“You got into Harvard Law? What, like it’s hard?” The line said by Reese Witherspoon in Legally Blonde is still talked about to this day. The film not only gave viewers a lesson about the law, but about fashion. Elle Woods was and is the ‘it girl’ of our time. Many are still inspired by her iconic pieces and how she took the color pink and transformed it into a statement-making moment. From pencil skirts to tailored dresses, Elle Woods brought a fresh spin to Y2K dressing.
This year, on June 21st, marked the 25th anniversary of the iconic film, and to celebrate, Prime Video brought Elle World to New York. The event was a one-day fan experience filled with pink to mark the release of Prime Video’s prequel series, Elle, launched on July 1st.
Elle World brought fans back to the Y2K era filled with nostalgia from the original movie, with a “Bend & Snap” drag showcase, trivia games, a yearbook photo studio, and brand activations powered by L’Oreal Paris, Nexxus, Dove, T-Mobile, Shopbop, and uniball.
Brand Activations
Each brand activation was unique, immersing fans into the world of Elle. L’Oreal Paris had a glam session featuring their products, including their Colour Riche lipstick for the perfect picture day.
Shopbop showcased a collection inspired by Elle that is available on their site and Amazon for purchase with ready-to-wear looks, footwear, and accessories.
T-Mobile took guests on the air, giving away personalized luggage tags, branded boarding passes, and eye masks.
Nexxus pays homage to Elle’s hair with a locker filled with Nexxus must-haves, including the Keraphix Liquid Crystallizer and production design inspired by the new series and Legally Blonde.
Dove continues with the theme of pink, with guests given the opportunity to make their own Confidence Kits that keep guests feeling fresh, confident, and ready for anything on the go.
Uniball re-creates the Pink Puff Pens from Legally Blonde, adding the perfect touch to signatures. Fans can feel like they are Elle Woods sitting in a lecture class and taking notes, making writing more playful.
Into Prime Video’s “Elle”
The cast of Prime Video’s Elle also made an appearance, from Lexi Minetree to June Diane Raphael. The show gives a glimpse of Elle Woods’ life before law school, taking place in 1995, where her world turns upside down and has to leave her life in LA and move to Seattle, where she tries to navigate high school and finds a sense of home through the friendships she creates along the way.
The Cast of “Legally Blonde” Reunite
What made the event even more memorable for fans is the reunion of Reese Witherspoon, Jennifer Coolidge, Selma Blair, Ali Larter, Matthew Davis, and Victor Garber from the original film, who all participated in a panel led by Bowen Yang and Matt Rogers. The conversation took fans back to 2001 during the filming of Legally Blonde and the impact the film has created through its messaging of optimism and ambition.
When asked about Elle’s impact, Witherspoon starts to get emotional and expresses the stories she hears of how because of Elle “they go to law school…, or they name their daughter Elle, or they overcame some incredible challenge in their life because she did that….she went through this experience of feeling like everyone was looking down on her [and] judged her….” It truly shows how a fictional character can feel so real and how many see themselves in Elle.
Witherspoon further explains how captivated she was by Lexi Minetree’s audition tape for Elle, in which she re-created the audition tape for Harvard from the original film. She expressed to Minetree the huge responsibility she has to carry with this character who truly creates an impact on people’s lives. Witherspoon notes that she “could not be more proud to pass the… pink torch to Lexi Minetree as the new Elle Woods.”
The Future of Elle Woods
Lexi Minetree is the perfect person to play Elle and delivers an incredible performance, connecting Elle Woods to today’s generation. Without taking away Elle’s optimism and ambition, Minetree took the Elle Woods we love and know and put her own spin on the character.
Elle is out now!
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