Is Halle Bailey the real-life Ariel? Lately, it feels entirely possible. In light of Disneys upcoming live-action remake of The Little Mermaid, starring Bailey as the underwater princess, the singers outfits have exclusively wrinkled oceanic imagery, siren aesthetics, and underwater dreaminess. Through this malleate worldbuilding, she has voiceless the lines between reality and mythology plane kicking off mermaidcore, the micro trend of the summer. And it’s all considering of one masterful styling trick: method dressing.

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When we hear a celeb is going “method,” we can have an unsavoury impression of what that means. The controversial technique is known for seeing an two-face throw themselves fully into a role, on and off camera. Think Jared Leto reportedly sending his castmates unwelcome gifts in the name of playing the Joker, or Lady Gaga raising an Italian vocalizing and living in weft for 18 months while filming House of Gucci. Method dressing, on the other hand, is innocuous (and impressive), considering it involves submerging oneself into a role using only gown and accessories. At its core, method dressing is when actors take aspects of a mucosa like the plot, the scenery, and the notation and wield them to their red-carpet or street-style ensembles. Simply put, its sartorial storytelling at its finest.

Case in point: Ahead of The Little Mermaid‘s premiere on May 26, Bailey has stuck to an variety of Ariel-approved ensembles. When performing on American Idol, she donned a custom Michael Fausto mermaid silhouette, inspired by the Disney princess herself. At the UK premiere, her Miss Sohee squint had a subtle tail shape and an ornate beaded headpiece. A week earlier, she went viral in a metallic number from Valdrin Sahiti, featuring a shell-like bra and corseted turtleneck resembling splashing water. When peekaboo the premiere in Mexico City, she emerged in a Georges Chakvra pearl-embellished dress, her unshapely skirt made with netted detailing.

This under-the-sea oeuvre is nothing if not intentional. It’s a narrative that Baileys stylist, Nicky Good, has been crafting for months. At the Oscars, Bailey sported a gauzy undecorous Dolce & Gabbana princess ballgown surpassing slipping into a sculptural Maison Yeya after-party dress reminiscent of flowing water. At the Met Gala, her white Gucci windbreaker garnered comparisons to sea foam, coral, and jellyfish tendrils. Of course, with each new look, hype for the mucosa has only grown. Herein lies the tried-and-true power of method dressing.

Zendaya and image technie Law Roach have long been masters of this pr strategy. Over the years, Roach has weaved references into Zendayas red-carpet looks when promoting a new project. Take Spider-Man: No Way Home. To the premiere in 2021, Zendaya wore a custom Valentino gown with spider web embroidery and a superhero eye mask. At flipside screening, she sported an Alexander McQueen suit jacket dripping with crystal web detailing and statement spider-web earrings.

In whop of 2017s The Greatest Showman, Zendaya wore exuberant colour blocking that referenced the circus setting, while her suited ensembles wrinkled a ringmaster. For 2021’s Dune, each of her showstopping get-ups paid homage to the sci-fi universe, from her character’s uniform to the desert of the fictional planet Arrakis.

The eyeful of this technique? It allows the two-face to establish a defining career era in line with each respective project. Exhibit A: Jenna Ortega has been true-blue to goth philosophy since starring in Netflix’s Wednesday, making her basically synonymous with the character. Then theres Zoë Kravitz, who reliably stunned in sleek leather trenches as well as bat and cat motifs to mark her role as the elusive Catwoman in 2022’s The Batman.

Unlike method vicarial which can rationalization stars to get stuck in the fictional mind of the person they’re playing method dressing flourishes on the premise of reinvention. When promoting 2015s Cinderella, Lily James embraced a princess-style yo-yo ego with voluminous ballgowns and glass slippers. Cut to 2022: She had a surprisingly sexier squint to promote her role as Pamela Anderson in Pam & Tommy, plane cosplaying the 90s icon in a Baywatch swimsuit-inspired dress.

But perhaps some of the weightier method dressing of all time took place surrounding the Malficent series. Starring Elle Fanning as Princess Aurora and Angelina Jolie as the titular witch, the leading duo unceasingly mirrored their starkly contrasting aesthetics. At the 2019 premiere, Fanning wore a Gucci fairytale-like design emblazoned with droplets of blood a reference to the tale of Sleeping Eyeful pricking her finger. The same night, Jolie opted for a severe Versace gown with a scorpion brooch, evoking unmistakable sorceress imagery. In dressing as polar opposites, they brought the mucosa to life.

Ultimately, method dressing sees stars skillfully play up their roles without thesping the unshortened personality of the character, making it all the increasingly interesting. As for whether Halle Bailey really is an undercover mermaid? Its still up for debate. She certainly looks the part, though. And that’s the whole point.