Taraji P. Henson Brings the Drama in Velvet Mugler Minidress for ‘Jimmy Fallon,’ Talks New Miniseries ‘Fight Night’

Taraji P. Henson brought runway inspiration to her appearance on “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” on Tuesday. The Oscar-nominated actress discussed her forthcoming miniseries, “Fight Night: The Million Dollar Heist,” about a robbery that takes place after Muhammad Ali’s return to boxing in 1970.

For her appearance on the late night show, Henson wore a minidress from Mugler‘s fall 2024 ready-to-wear collection. The look featured velvet fabric with a swallow neckline and a dramatic cape that wrapped around Henson’s neck, flowing like a train behind her.

Along with the dress, Henson wore sheer tights and a pair of pointed-toe pumps from Femme LA. Henson accessorized her look with jewelry pieces courtesy of Kavant & Sharart Jewelry.

Henson’s sleek pixie cut and subtle smokey eye were styled by Tym Wallace and Saisha Beecham. Her look was curated by Wayman Deon and Micah McDonald, who have also worked with Colman Domingo and Jodie Turner-Smith.

Henson’s late night look debuted on the runway during Paris Fashion Week last March. The collection included several pieces featuring velvet fabric. Some velvet pieces also included what WWD’s Joelle Diderich described as “darkly atmospheric works of Canadian painter Ambera Wellmann,” among other elements.

Casey Cadwallader, the creative director of Mugler since January 2018, leaned into drama and looked to the past for his fall 2024 ready-to-wear collection. Diderich wrote Cadwallader was “inspired by founder Manfred Thierry Mugler’s insect-inspired creations, working pointy panels into spiral-shaped constructions and sectioning the body with graphic leather straps.”

“I enjoy that, at Mugler, you can pivot,” Cadwallader told WWD in Paris last September. “There are some brands that have to be extremely consistent, and Mugler is one that can benefit from being surprising and bold.”