She’s So Lovely:
Kiernan Shipka

Kiernan Shipka shows diamond
essentials are anything but basic.

Photographed by: Alexander Saladrigas
Styled by: Marissa Baklayan · Words by: Sarah Cristobal

I like capturing a moment,” says Totally Killer actress Kiernan Shipka of her relationship to photography. “I like taking photos of things that I want to remember.” Glamorous outfits loom large on the star’s well-trafficked Instagram feed and showcase her innate ability to have fun with fashion. In recent posts—from the New York premiere of her new show, HBO’s White House Plumbers, and her “Disco Barbie” themed birthday party—she’s favored spangly Oscar de la Renta minidresses. Choice accessories have included natural diamond pieces from either her personal collection or baubles from Irene Neuwirth. At 23, Shipka has a certain ownership of her style that a lot of other talents her age don’t have. But then again, when you’ve been gracing red carpets since the age of seven, you certainly pick up a trick or two.

OND: You’re already an industry vet even though you’re in your early twenties.

KS: It’s funny, right? I remember taking photos with January Jones at the first Mad Men premiere [in 2007]. When we were together, it felt like the camera flashes tripled. She had to guide me, “You start on the left, and then you go to the right.” And honestly, every single time I get on a red carpet, I think about that. It’s like, “Oh my God, that was so wild to be doing that at such a young age.” But I got accustomed to it and then life happens and it can feel weird again, and then it feels good again. 

OND: What would you wear for those early red-carpet appearances?

KS: When I was really young, I would wear Oscar de la Renta Kids to events. Now being able to wear Oscar Oscar is really nice.

OND: Grown up Oscar! Was it overwhelming to attend fashion shows during your teenage years, with all of the attention that would bring? 

KS: I didn’t overthink things then, and I wasn’t super online. There wasn’t an added feeling of pressure. For the most part, I look back on those fashion moments really fondly, because I wasn’t deathly worried about how they were going to turn out. That was when I was 10 years into [my career] though, which is so weird. 

OND: You mentioned that you like looking at fashion references before a big event, so you know the vibe and what you’re getting into.

KS: Oh yeah. I mean, when it comes to red carpets and all that kind of stuff I’ve got to have a plan. If there’s one thing about me, I love a plan. I love a list. I love an answer. All that. 

OND: And do you love diamonds, Kiernan? Don’t hold out on us.

KS: I have a necklace with a diamond pendant that my mother gave me and I love it. I wear it quite often. This [Only Natural Diamonds] shoot was incredible, there was so much beautiful jewelry. And I feel lucky that I can be loaned beautiful pieces for red carpets and things. I am constantly praying that whatever I’ve been loaned doesn’t fall off my ear, or my wrist.

OND: Do you like to buy fine jewelry or do you aspire to have certain pieces in your collection? 

KS: I’m a FoundRae girl. I love, love, love FoundRae. Those necklaces [that I have purchased] mean a lot to me. There’s something quite beautiful about owning a significant item and having it symbolize something in one’s life. It’s a reminder of who you are in some kind of way. I think that those types of pieces can be really special. 

OND: And that’s the type of jewelry that is fun to pass down from generation to generation.

KS:I think about a FoundRae ring that I have, and it’s like, “Oh, that would be so cool to give to my kid one day.” And actually one of the few things I took from the Mad Men set was a necklace. It was Sally’s necklace that she wore for quite a bit of the show. That’s probably the most sentimental piece of jewelry that I own. It’s a little heart necklace that has Sally’s initials on it. Don [Draper, Jon Hamm’s character] got it for her. I love things that have meaning, and that you can keep, cherish, and pass along. 

OND: Your new show is White House Plumbers about the Watergate scandal and you get to wear a lot of 1970s vintage attire. 

KS: I love a vintage moment. I like to buy vintage that doesn’t necessarily feel or look super identifiably vintage. But yeah with regards to White House Plumbers, my character [Kevan Hunt] has a golden child vibe, which was very interesting for me, because obviously- ly that breaks, and there’s a real sort of arc in the way that she sees her father [played by Woody Harrelson]. To play someone who has it all together and is doing all the “right things” with her life, and then to have it crumble in the way that it did was very compelling to me. And also, just working with Woody was so so exciting. Occasionally you work on a show that everyone’s excited to make and is filled with wonderful people that you can maybe, hopefully, call family after, and that is this show for me, for sure. 

OND: I read that you are big on making playlists. 

KS: I do love a playlist. I like songs that remind me of certain times. I think it’s amazing, much like a jewel, or a relic of some sort.

OND: Well done, circling back to natural diamonds, aka the jewel of music. 

KS: Exactly! That’s what I was just about to say! [Laughs]