Tessa Thompson Adds Edge to the Power Suit at Sundance Film Festival

Tessa Thompson added some edge to the power suit while at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival. The actress wore a fresh take on suiting, which has been trending on the red carpet in recent months, while at the Sundance Institute gala.

For the occasion, Thompson paired a boxy, cropped, and pinstriped double-breasted blazer and pleated wide-leg trousers with a pair of scrunched up leather gloves. Thompson also dabbled in the sheer trend, wearing a see-through button-down shirt beneath her suit.

The “Westworld” and “Creed” actress accessorized with layered dainty gold necklaces beneath her sheer shirt and two mismatched earrings. Beauty-wise, Thompson wore her hair half-up in a high ponytail and a light dusting of shimmery eyeshadow.

Thompson’s edgy take on power suiting was in good company at the Sundance gala, where Cynthia Erivo put forth another entry in a sculptural jacquard skirt suit that channeled her “Wicked” character Elphaba. It was also on trend.

Suiting on the red carpet has been a popular choice over the past year, with celebrities embracing it at the 2024 Independent Spirit Awards, the recent 2025 Australian Open, and at art events, such as the Los Angeles premiere of “Exhibiting Forgiveness” in Los Angeles at the Gagosian, where Oprah and Jessica Alba both wore relaxed twists on menswear-inspired suiting. Not to mention, earlier this week Naomi Watts also embraced the pinstriped suit for winter dressing, pairing one with a black overcoat and white Lavallière blouse while out in New York City.

Power suiting has also been trending on the runway, with labels such as Alexander McQueen, Valentino and Jean Paul Gaultier sending out suits with oversized silhouettes, bold shoulders, embellished lapels and other elevated details.

Thompson was in attendance at the Sundance gala as a trustee on the board of the Sundance Institute. The actress and producer was announced as an advisor for Sundance this past fall, with Thompson sharing in a statement, “Both the Sundance Film Festival and the Institute have served as an artistic home for me throughout my career.  I’m proud to expand this journey by joining the board to eagerly serve a community that has been so incredibly impactful to me and countless others.”