The Hunger Games is back. And so is its most iconic fashion moment.
On October 6, 2026, Lionsgate kicked off the promotional tour for The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping with a red carpet gala at the Musée Rodin in Paris, timed to coincide with Paris Fashion Week. The event marked the opening of Elegance Is Authority: The Story, Style and Power of Panem, a two-day exhibition celebrating the costumes and visual legacy of the franchise.
But it was Mckenna Grace who stole the show. The 20-year-old actress, who plays Maysilee Donner in the upcoming prequel, arrived in a vintage Monique Lhuillier gown that was immediately recognizable to any Hunger Games fan.
It was a recreation of Katniss Everdeen’s wedding dress.
The Dress That Defined a Franchise
The original wedding dress appeared in The Hunger Games: Catching Fire (2013). Designed by Indonesian designer Tex Saverio in collaboration with costume designer Trish Summerville, the gown featured a metallic cage-like bodice, laser-cut organza, and chiffon ruffles. In the film, the dress was worn during Katniss’s interview with Caesar Flickerman, where it dramatically transformed into a black Mockingjay-inspired gown through the use of CGI fire.
Grace’s version, created by Monique Lhuillier and Michael Ngo, echoed the original’s structured metallic bodice and voluminous white tulle skirt. She added feathers to her hair, though she admitted finding them in Paris was a challenge. “That was the whole thing; we were trying to find feathers for 40 minutes around Paris,” she confessed.
Why the Choice Mattered
In Sunrise on the Reaping, Grace plays Maysilee Donner, a tribute from District 12 who competes in the 50th Hunger Games. Maysilee is a character with deep ties to the franchise’s lore—and, as it turns out, to the Mockingjay pin itself. The pin originally belonged to her before it found its way to Katniss.
By wearing Katniss’s wedding dress to the premiere, Grace was drawing a direct line between her character and the franchise’s most iconic heroine. It was a nod to the past that also positioned her as part of the future.
“She was inspired by Katniss’s wedding dress, and this is kind of the kickoff of our press tour,” Grace told WWD. “I wanted to do something fun”.
The Co-Star Moment
Grace wasn’t alone on the carpet. She was joined by Joseph Zada, who plays a young Haymitch Abernathy in the film. Zada wore a suit from ERL, accessorized with a Tiffany & Co. brooch.
The two shared a moment of levity when discussing the exhibition’s theme of “elegance is power.” Asked about the least empowering outfit they’d ever worn, Zada deadpanned: “Paper gowns.” Grace explained that the cast had been given paper gowns in one size, which was a problem given Zada’s height. “He is 8 feet tall—three feet taller than the rest of us,” she joked. “For all of us, it was like knee level, and Joe’s was like…” She gestured high on her leg with amusement.
The Exhibition
The Elegance Is Authority exhibition ran for two days, October 7 and 8, in the gardens of the Musée Rodin. It brought together archival costumes from across the six Hunger Games films—including the Mockingjay gown worn by Jennifer Lawrence and a suit worn by Julianne Moore’s President Coin—alongside first looks at costumes from Sunrise on the Reaping.
The exhibition explored how clothing functions in the franchise as a tool of propaganda, self-presentation, and resistance. From the Capitol’s extravagant luxury to the Mockingjay’s symbolism, fashion in Panem is never just fashion.
The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping hits theaters on November 20, 2026.
