Tessa Thompson joined Harper's Bazaar's The Good Buy podcast to talk about how clothing shapes her work and daily life, and she described her approach as deeply intentional.
On the show she detailed a Vivienne Westwood skirt suit she bought as vintage, noting the piece had belonged to photographer Henny Garfunkel and that knowing its history helped her imagine its past life, as reported by Harper's Bazaar.
Thompson told Harper's Bazaar she grew up thrift shopping with her parents out of necessity and later found thrill in wearing unique finds to school. She cited Pee-wee Herman, Prince and her mother as early inspirations for playing with style and gender in clothing.
She described costuming practice for the title role in Hedda, saying she began wearing red ahead of filming so the color would feel familiar and so she could "wear" the dress rather than be worn by it, according to the interview. Thompson also spoke about maintaining multiple storage units, including ones in New York and Los Angeles, and about clearing a unit she held in another city.
On personal buys she recalled saving for a prom dress as an important first purchase and later purchasing Christian Louboutin So Kates as a step up. She said she often buys pointy-toe flats and that she collects ceramic hands, naming a Margiela Artisanal glove top as a dream acquisition. She described recent vintage finds, including a Dolce & Gabbana skirt suit and a 1930 cone bra found in a Manhattan basement shop.
Career And Production Work
Her biography records a stage start with a Los Angeles women's Shakespeare company and study at Santa Monica College, followed by early television and film roles that built into a mix of independent and mainstream work. She rose to notice in Dear White People and Selma, and she has appeared in franchise films as Valkyrie and in the Creed series.
Thompson founded the production company Viva Maude to champion underrepresented stories, and she has taken producing credits on projects she also starred in. She executive produced and led the film Hedda, and she has earned industry recognition with nominations for major film and television awards and a theater debut on Broadway.
She has also worked in music and audio drama, co-writing songs for films and producing a mystery sci-fi podcast that drew interest for a screen adaptation. Across interviews and credits she frames fashion, performance and production as interconnected parts of her creative life.
