Margot Robbie's Paris set photos for an untitled Ocean's Eleven prequel sparked an instant online frenzy when they surfaced, with fans immediately clocking her white shift dress and wide-brimmed black hat as pure Meredith Blake, the scheming ex-fiancée Elaine Hendrix played in 1998's The Parent Trap.
Robbie plays Danny Ocean's presumed mother in a story built around the two masterminds who taught Danny everything he knows before he ever set foot in Vegas. Bradley Cooper directs and stars opposite her, with the plot following a pair of 1962 thieves whose earring heist spirals into a plot to steal a diamond during the Monaco Grand Prix.
Margot Robbie Ocean's 11 Outfit: Audrey Hepburn or Meredith Blake?
The costume was designed to embody the tailored glamour of the 1960s Riviera. However, the internet seemed to overlook Monaco and instead associated it with Napa Valley. One commenter remarked, 'I was going to say that! Very Meredith Blake', referring to the character known as the villain we love to hate. Another commenter jokingly noted that she 'looks like she's about to send two brats off to Switzerland'.
The wide brim, sunglasses, and clean shift silhouette echo Hepburn and Givenchy.
However, a hat that obscures half your face isn't neutral styling for a woman preparing to run a jewel heist. It serves as armour, signalling authority and providing concealment before she even speaks—a quality that Meredith Blake effectively utilised at Camp Walden.
Not everyone was convinced by this portrayal. One commenter bluntly stated that 'Elaine wore it better, and it looked more natural on her'. Others took a different approach entirely, joking that she resembled French Barbie more than a villain from The Parent Trap.
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Why Margot Robbie's Chanel Bag Has Film Fans Divided
Robbie's bag is a classic quilted Chanel flap bag, and he is one of the brand's most visible ambassadors. Fans have noticed this as well.
A heist film set in 1962, featuring a lead character wearing a bag that symbolises modern luxury marketing, feels more like a promotional crossover than authentic period costuming. One commenter expressed this sentiment succinctly: 'It looks like a perfume ad... and the handbag looks empty.'
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Prequel Fatigue and the 'Period Face' Backlash
The debate surrounding the film's fashion choices is part of a larger discussion about whether the film should exist at all. One highly upvoted comment addressed this issue directly, describing the film as 'a lame prequel set in the early '60s about Danny Ocean's parents'.
The commenter argued that portraying Danny Ocean's master-thief parents retroactively diminishes Clooney's character. The same comment also critiqued Robbie's co-star, saying Bradley Cooper feels out of place in a story meant to evoke the atmosphere of 1962.
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The LuckyChap Playbook
Robbie's Barbie: The Movie press tour proved that method dressing is a high-yield marketing weapon, and as producer, LuckyChap Entertainment knows the playbook well. A set photo this polished, surfacing so early in production, feels less like an accidental leak and more like a calculated opening salvo.
Whether Robbie is channelling Hepburn, resurrecting Meredith Blake, or quietly debuting Chanel's next It-bag, the strategy worked: she hijacked the cultural conversation 18 months before dropping a trailer.
