Wicked: The Movie has been one of the highly-anticipated film releases of the year.

Long before the audiences and fans could experience the magic of the two iconic main characters, Elphaba and Glinda the Good Witch, on the big screen, the two stars of the film adaptation of the Broadway musical, Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande, have been giving audiences a glimpse of their respective characters all year long on the red carpet.

The Wicked film promo campaign started very early on in the year. The buzz didn’t just begin with the release of teaser trailers, but Erivo and Grande have been appearing at high-profile events dressed in outfits that often felt theatrical and were fantastical references to their characters all year long. With every look nodding to the themes central to the film and their characters, fashion played a significant role in the promotion of this film.

Let’s take a walk down the yellow brick road and see how these stars used fashion homage to their characters throughout the year.

Cynthia Erivo: A Modern Elphaba in Couture

Cynthia Erivo has redefined what it means to embody a character off-screen. Playing the misunderstood and outcast character, Erivo leaned towards looks that reflected the green-skinned Wicked Witch, Elphaba. She brought her wicked style to the 2024 Olympics opening ceremony in May; the star wore a strapless emerald-green dress coupled with a wide-brimmed hat and several gold bracelets and rings- a stylish nod to the character she’s playing in the film.

This look was one of the many looks that celebrated her character’s signature colour.

Erivo stunned at the 4th annual Academy Museum of Motion Pictures Gala in October and stylishly referenced her character. Her red carpet look, which was the first look of the night, was a green custom Louis Vuitton strapless gown with intricate beading that gave the gown a glimmer vibe to it, paying homage to the Elphaba’s signature colour and bringing edgy fairytale energy to the red carpet.

Erivo let go of the green-coloured looks and paid homage to her character in a more subtle way at the Wicked premiere in London on the 18th of November.

She wore a spell-binding black gown with a flared tulle skirt with a thigh-high glitzy detail. This look captured Elphaba’s boldness and complexity. And while Erivo’s fashion reflected the boldness and power of her character, her co-star, Ariana Grande, embodied her character in a softer and whimsical way.

Ariana Grande: Channelling Glinda’s Ethereal Charm

Ariana Grande plays Glinda the Good Witch in the much-anticipated movie adaption of the popular Broadway musical. Like her co-star, Grande has been committed to her character off-screen and served Glindacore looks. The star made a regal return to the red carpet (after a 4-year break) at the 2024 Oscar Awards in March.

The “yes, and?” singer wore a bubblegum pink gown paired with a pink Tiffany & Co. necklace and matching earrings. This began a stylish year-long nod to her character, Glinda the Good Witch.

Grande made another reference to Wicked in May at the 2024 Met Gala. The pop star wore a strapless gown with soft pastels and soft shades of pink peeking through the creamy white colour of the gown.

Not only was this gown a perfect interpretation of this year’s Met Gala theme, but it was so Glinda-coded; the gown was easily an enchanting nod to her character and captured the ethereal essence of Glinda.

Ariana Grande spent most of the press tour donning pink-coloured looks- Glinda’s signature colour. But she swapped her traditional colour scheme for an enchanting yellow gown at the London Premier in November. She wore a yellow Ralph Lauren dress- a beautiful nod to her character. She paired the flowy dress with a pair of sunglasses, a necklace, a ring, and stud earrings.

Grande served fairytale looks throughout the year, perfectly encapsulating Glinda’s ethereal and effervescent persona.

As Wicked hits the big screens on the 22nd of November, it’s clear that the journey to Oz has been nothing short of stylish. Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande used the magic of fashion to enchant audiences long before they stepped into theatres, proving that the everlasting magic of Wicked was also in the unforgettable fashion spectacle we’ve seen all year.