Pom Klementieff embraces Zimmermann’s polished summer dressing on the Riviera

Pom Klementieff’s Riviera appearance makes one thing clear: old-money style is no longer only about restraint. In Cap d’Antibes, she used Zimmermann’s High Summer 2026 launch to show how polished dressing can still feel instinctive, airy and a little bit cinematic, without tipping into spectacle.

The Riviera is where quiet luxury meets personality

The setting matters almost as much as the clothes. Zimmermann staged its summer celebration in Cap d’Antibes at Hôtel Belles Rives, with guests arriving by boat before a sunset performance from Suki Waterhouse, then gathering the next day for lunch at Villa Dorane, Jean Pigozzi’s home. That is old-money theater at its most persuasive: historic hotel, private residence, sea light, and a crowd that knows how to look effortless while being very deliberately dressed.

Hôtel Belles Rives adds the right kind of prestige to the equation. The 43-room five-star hotel in Juan-les-Pins, on the edge of Cap d’Antibes, carries the kind of Riviera cachet that makes even a simple sundress feel considered. Its Fitzgerald-era associations and Lost Generation aura give the whole scene a heritage gloss, which is exactly why this kind of dressing reads as aspirational without feeling stiff.

Why Zimmermann fits the new polished summer code

Zimmermann has spent years perfecting a very specific lane: sophisticated femininity, clever color combinations and delicate prints that feel holiday-ready rather than fussy. Founded in Sydney in 1991 by sisters Nicky Zimmermann and Simone Zimmermann, the label began with a strong sense of sun, movement and ease, and that origin story still shapes the brand’s appeal. It is built for women who want refinement, but not the kind that looks sealed in plastic.

That balance is why Zimmermann has become so closely associated with resort dressing. The clothes have enough polish to work in a luxury setting, but enough softness to avoid the hard lines of classic status dressing. On the Riviera, that matters. In a place where old money has long preferred understatement, Zimmermann offers a more modern answer: color, print and texture, but filtered through a disciplined eye.

Pom Klementieff’s counterexample is the point

Klementieff is a smart counterexample to the idea that polished dressing must be quiet. The French actress, who was born in Quebec City and is best known for playing Mantis in the Marvel Cinematic Universe from 2017 onward and Paris in Mission: Impossible from 2023 to 2025, brings an instinctive, dramatic energy to clothes. That makes her useful in a story about old-money style, because she shows exactly where personality starts to push against legacy codes.

Her approach is not about dressing for approval. In a 2025 interview, she said fashion is “an adventure,” described her personal style as “explorative and fun,” and said she likes to fold elements of her screen characters into her red-carpet dressing. She also said of her outfit choices, “I go with my gut,” selecting pieces based on “what makes me feel good and what moves well.” That is the opposite of rigid dressing, but it is not chaos. It is instinct with editing.

For the Zimmermann launch, she wore a floaty pink printed Zimmermann dress over a strapless swimsuit, with platform sandals, a leather clutch and reflective sunglasses. The combination is revealing in the best sense. The dress brings softness and color, the swimsuit keeps it practical, and the accessories sharpen the look just enough to keep it from drifting into beach cliche.

What her look says about the boundary between flair and discipline

This is where the old-money conversation gets interesting. Legacy dressing has always prized control: clean lines, quality fabric, clothes that never look like they are trying too hard. But Klementieff’s Zimmermann moment suggests that control no longer has to mean quietness. The new version of polish can include movement, print and a little shine, as long as the silhouette stays fluid and the styling stays disciplined.

Her affection for Zimmermann makes that boundary even clearer. She has described one recent Zimmermann look as romantic and vintage, inspired by Victorian-style dramatic sleeves and ’70s jeans, and she has said she is drawn to the brand’s “’70s vibe,” its feminine-but-functional construction and Nicky Zimmermann’s dramatic sleeves. That is not minimalism. It is a highly specific kind of ornament, softened by ease.

The lesson for old-money dressing is not to abandon polish, but to stop confusing polish with understatement. A pink printed dress can still feel correct if the cut moves well. Platform sandals can work if the rest of the look stays light. A leather clutch and reflective sunglasses can add just enough structure to keep the outfit anchored in the present.

How to borrow the look without losing the discipline

If you want the Riviera version of old-money style, the formula is less about labels than about balance. Think of it as controlled ease, not maximalist dressing for its own sake.

• Choose one expressive element, then keep everything else calm. In Klementieff’s look, that element was the floaty pink print.
• Favor fabrics and cuts that move. She specifically gravitates toward pieces that feel good and move well.
• Keep accessories sharp and functional. Platform sandals, a leather clutch and reflective sunglasses gave the outfit definition.
• Let color do the work, but avoid overcomplication. Zimmermann’s strength is that its prints and palettes feel polished, not noisy.
• Aim for holiday ease with architectural discipline. The clothes should suggest leisure, not laziness.

That is what makes Zimmermann such a useful reference point for old-money style right now. It gives you the softness, color and femininity that summer dressing needs, while still preserving the order and finish that signal taste. Klementieff, in turn, proves that individuality does not have to cancel elegance. It can sharpen it, especially when the backdrop is as rarefied as Cap d’Antibes.