“I’m now entering my fourth decade of life. I am a wife. I’m a mother,” Greta Lee says. The actress, a Los Angeles native who’s experienced a whirlwind year in Hollywood with her star turn in Past Lives, is certainly logging a few significant milestones these days. After years of unforgettable performances in shows like Russian Doll and Girls, Lee recently landed her first Emmy nomination for Apple TV+’s The Morning Show. The nod arrives in the wake of a packed awards season during which she established herself as a bonafide style star, making her way onto every best-dressed list with her fresh approach to red carpet fashion. Now, she’s joining the likes of Jeremy Allen White, Jennie Kim, and of course, Brooke Shields in stripping down to her underwear as the face of Calvin Klein’s latest campaign, photographed by Mert Alas. “I felt like it was more likely I would go to the moon than do this,” Lee says of the shoot. “This is something that, maybe, I would’ve imagined for myself in my 20s. But it is me now, and I do feel this sense of gratitude of just being in my body, everything that I’ve been through in this body.” Below, the 41-year-old discusses bringing new ideas to event dressing and the “insane ride” that is her life at this very moment.
What is your history with Calvin Klein?
As a first-generation kid in an immigrant family, Calvin Klein had a huge presence in my earliest memories of a relationship with fashion, because Calvin Klein was like America. It was New York City. It represented this whole imagined, aspirational life of being really cool and unique, and all these things that felt quintessentially American growing up.
It feels like over the past couple of years, your personal sense of style and red carpet fashion has really evolved. Do you think that’s true?
To me, it just feels like a continuation, because it’s my own. Maybe from the outside it looks differently. I think the question of, What is red carpet dressing? has been evolving in its own right. I’ve been trying to, in a joyful way, answer that question for myself. And that’s been genuinely so fun. What does it mean to have a public display of your identity that is temporary, just for that particular moment? As I change, and as different things happen in my life—becoming a mom, becoming a mature woman—it becomes a dynamic and interesting arena to play in. And it’s ongoing. I have no idea where this will go, which is great.
You work with the stylist Danielle Goldberg. What is your process for choosing a red carpet look? Does she present you with a rack of choices?
I almost feel reluctant to speak on it because it’s such a precious process to me and to Danielle. It’s not a rack of clothes, ever. That would be interesting, but I don’t know how to do it that way. It’s usually extremely edited, maybe one or two final look options, max. It can start from the germ of an idea from a photograph or a combination of colors. I have to give credit where it’s due: Danielle is my aesthetic soulmate.
I love that you experiment with shapes and textures, like the gown you wore to the Golden Globes or your white dress from the Independent Spirit Awards. Are there any silhouettes that you avoid?
I can’t think of any. I’m game for anything. I like the concept of a silhouette changing, that is absolutely part of me. It goes back to being a woman—it is so unique to our experience, our silhouettes changing. So that feels really inherent to the conversation in terms of what I’m wearing.
You kicked off your Tron: Ares press tour wearing a leather corset made from an old boot. What drew you to that piece of clothing?
It’s silhouette—again. Who knew that a pair of riding boots stitched together and old men’s chinos sewn into a skirt could make me feel like myself? But there are moments, not always, when I am looking for some kind of armor. Danielle was the one who came to me with that suggestion. And as soon as we put it on, it was like, this is great.
Maybe this is my next era—this kind of, I don’t know what to call it, body appreciation. I did have this moment where I was thinking about, as a modern woman, what does it mean to harness my full power? I think for a lot of women—myself included—it has felt more like, I’m going to be my strongest self in a cerebral way. But now, I’m actually bringing into the fold this more sensual and sexual and physical part of it.
What was your style like as a teenager?
I was a real ’90s and early aughts girl. I was totally obsessed with Aaliyah, tomboy dressing, and TLC—Lisa “Left Eye” Lopez was my everything. I loved a baggy silhouette and was aspiring to be in a girl band, in a sports bra.
Do you have a favorite fashion moment from pop culture?
Aaliyah’s whole One in a Million album tour. All of that was really important for me. But I have to mention Kate Moss. Kate Moss was a big part of my absolute earliest memories of being affected by fashion and fashion images. I remember specifically the Calvin Klein Obsession campaign. I must’ve been, like, 10. But those images were burned into my brain as a little girl.