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Sarah El-Mahmoud

The Little Mermaid's Halle Bailey Is A Fashion Princess, Check Out All The Neat Ariel-Inspired Looks The Disney Star Has Worn

Halle Bailey attends the UK Premiere of "The Little Mermaid" at Odeon Luxe Leicester Square on May 15, 2023 in London, England

The live-action The Little Mermaid is finally here, and Halle Bailey’s big screen debut is a stunning star-making turn for the singer that critics are raving about in their reviews for the remake. As the flourishing new talent has become a Disney Princess and gone to various events lately to promote the film, Bailey has really been leaning into Ariel-inspired fashion looks. From special appearances to premieres across the world, Bailey’s getups have a trove of treasures untold that’s so fun to check out as the Disney movie undoubtedly is set to become a big winner at the box office

While it feels like Halle Bailey’s career is just taking off, we need to break down all the incredible fashion looks she stepped out in for The Little Mermaid. It’s super cute that the singer and burgeoning actress took inspiration from the Disney princess she plays on red carpets and such. Look at these: 

(Image credit: Mike Coppola/Getty Images)

Her Fairytale Dress At The 95th Academy Awards 

Back in March, Halle Bailey dressed in an aquamarine floor-length ball gown fit for a princess at the 95th Academy Awards. The gorgeous look from Dolce & Gabbana was flowy, fun and fit for a fairytale as the actress attended her second Oscars ceremony. Bailey appeared on the Oscars stage that night with The Little Mermaid’s Ursula actress, Melissa McCarthy, to debut a new trailer for the Disney film. 

(Image credit: Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic)

A Metallic Mermaid Vision At The World Premiere

Talk about a slay! Halle Bailey wore a silver-blue Valdrin Sahiti column gown for the World Premiere of The Little Mermaid in Hollywood, California on May 8, where the first reactions for the Disney remake rolled in soon after. Once again, the actress channels Ariel here given the top of the dress looks like a reimagined version of the shell top the princess iconically wears in the animated version. 

It also reminds one of the sparkling gown cartoon Ariel wears when she keeps her legs at the end of the 1989 original. It also looks like waves splashing around during Ariel’s famous rock sequence, too. Honestly, all around, this is the perfect Ariel dress, and Halle Bailey absolutely rocked this fashion moment. Plus, her sister Chloe Bailey and Zendaya were totally here for it as well. 

(Image credit: Hector Vivas/Getty Images for Disney)

Halle Bailey Goes Mermaidcore In Mexico City 

A few days later, the actress wore another incredible look for the premiere of The Little Mermaid in Mexico City, Mexico at Parque Toreo. The mint-colored dress from Georges Chakra has a halter-top and embellishments. This one feels referential to Ariel’s makeshift dress from the original movie she wears when she first transforms into a human. Some of the detailing also looks a bit like a fishnet or mermaid scales. The gown also has a beautiful train that feels reminiscent of Ariel’s mermaid tail. 

Halle Bailey’s Mexico City dress is also part of a greater signal of “mermaidcore” being trendy on red carpets. The Zoe Report showcased earlier this year during the SAG Awards that the fashion aesthetic is gaining popularity lately with stars like Quinta Brunson, Angela Bassett and Julia Garner emulating mermaidcore all in one night. With Bailey’s recent red carpet looks, we imagine the trend isn’t going anywhere either. 

(Image credit: Neil Mockford/FilmMagic)

A Sparkly Seashell Moment At London Premiere 

Then, Halle Bailey dazzled at the London Premiere of The Little Mermaid in a custom Miss Sohee gown that had the actress looking like she was donning a handful of sparkly seashells. The look has Halle Bailey wearing a crystal-encrusted headpiece and a white gown that also seems to emulate Ariel’s seashell classic top with its halter front. It was another glittery very princess-like getup for the actress. And in an especially precious moment pictured above, Bailey had a cute interaction with a young fan on the blue carpet that had them both talking as she held her bestselling Ariel doll made in her likeness

(Image credit: Eric McCandless/ABC via Getty Images)

Bailey’s ‘Part Of Your World’ Disneyland Debut

The live-action princess was also invited to Disneyland ahead of the movie’s release to sing her rendition of “Part Of Your World” live in front of the classic Sleeping Beauty castle, complete with a gorgeous light show to go with the song. The appearance was filmed for American Idol’s Disney night episode. You can check out the YouTube video below:

There’s another mermaid-inspired look, this time in a bright blue hue. Bailey absolutely nailed this live performance as Disney guests waved blue lights and the castle went off with the magical effects. 

(Image credit: Don Arnold/WireImage)

An Australian Premiere Splash

It’s pretty incredible how every look has been reminiscent of The Little Mermaid, but no two have been too similar. Halle Bailey then flew all the way to Australia to walk the blue carpet for the premiere Down Under. She opted for another sparkly gown, this time in a more baby blue color. The top of the dress looks like a splash of water, while the glittery middle reminds one of water shimmering in the sun, and the bottom half is giving full mermaid, once again. It’s another very fitting dress for the actress as she continued to promote the movie. 

That brings us to Halle Bailey's final Little Mermaid-themed outfit.

Halle Bailey’s Mermaid Casual Look

As the movie arrived to theaters this week, Halle Bailey shared one more The Little Mermaid-themed look, though it’s notably more lowkey in comparison to all the fancy gowns she’s put on while promoting the film across these past few months. Bailey wore a teal green tube top and some matching trousers, as she shared on Instagram that she could not believe the movie would be finally out in the world. Bailey was cast as Ariel back in 2019, so it’s been a long journey for her to this moment. 

Now that her Ariel belongs to the audience, you can check out CinemaBlend’s The Little Mermaid review and see it in theaters. Halle Bailey’s time in the spotlight is certainly not going to end considering she’s become a global star now as the live-action Ariel and she’ll star in another one of 2023 new movie releases. Bailey is among the cast for The Color Purple movie, coming to theaters this Christmas. We can’t wait to follow how the star’s fashion evolves following this incredible The Little Mermaid run. 

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