Tuesday evening marked the beginning of a number of “firsts” for The White Lotus star Sarah Catherine Hook, who portrays Piper Ratliff in the show's third season. It was her first time touching down in Italy, which she describes as “breathtaking,” and earlier that day, she attended Chanel's Cruise Resort show in Lake Como—her first time ever sitting in on a runway show from the French fashion house.
“Since this is my first trip to Italy, I'd say [this experience is] already off to a pretty iconic start,” Hook tells Harper's Bazaar while mid-glam for her appearance at the fashion show. “It's just the most beautiful place in the whole wide world and I feel like I've been getting a proper history lesson just by being here and understanding the history of Lake Como and Chanel's ties to cinema. The show is just gonna be the cherry on top.”
For her first Chanel show, Hook wore a black satin crepe dress, specifically look 29 from the house's Fall-Winter 2025/26 Ready-to-Wear pre-collection. The elegant gown was perfect for the grandiose setting of Lake Como's Villa d’Este—a hotel that claims Elizabeth Taylor and the Duke and Duchess of Windsor as some of its past clientele.
“I immediately was drawn to what I'm wearing tonight. Usually with each outfit, you always have to tweak or tailor it to your shape somehow but when I put this on everyone just went wow,” she says. “We didn't have to fix anything about it at all and it was just perfect for me and my size and my figure and my height. I need as many pictures as possible in this! It's very chic, very classic, and very Chanel.”
Hook admits that finding her personal style, especially as an actress, didn't always come easy.
“I love exploring characters through their wardrobe, and so naturally, because of my constant character swapping, I have more of an interest in fashion and style than I used to when I was younger,” she says. “Having my own personal style was a little bit tricky for me growing up. I didn't love my body and I didn't know how to dress it and I think just coming into my womanhood, I've learned to accept and love my shape and I know what looks good on me and what I like and the parts of myself that I care to accentuate. It's really fun now for me and it's such a joy to feel beautiful and find what looks good on you.”
For her glam, Hook opted for a glowing fresh face appropriate for the warm surroundings of Lake Como.
“I really like to just look like myself and to look very clean and dewy and glossy,” she says. “My makeup artist also just said that we'll do a little bit of a sun-kissed glow, which I think will be perfect for this vacation style event—just as if I've been lounging out by the pool all day or something.”
Hook is definitely familiar with the ins and outs of resort wear thanks to her seven-month stint in Thailand filming the third season of The White Lotus. While the actor's personal style isn't quite as cottage-core leaning as her onscreen character, she did have some input regarding what Piper Ratliff wore from episode to episode.
“It's funny because Alex [Boivard] and I curated Piper's wardrobe together and we were super intentional about what outfits we chose for her arc,” says Hook. “We leaned into cottage core, we leaned into orange [hues], and when she's realizing the monastery is not for her, she then immediately evolves and wants to to just throw away the nightgowns and the princess outfits. But as for style advice? I'm just going to say, 'Keep doing you girl!'” Hook laughs. “She'll find her way—she's still just in college too.”
As for what's next for Hook, fans will be able to see her in another anticipated production sooner rather than later. She's a part of the cast for the Netflix adaption of the beloved Emily Henry book People We Meet on Vacation.
“It's so cool to be included in this thing that already has such a huge fan base, and I'm just honestly really happy for everyone involved and I'm so happy to have been a small part of it,” says Hook. “Something I can tell you about my character is she wears some really cute clothes—like talk about like being transported in time! I felt like a 60s Hollywood glamour girl. The story is set in in Tuscany so it was just the perfect setting, perfect girl, perfect wardrobe, everything. I'm just as eager as everyone else to see it.”
