gown littered with butterflies––this time inspired by Effie Trinket’s butterfly look also in Catching Fire. The Catching Fire film inspired looks continued with her archival Chloe black dress piece with red feathered shoulders to resemble another Katniss look.
She wasn’t bound to only Catching Fire-inspired looks, however. Grace’s aquamarine archival Betsey Johnson babydoll dress, worn on The Today Show, reflected Rue’s interview look from the first Hunger Games film. Grace’s look even caused Amandla Stenberg, who played Rue in the film, to share on Instagram an unseen photo of the dress in response.
The looks have only expanded since then––from pieces inspired by Jennifer Lawrence’s red Calvin Klein dress at the 2011 Oscars to a Lucy Gray Baird influenced archival Gucci gown, to later that day changing into a Almee Couture gown, which depicted the 50th Hunger Games arena from the new film entirely in beads and crystals.
But why has this captivated audiences and been so influential in terms of promotion? Mckenna Grace may not be the first actor to reflect the film they are promoting in their press looks, but a level of uniqueness comes in when the source material has such recognizable costuming.
The Hunger Games is such a unique franchise in this regard because it does not exist in a world how we understand it in reality. The calendar year that the Suzanne Collins books and the film adaptations take place in are never explicitly stated. It is simply implied that the story is set in a dystopian future in the fictional world of Panem. Because the world as the characters in the story know it differs so significantly from ours, there is a greater necessity for effective world-building tactics––particularly fashion.
Not only is Panem a distinct place, there are also distinct sectors of society: those that live in the “districts” and those that live in the “Capitol.” Due to the severe social and economic divide between the two, the Capitol (who rules over the districts), consist of entirely theatrical pieces with artificial and oversaturated colors that can be almost painful to look at. The difference between the districts and the Capitol are stark––muted and dull colors with pieces that rely on practicality over aesthetics. These clothes are typically hand-me-downs, and vary from district to district. The clothing worn in district 4, a wealthier coastal “career” district with a specialty in fishing differs from district 12, the smallest and poorest district, located in the mountains and a specialty in coal mining.
With that being said, the clear distinction goes even further, with characters like Lucy Gray Baird from the Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes, known for wearing particularly bright and distinctive clothing––viewed as a familial and political statement by the characters in the universe.
The importance of the characters’ clothing in the Hunger Games universe translated to the way audiences viewed the franchise. With the first four films and storyline being released in 2012-2015, and the most recent films being released in 2023-2026. The franchise’s relevance has rarely died down, but has been around for long enough that it is viewed as a characteristic aspect in pop culture. Grace’s press looks have been far from niche––they all reflect moments that are easily recognizable to fans and triggers a sense of nostalgia for many. Nostalgia has been used as a tactic to sell tickets, albums, etc., for decades now. There’s a reason why reboots have been so prominent as well, despite how commonly audiences appear to dislike them, they continue to get people in seats.
Grace has even worn her hair in styles that feature a braid, an ode to the popular Hunger Games: The Second Quarter Quell short film from 2011, depicting the events of the Sunrise on the Reaping story. Grace’s character(s), Maysilee Donner (and her twin sister, Merrilee Donner) is featured in the short film with the same long hair, bangs and small braid hairstyle. A small detail that may appear to be unnoticeable or minor to some, has resonated with and caused these feelings of nostalgia for many others. Whether people think they outgrew the franchise or not, seeing details like this can easily bring them back to the time in their lives where the films and books meant a lot to them, and therefore, encourage them to watch the new film.
With the release date inching up, fans are highly anticipating the film, but also whatever Hunger Games inspired looks Grace and her stylist have in their back pocket.
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