Welcome to The Close-Up, where the biggest names in entertainment explain the story behind their latest personal style statement.
One character on the Emmy-winning comedy Hacks owns an entire warehouse dedicated to her personal designer archive—but it isn’t Hannah Einbinder’s on-screen alter ego, comedy writer Ava Daniels. Ava is a Gen Z up-and-comer, serving as the foil to Jean Smart’s Deborah Vance, a septuagenarian stand-up legend who regularly pokes fun at Ava’s less-than-stylish wardrobe. (Their very first meeting as soon-to-be writing partners sees Deborah call Ava’s Doc Martens “chimney sweep shoes.”)
Needless to say, Ava is not exactly portrayed as a "fashion girl" in the three seasons currently streaming on Max. But the upcoming fourth season, arriving April 10, might finally catch up to the style story Hannah Einbinder has been hinting at on the press circuit.
“In this season of Hacks, I’m very exposed,” Einbinder reveals on premiere night, referring to where audiences last left Ava: clinching the head writer slot on her mentor’s new late-night show after a bit of Machiavellian maneuvering. “I think she’s definitely stepping into her power this season,” the actor adds. “And I think the same can be said for me.”
In real life, her style comes more naturally than her character’s career scheming. For the Hacks red carpet, Einbinder landed on a skintight, black and white Louis Vuitton dress with an open back and trompe l'oeil detailing that creates the effect of a striped two-piece. She complemented it with a soft French twist and natural makeup, plus black chandelier earrings and pointed-toe pumps—decidedly not “chimney sweep shoes.”
"It's really cool, and it's kind of an optical illusion on my body," Einbinder says of her dress. Stylist Jamie Mizrahi conferred with Vuitton womenswear creative director Nicolas Ghesquière before presenting it to the star, who fell head over heels for it. "The second I saw it, I was totally with them. It was just pretty clear that when this came in, we weren't gonna try anything else."
Einbinder didn't get to start experimenting with red carpet fashion in earnest until Hacks' second season. The first was shot during "peak Covid," while events and premieres were on hold.
Now, there's no shortage of events or impressive designer credits to wear to them. Just before slipping into Friday's Louis Vuitton dress, Einbinder had pulled an electric blue Fforme piece for the 2025 GLAAD Media Awards. She’s also turned heads in matching Chanel leather sets, white cutout gowns, and even more Louis Vuitton looks—an impressive lineup of recent red-carpet standouts.
Building up her wardrobe wasn’t a solo effort, though. “I think my relationship to fashion has changed a lot, and it’s mostly been a product of working with people who inspire me,” Einbinder says, gesturing to her team—stylist Jamie Mizrahi, hairstylist Jerrod Roberts, and makeup artist Molly Greenwald—all listening in from the hotel room where she's getting ready. "Working with them has definitely been the factor that has inspired me and elevated what I've been doing."
The way that this dress fits me is something that I don't think I would have felt as comfortable in, had I not felt the freedom that I have in my work.
Louis Vuitton’s Nicolas Ghesquière could also be considered an unofficial styling team member, given how often his name comes up. He’s created several of her best looks, from a Grecian white one-shoulder gown for the 2025 Golden Globes to a draped blush-pink dress at the Emmys. Sitting front row at the label’s recent Paris Fashion Week show—complete with freshly cut bangs for the occasion—was also a key part of her fashion education. “It really has become something that I view as an art form, like a walking sculpture,” she explains, “and so I think that’s a huge factor in the silhouette choices [I make].”
Some of her previous looks—like a structured, olive green gown for the Critics' Choice Awards—took the "fashion as sculpture" idea literally. Her Hacks premiere dress, however, swerves in the opposite direction with an open back and a body-hugging material that's less sculptural, but statuesque nonetheless.
Season one or two Hannah might not have reached for such a close-fitting piece. "This is definitely something that I have worked up to wearing," Einbinder says. Her growing confidence as a performer and a fashion person encouraged her to show another side on the latest red carpet. "The way that this dress fits me is something that I don't think I would have felt as comfortable in, had I not felt the freedom that I have in my work," she elaborates.
Before she heads out for the carpet, I have to ask how her toughest on-screen critic would react to her look for the night. Einbinder only needs a beat to pick one of Deborah Vance's rare, heartfelt one-liners from memory. "You know, I think she would say her famous line." She pauses before dropping the mic. "Finally, a woman!"
Photographer Joelle Grace Taylor | Stylist Jamie Mizrahi | Hair Stylist Jerrod Roberts | Makeup Artist Molly Greenwald
