Dolly De Leon knows it’s ironic that she’s spent awards season commingling with the kind of ultra-elites who wouldn’t have lasted through high tide on the shipwrecked island in this year’s eat-the-rich hit, Triangle of Sadness, where her role as toilet manager turned matriarch Abigail shocked critics and viewers alike into paying closer attention. So ahead of Sunday’s Academy Awards—the glitziest of glitzy gatherings, where the film was nominated for best picture, best director, and best original screenplay—the veteran Filipino actor and I theorized about which attendees might actually hold their own in case of yacht failure.

“I hate to sound like a simp, but I think it’s Jamie Lee Curtis,” De Leon decided. “She is such a toughie! I think she would take on the role of leader, but at the same time, she would still be very compassionate.” De Leon had not yet had a chance to meet Curtis off-Zoom yet, so her plan for the night is to kick back a little, enjoy the ceremony, and hopefully meet the Everything Everywhere All at Once star along with other heroes like Nicole Kidman and Andrea Riseborough. “I’m not stressing over anything,” she chuckled. “The pressure is on Ruben [Östlund, director of Triangle of Sadness].” 

As for De Leon’s look for the big night, the 53-year-old actor and her stylist, LJ Perez, chose to zig their own zag on the red carpet: After giving us dominatrix at the Golden Globes and ocean goddess at the BAFTAs—breaking ground as the first Filipina nominee at both—De Leon went with the perfect power suit from Philosophy di Lorenzo Serafini, gloves from Vex Clothing, and a pair of Manolo Blahniks. Jonathan Hanousek for L’Oréal Paris styled De Leon’s locks into a sleek bun, while makeup artist Kelly Goldsack highlighted the ensemble’s pops of red with a bold lip.

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“When I see women on the red carpet wearing these very masculine-looking tuxedos or the suits with a necktie, I find that very sexy and powerful and also very feminine at the same time,” she said, citing Marlene Dietrich’s rep with trousers and Audrey Hepburn’s iconic pencil pants as points of inspiration. But it’s also a sartorial move spurred by Charlbi Dean, De Leon’s late costar in the film who plays influencer Yaya. “When we went to Cannes for the premiere”—that is, when Triangle also snagged the Palme d’Or—“Charlbi came to a party in this oversized suit with matching trousers, and she looked so good!” De Leon recalled. “I told my kids about it, and they said, ‘Mom, you can do that too! It’s in the cut!’” 

As for the accessories, De Leon has adapted the “something old” wedding adage to her own red-carpet routine by always carrying something that signals back to her grandmother or mother. At Cannes, it was her grandmother’s clutch; for the Oscars, De Leon wore her mother’s ring alongside jewels from Chris Habana and Vitaly. And for the finishing touch: De Leon’s personal “power playlist,” which she loves to blast while getting ready—Beyoncé’s “Cuff It” is on it, as well as plenty of Lizzo. But what’s the first song on the list?

“David Bowie’s ‘Space Oddity,’” De Leon grinned. “Because, you know, it’s about getting ready for takeoff.”