Warning: This list contains spoilers for Upgraded.

Summary

• Upgraded is a modern Cinderella story with a fresh take on rags-to-riches, focusing on outfits and the art world.
• Wearing incredible outfits is key to the female characters' success in navigating an elite business.
• Characters like Julian and Claire stand out in stylish attire, reflecting their personalities in the film.

Upgraded follows an array of fictional socialites and dealers of the art world, who all have excellent taste when it comes to their outfits. Upgraded is a loose Cinderella story, starring Camila Mendes as Ana Santos, a bottom-of-the-food-chain art intern whose luck is about to change. Camila is unexpectedly upgraded to first class on a work trip to London and meets the handsome young British man William (Archie Renaux), who mistakes Ana for her boss — a harmless white lie that Ana plays along with until she gets to London and things spin out of control.

Upgraded includes several elements from the Cinderella narrative — a fancy party the heroine must flee, a love interest who is unaware of her true identity, and a rags-to-riches plot — but puts a new spin on it. The implication is that all the female characters of the Upgraded cast have had to bend the truth a little to fight their way to the top. They all know that a big part of convincing an elite industry and scrutinizing society is to look the part and wear some incredible outfits in this movie.

Upgraded is available to stream via Amazon Prime.

12 Ana's White Dress & Gold Earrings

Catherine gifts Ana some of her clothes for Upgraded's final act.

After Ana confesses her lie to Will's mother Catherine (Lena Olin), she is stunned when she says she can relate. Catherine then surprisingly asserts that she is moving forward with auctioning off her art collection and will get Ana her job back while she’s at it. Catherine's friend Julian (Anthony Head) then looks to Catherine for “permission to raid the closet.”

Viewers expect Ana to show up in an over-the-top outfit in the next scene, but she chooses an understated silky white dress for her professional comeback. She does add some bling with dangling gold earrings, which she later wears to the art auction in Upgraded's ending. This implies that Catherine gifted them to her permanently, and maybe that Ana thinks of them as good luck.

11 Will’s Jacket & Patterned Tie

Will might not be able to “out-dress” Ana for real, but he has good taste.

At his mother’s party which Ana inadvertently ends up attending, Will is wearing a dark jacket, along with a light blue button-down shirt and floral-patterned tie that brings some dynamism to the ensemble. Will comes from an upper-class upbringing but has a down-to-earth personality, and although his clothes are of fine quality, they are usually not too complicated. However, he makes the basic premise of the Succession costumes look a lot better because he is actually a kind person.

10 Julian’s Blue Floral Jacket

A final outfit of Julian’s is one of his best.

Catherine’s artist friend Julian — who pretended to be dead so he could charge more for his paintings — has lots of great outfits. When he, Catherine, and Ana go to inform Ana's superiors that they will be auctioning off Catherine's art after all, Julian wears a blue floral jacket. He stands out among the other characters who are all wearing solid colors in this scene. Julian can be interpreted as an extension of the fairy godmother, if that is what Catherine is. It may also be the ticket agent (Juliet Agnes) who upgrades Ana, setting in motion this chain of events.

9 Catherine’s Orange Lace Dress

Catherine wears her orange-red lace dress and gold earrings to an art gallery.

Catherine wears a classic and elegant but romantic mermaid red lace dress when she goes to an art gallery with Julian and Will, inviting Ana along. Making the sheer look and orange work is no small feet. In this scene, Catherine is also wearing the gold earrings adorned with eye symbols that she gives to Ana later in the movie. They are definitely a versatile accessory that pairs well with a lot of ensembles and potentially have special meaning in Upgraded.

8 Claire’s Red Blazer & Accessories

Claire always dresses like a professional but is still artistic.

Ana’s boss Claire (Marisa Tomei) is always dressed to impress but still has impeccable style. Claire is a hardworking art dealer who has climbed her way to the top, and she always looks like it. On the day her art auction falls apart (and then comes back together), Claire is wearing a loose-fitting red-orange blazer and matching pants. She wears a variety of clever jewelry pieces which complement the relatively plain outfit well. It’s a good fashion choice for what turned out to be one of the most dramatic days of her career.

7 Ana’s Sweater & Braids

Ana’s cutest work look in Upgraded.

Midway through the movie, Ana sports an adorable work look of a diamond-patterned sweater vest paired with black office slacks and complimented by braids and a simple necklace. Ana typically wears outfits that are not as glamorous or striking as her co-workers', and her wardrobe mostly consists of black and white. Of course, the day she wears this turns out to be a big moment — Ana goes to the gallery, runs when her boss shows up, has a night on the town with Will, and kicks off their romantic montage.

6 Julian’s Yellow Patterned Vest

Julian’s first outfit is also one of his best.

When he is first introduced at Catherine’s party as an artist with a “whimsical and erotic” style, Julian is wearing a yellow floral-patterned vest on top of a black shirt. It’s a bold look for sure and is a great way to introduce his character. Julian is Catherine’s constant companion at the party, fawning over Ana along with her. He also eagerly discusses art with Ana, which is used as a way to demonstrate that she is underappreciated at her job because she does have unique insights when it comes to art.

5 Catherine’s Multi-Colored Party Dress

Catherine occasionally adopts a more artsy style.

Catherine wears a bohemian dress of mesh-like fabric at her pre-birthday party. Ana accidentally leaves her laptop in Catherine’s car and is roped into attending the party when she must retrieve it. Catherine’s outfit is suited to her flitting around the party and lounging on a couch while Ana discusses art, behavior which frames Catherine as a charismatic, social character. Catherine is again wearing the gold earrings: The fact that she wears them so often that they were probably a favorite of hers and therefore a heartfelt gift to Ana.

4 Suzette’s Crop Top, Blazer, & Pearls

Suzette wins the first fashion round among the assistants.

Claire’s first and second assistants Suzette (Rachel Matthews) and Renee (Fola Evans-Akingbola) wear matching outfits every time they appear in the movie, or at least outfits with the same key color or silhouette. Every time, one of them undeniably wears it better. Suzette wins the first appearance with a black blazer layered over a black crop top. Her pearl choker and earrings balance add a needed final element to the look, as opposed to Renee’s take with white fabric and minimal jewelry.

3 Renee’s Woven Blazer & Skirt

Renee beats out Suzette when they get to London.

The next set of outfits the assistants wear are white skirts and pantsuit tops. However, while the description of Suzette’s outfit ends there, Renee’s is more interesting. Her main garments are woven tweed with small spots of color, topped off with golden hoop earrings. The outfit also looks great with the ponytail hairstyle she wears throughout the movie. Renee is dressed in this outfit the first time she and Suzette are seen in London, when they and Ana go to an important meeting on Claire’s behalf, with Claire having been called away to Rome.