What's in Elle Fanning's Bag: Knitted Scarves, Childhood Glasses, Pink Highlighters and Good-Luck Notes
VOGUE JAPAN
In Vogue Japan's "In The Bag" series, actor Elle Fanning empties a large bag, which the video title identifies as a Coach bag. Fanning calls it "a big clutch actually in a way" and says they love a big bag. Most of what comes out is sentimental: gifts from family and colleagues, keepsakes from film sets, and objects tied to childhood memories. Mixed in are the practical tools Fanning relies on for work and everyday life.
A Scarf From Dakota
The first item is a scarf knitted by Fanning's sister, Dakota Fanning. Elle Fanning describes her as an avid and very fast knitter who labels all of her scarves "from the knitting needles of Dakota Fanning." This one has no date on it. Fanning demonstrates how to wear it loosely draped and calls the look "chic." Fanning admits to having tried knitting but says it "wasn't really for me."
Downtime on Set and Hair Essentials
Asked what they do on set, Fanning says they play phone games. They name Doodle Jump and Temple Run and say they are currently playing a game about mixing potions, calling themselves "a sucker for that." Fanning also mentions having a farm, apparently another game.
Next come a claw clip and a scrunchie. Fanning notes these are generic items with no sentimental value but says they are essential, because they are constantly touching their hair and putting it up and down.
Childhood Glasses and a Sesame Street Purse
One of the "cute" items is a pair of tiny glasses. Fanning got glasses at about seven years old and describes having been a glasses "connoisseur," then and still now. As a child, Fanning used glasses to express themselves and would pick the craziest, most fun frames at the store. There are many photos of young Fanning wearing this pair at school, and Fanning says, "I can never lose these."
The glasses bring back a memory of a childhood purse. It was a small Sesame Street bag with a hard yellow handle and the characters printed all over it. Fanning says it made them feel very grown up. They carried it on a red carpet at a kids' premiere, with sparkly lip gloss inside.
A Pin in Memory of Shay
Among the nostalgic items is a small pin connected to Shay, a hairstylist who did Fanning's hair on many films. Fanning names The Neon Demon, Low Down, Galveston and 20th Century Women. Shay has passed away, which Fanning calls very tragic, and remembers her as really fun and incredibly talented. Fanning sometimes keeps the pin in their purse for good luck, saying that "Shay's always with me."
From Wishbones to Mom's Sticky Notes
Fanning recalls an old habit of keeping real wishbones in their purses, which made the purses "all smell like chicken." They say they have grown past that.
What Fanning carries now are Post-it notes from their mother. She leaves them around Fanning's house or slips them into a suitcase before a trip. Fanning saves every one and has "piles and piles" of them. They often drop one at the bottom of a purse, both as a reminder and as a good-luck charm, because they are very close with their family.
Makeup: Fake Freckles and a Crayon Concealer
The makeup essential is a brown L'Oréal Paradise eyeliner that "really needs to be sharpened." Fanning doesn't use it on their eyes. It's for drawing fake freckles, something they have done for a long time. Fanning describes the freckles as a finishing touch that can be built up, and says this pencil has a good consistency for it.
Fanning also carries a crayon-style concealer for blemishes and praises its consistency too, calling it a "big crayon really."
Michelle Pfeiffer's Perfume
Fanning carries a scent from Henry Rose, which they describe as Michelle Pfeiffer's perfume line. The scent is London 1983, a new release. Fanning says it smells like London and "like Michelle." They own a big bottle at home and carry a smaller one in the purse.
A Pounamu From New Zealand
Fanning shot Predator: Badlands in New Zealand, their first visit there, and calls it one of their favorite places they have ever been. They say they are "itching to go back." Their assistant and driver on that shoot gave them a pounamu necklace.
According to Fanning, the pounamu represents strength and determination, brings peace, prosperity and good health, and provides a safe journey over water. Fanning adds, somewhat tentatively ("if I'm correct"), that you can't buy one for yourself and must buy it as a gift for someone else.
A Stolen Prop From Margo's Got Money Troubles
Fanning recently found a hospital bracelet next to their bedside table. It is the one their character, Margo Millet, wears in Margo's Got Money Troubles while giving birth to Bodhi. Fanning thought it was so cool that they "stole it from props that day," which gets laughter and gasps from the crew.
Mike Wazowski and a Love of Miniatures
A small Mike Wazowski figure comes out next. Fanning loves Monsters University and miniatures in general. Growing up, they had an elaborate dollhouse and made or ordered tiny items online for it. They say they "just can't get enough" of that kind of thing.
Script Tools: Pink Highlighters, an Old Laptop and a Peter Rabbit Notebook
Fanning highlights scripts in a very particular way and always marks their own lines in pink, so they need plenty of good pink highlighters. They call themselves "technologically challenged": they don't own an iPad for reading scripts. Their laptop is a very old, heavy, "clunky" machine with a huge screen that they love for watching things. They joke that it will explode one day.
There is also a Peter Rabbit notebook. During rehearsals and conversations with directors, Fanning jots down words and reminders and doodles small girls' faces. Fanning calls this mindless and says it helps them think.
On Rachel's Process
Fanning then talks about a character named Rachel, contrasting Rachel's working style with their own. The video does not name the project. Fanning sees Rachel as studious and academic in her approach to work. In Fanning's reading, that is what makes Rachel wrong for the part that Gustav Skarsgård's character asks her to play, because she isn't used to that kind of spontaneity. As they work together, Fanning says, Rachel loosens up and discovers a different side of herself and her talent, which Fanning calls a beautiful thing. Even so, Fanning believes this still doesn't make her quite right for the film he cast her in.
Goldfish and the "Fish Biscuit"
Fanning loves Goldfish crackers and ate a lot of them on set. They tell a story about Dearbhla, an Irish director who directed many of their episodes and had never had Goldfish before. She referred to them as "fish biscuits," which confused the cast. She tried them anyway, and Fanning says they are addictive.
Gum, and a Southern Mother's Rules
Fanning describes themselves as a gum lover, naming bubble gum and Juicy Fruit, and currently carries Double Bubble. They say the flavor doesn't last long, "but while it lasts, it's glorious." Fanning was taught not to chew gum on a red carpet, since it isn't "ladylike." Fanning recalls their "southern mother" telling them to spit it out.
Wallet and Phone
The last items are a wallet that matches the bag and a phone. Fanning admits the phone case isn't very chic and needs replacing, and says they'll work on that. With that, the bag is empty, and Fanning thanks viewers and signs off.
Look at all my stuff.
I love a big bag. I like that this is also kind of, it's a big clutch actually, in a way. So, it's... How cool is that? Let's open it up. There's a lot in here that's coming out.
First, okay, this is really cramped in here right now. This is actually a scarf that Dakota knitted me. She's an avid knitter. Very, like, she can knit so fast. Trying to think, it doesn't have the date on it, but she does on all of her scarves, she puts "from the knitting needles of Dakota Fanning." You just kind of do wear it like this. Chic. I do not knit. I definitely... I tried, but it wasn't really for me.
On set, what do I do? I play phone games. I love a phone game. Doodle Jump or Temple Run, or like right now I'm like mixing potions together. I'm a sucker for that. They really get me.
I have a farm. This is generic. It's not like a sentimental thing, but like a claw clip or like a scrunchie. My hair, it must be... I got to tie it up. Like, I need a scrunchie. I need a claw clip. Like, I'm constantly touching my hair and like putting it up, down, up, down. And so, to me that's essential.
Okay, this is a cute thing. I got glasses when I was like 7 years old. And so, I was a little kid with glasses. And I have my little glasses. I was a glasses, like, connoisseur. I still am, but when I was young I really expressed myself with my glasses choices. And I would go in there and pick like the craziest ones, the most fun ones. These are precious. I can never lose these. I have so many photos of like little me wearing these in school. I mean, they're so small.
What popped into my head just now was this Sesame Street purse that had a yellow handle that was like a hard yellow handle. And it had Sesame Street characters all over the bag. And it was like this little, and I just felt so grown up. And I even wore it on a red carpet. Like a kids' premiere red carpet. And I had my little purse and there was sparkly lip gloss in there. And I loved that bag. I remember it well.
Something nostalgic I carry around. I have this little pin of Shay. She used to do my hair on a lot of films. She did The Neon Demon. She did Low Down with me, this film called Galveston. I mean, 20th Century Women. She passed away, which was, it's very tragic. Shay was just really, really fun. Really fun and so incredibly talented. I keep it in my purse sometimes for good luck and, you know, Shay's always with me.
I mean, I used to keep wishbones in my purse. Like real wishbones. My purses all smelled like chicken. I've grown past that. So, I don't do that anymore. I didn't have any wishbones, but I do have these little, like, Post-its. And like, my mom leaves them around my house, or she'll like slip them in a suitcase before I go off somewhere. And I have piles and piles of like sticky notes and notes. They're in like a lot of my purses, just at the very bottom. I'll just like take one and throw one in. And I save them all. Just a great reminder, and I feel like it's a good luck charm, cuz I'm very close with my family.
Okay, this is an essential. It's a L'Oréal Paradise, but it's a brown eyeliner that actually really needs to be sharpened. But I don't use this for my eyes. I use this for freckles, like fake freckles. I've always done a fake freckle. For a very long time I've done it. I love doing your makeup and it's like the last finishing touch, and you can put more. And I feel like the consistency of this one is really good.
I also have like a concealer. Really good concealer. It's like a crayon that I can just do, you know, if you have any blemishes or anything. And the consistency is really good of this, too. It's like, yeah, big crayon really.
I also have Henry Rose, which is Michelle Pfeiffer's perfume line. And they smell so good. This one's London 1983. And it's a new one. And it really does smell, it smells like London. And it smells like Michelle. I do have a big bottle of this, but this is one further to go in the purse.
So, this is from New Zealand. And I shot Predator: Badlands there. New Zealand, it was my first time ever going to New Zealand. And it was one of my favorite places I've ever gone. I'm like itching to go back. And this was a gift that I got from my assistant and my driver while I was there. It's a pounamu, which is this necklace. It represents strength, determination, and brings peace, prosperity, and good health. Also provides a safe journey over water. It's a really special gift. And I think, if I'm correct, oh, you can't buy it for yourself. You have to buy it as a gift to give someone. So, I love this. I loved New Zealand.
Ooh, this is a good one. I found this the other day. It was actually next to my bedside table. And it is the bracelet that my character Margot Millet in Margo's Got Money Troubles, that she wears in the hospital when she gives birth to Bodhi. I just thought it was so cool. And I stole it from props that day.
Okay, this is hilarious. Mike Wazowski. I love Monsters University. I love miniatures. Like, growing up I had an amazing dollhouse. And I would make things for it and order things for it online. Like, you know, the little, like, that stuff, I just can't get enough.
I highlight my script like in a very particular way. I'm sure everyone, you know, has a certain way to do it. But I need good highlighters. I need a lot of pink because I highlight my lines in pink always. I am technologically challenged for sure. Like, I would... reading a script on an iPad, I don't have an iPad. And my computer that I have is gigantic. It's a super old laptop that I love so much. The screen is huge to watch things on. And it's like big, it is so heavy. It is so clunky. I know one day it's going to explode, but I like it.
Yes, there's a notebook. Yes, this is a nice... This is a Peter Rabbit notebook. In the rehearsal process, talking to the director, I'll write little words or just reminders, or I do my little doodles. These, like, little girls, these little faces. And it's just kind of mindless. It helps me think.
I think in Sentimental Value, I think Rachel's process is a little different than mine. I think she's very studious and like kind of academic when it comes to her approach to work. I actually think that's what makes her kind of wrong for the part that Gustav, Skarsgård's character, is asking her to be, cuz I think that she's not used to that kind of spontaneity. But over the course of them working together, she starts to loosen up a bit and kind of see a different side of herself and her talent, which is a beautiful thing. But it still makes her not quite right for his movie that he cast her for.
These are definitely snacks. I love Goldfish so much. And I ate a lot of Goldfish on set, I will say. We had an Irish director, Dearbhla. She directed a lot of our episodes. And she had never had Goldfish before. She called them, and she's like, "Okay, grab a fish biscuit and eat that." We're like, "Fish biscuit? Like, what are you talking about?" That was hilarious. But she tried them and she did get... They're addictive. They're addictive.
I mean, if anyone knows me, I love gum. Love bubble gum. Love Juicy Fruit. Right now I have like some Double Bubble in there. I mean, hey, it doesn't last long. But while it lasts, it's glorious. But I was taught, do not chew gum on a red carpet or something. Like, no chewing gum. That's not ladylike. My southern mother would be like, "No, spit your gum out."
A good wallet, matches my bag. I have my phone. Look at this phone case. I really need to get a new one. I mean, it's just not very chic, I don't think. But that'll be... I'll work on that. That's it. Yeah.
Bye, Vogue. Thank you so much for watching and diving into my bag. See you later.
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