See Emily Alyn Lind’s We Were Liars Premiere Look

When We Were Liars, the best-selling novel by E. Lockhart, hit shelves in 2018, it quickly became a cultural phenomenon—passed between friends, dissected in book clubs, and shared across social feeds. Now, seven years later, the obsession is poised for a revival. The Prime Video adaptation debuts on June 18, and if the response at its Tribeca Festival premiere is any indication, the fandom is alive and well.

“Last night, at the premiere, we were doing a Q&A, and when they asked everyone in the audience who had read the book, everyone raised their hands,” Emily Alyn Lind shares over the phone. “It was really cool to see that energy, before the show has even come out.”

Lind, who has carved out a steady path in Hollywood with roles in The Secret Life of Bees, Revenge, Code Black, and most recently, the Gossip Girl reboot, now takes center stage as Cadence Sinclair Eastman, the protagonist and narrator of We Were Liars. Cadence is emotionally layered and inherently complex—a teen who spends her summers on a family-owned island, grappling with memory, trauma, and truth.

Lind approached Tuesday night’s premiere with excitement rather than nerves. “I was really excited for everyone to see it [the show] and celebrate with the people I’ve worked so long with,” she tells us. That sense of ease carried over into the process of choosing her look, which she took the time to curate alongside longtime stylist Elizabeth Saltzman. After trying on multiple options, she ultimately gravitated toward a Patou cropped black jacket with gold buttons and epaulet detailing. The matching long A-line skirt balanced the silhouette with refined grace. For finishing touches, she chose Jimmy Choo's glossy black platform pumps with gold chain accents, a Jennifer Behr black hair bow, and a Gianvito Rossi leather bag—a Chanel-meets-Gossip Girl look. “I tried on a lot of options,” Lind says. “However, the skirt set really stood out to me because I loved its structure. It felt gothic classical. I thought it would be sweet to add a bow because it gave the look a little something extra.”