For those of you that don’t know, the BAFTA Awards are like the British Oscars. I feel like in past years I used to look forwards to the BAFTAs red carpet more than I did the Oscars, but this year I was so beyond bored. Sure, there was one or two looks that made my eye twinkle, but I would like to be blinded. Honestly, this was so dull, I almost didn’t write it at all.
I’ve mentioned this before, but I love how Loewe tends to go incredibly simple for their custom looks, but in usual Jonathan Anderson fashion, add a bit of intrigue to the mundane with one fun little feature. Here we have a very simple, silver, strapless gown that is tailored quite nicely, but then there’s this metallic tinsel coming from the neckline and hip. I’m into the tinsel and feel like it’s a fun play on fringe, however my one complaint is that you can kind of see the boning in the bodice, and while I understand its purpose, it kind of interrupts the sleekness of the dress.
My dada exclusively refers to Andrew Scott as The Hot Priest… which makes no sense to me because he watched Sherlock before Fleabag and it took me forever to not see him as Moriarty. Anyway, I love this full red, monochrome moment. The pants could break a little less, but other than that, it’s a great, simple way to spice up a traditional menswear suit, and I love that the shoes match!
We saw this crystal embroidery in the Spring 2024 Menswear collection, so I like that little callback to the runway. The suit is simple, but it fits nicely, and the shoes work; they’re in that very rounded Loewe style. Archie’s been on my radar ever since Saltburn as a fashion boy.
We all know Ayo is a fashion girl, and I want to love this so badly, but I just can’t. Like I’ve said in the past, the Bottega runway is such a feast for the eyes, but every time we see them make something custom for someone, it just never hits the same. There’s obvious references to the runway here, but they’re not executed well. This peachy, melon color is stunning, and I like the idea of the pleated bust area, leading into a halter, but it feels like it lacks integrity and there’s quite a bit of puckering. When something is so simple, making sure it’s fitted and crafted to perfection should be priority. I like the fur and feather shawl and I understand the glove, as I feel like this was Bottega’s take on 1930s Hollywood glamour, but I’m not understanding the silver shoe and how it ties into anything.
Things have been rough for Burberry recently. In this week’s newsletter I told y’all the tea on Daniel Lee not bringing in the profit, and just yesterday I heard he was literally fired like two days ago, which is crazy since the Burberry Fall 2024 show was yesterday. Anyway, this is a mess too. The color is great and I love the way the jacket feels like it’s referencing elements of a trench, but also a little military, however the sleeves need far less fabric, the pants are incredibly puckery, and a black tie would have looked better.
This is great! It’s not anything crazy, but Bradley Cooper rarely gives us anything to work with, so I’ll take it. I love the longer jacket and those pants are tailored beautifully.
Carey’s dress is based on the ‘Autriche’ dress from Christian Dior’s Fall 1951 Couture collection, and while I definitely see the resemblance, it’s not great. Carey’s recreation is quite deflated and also puckers a bit at the waist. I was just as underwhelmed when they recreated the ‘Junon’ gown for Natalie Portman. What’s the point in referencing the archives if you’re going to be this dull?
It was a rough night for Louis Vuitton at the BAFTAs this year, but this was the best look out of all of them. It’s quite simple, but it’s tailored beautifully, and I love the structured shoulder with its little leather caps. Also, body chains can be iffy, but here, the chain just falls on every curve and crevice perfectly.
Cillian basically wears the same thing, different font all the time, and I try not to be biased since I think he’s one of the most stunning people I’ve ever seen in my life, but I do like this! Zegna seems to be having some fun recently, and I’m not mad at it. The more casual take on suiting is cool, but it still adds some elegance with the shirt being silk and the cummerbund. The pants fit well and I like whatever layering is happening with the jacket around the lapels.
Although this was a pretty good collection for Armani, I actually think I like this dress on Claire more than I did on the runway. There’s something about the way it’s more form fitting here that is really lovely, and I think it allows the fringe to have more room. The lace is beautiful, and I like that the hemline kind of follows the natural curves of the lace, however around the neckline it looks as if that fringe is layered on top of the lace instead of just being a part of it, which feels a little messy.
Colman is consistently one of the best dressed people on every red carpet, but hey, they can’t all be winners! I love this look in theory, but it just needed some editing. The high waisted pants are great, but there’s far too much fabric, which is what I think is causing all the puckering. I love the heeled boot, I love the pussybow blouse, and I love the structured 80s shoulder, but I don’t think the jacket needed to be navy blue. I don’t believe in silly fashion rules, and I am all for mixing navy and black, but here it just feels incredibly out of place since everything else is black. Had the jacket been black, I also think it would have helped continue that one long line of the silhouette.
Golden Globe, BAFTA, and soon to be Oscar winner, Da’Vine Joy Randolph wearing CUSTOM Robert Wun— IKTR!!! I mean, stunning, truly. The draping, pleating, and asymmetry are something we see a lot in Wun’s work on the runway, so I like that he keeps his custom pieces identifiable as well. I’m also just happy to see such incredible designers willing to make something for someone that isn’t a sample size, and not just default to all the usual, “easy” styles we see plus-size women in. It’s really such a shame, that even inclusivity is capped a certain size. Anyway, she looks beautiful, and I can’t wait to see what she wears to the Oscars!
It’s cute, but going more casual to a black-tie event is tricky. You either look incredibly chic and make everyone else look totally overdressed, or you end up looking like you’re underdressed— this, unfortunately, feels like the latter. It’s in that Gucci, ancora red, and I believe it’s one of the eveningwear looks that Sabato introduced a little bit after his debut ready-to-wear collection showed. I want to say the shorts are beaded, and if they are, that’s lovely. I also think the tunic is draped beautifully, it’s just not hitting for this event the way it should.
Does this man have a Saint Laurent contract yet? Anthony Vaccarello’s Saint Laurent is quite simple, but simple isn’t a bad thing (I feel like I have to remind y’all that). This suit is beautifully tailored. The velvet, the flared pant, the pop of red, the heeled boot— perfect!
I miss when Dua Lipa was giving us ultimate pop girl realness with her fashion, tbh. Now I’m usually bored, and sometimes concerned. This kind of micro pleating is quite integral to Valentino as a brand, and the dress is also in that signature Valentino red, which is wonderful and grand, but the waistline is quite messy. I’m sure the idea here was for these micro pleats to come together at the waistline in place of an actual seam, but the line feels very wonky?
While you know I’m not a pretty, pretty gown kind of girl, the beading and embroidery here is really stunning. The nude lining underneath could be a touch better, but it’s dyed relatively well, and I think she looks nice! The one thing I don’t understand is the choice of necklace, being that it is quite chunky, it feels like it’s interfering too much with the neckline and all of the beading.
I know y’all are about to come for me for this, but I like it. Listen, Emma’s style is quite quirky and fun, and I think Harry Lambert, their stylist, have a great relationship in which he understands their style, but they are also willing to be pushed a little out oft heir comfort zone by him. We’ve seen Emma play with very classic styles more recently, often opting for some kind of sheer moment, and while this feels very Miu Miu with the no pants of it all, the overall look reads more Prada to me. Regardless, I think the draped crop top is fine, but what I really love is the way the bows on the hips match the tights perfectly. Also, you don’t even need me to say it, but I love the netted head pieces.
Like I said, rough night for Louis Vuitton. This is obviously referencing the Resort 2024 collection, while also paying homage to Bella Baxter’s costumes in Poor Things. I really loved these gowns on the runway, but the way its been done here is just not good. This large sleeve was a staple of Bella’s and also references Victorian Era fashion, but I don’t understand why we couldn’t have done it on both sides. Then the sheer skirt feels like it’s nodding to the fact that Bella basically never wears pants, so I see that, and I get it, but the top and bottom just feel too disconnected.
I’m not familiar with this designer, but I think this is stunning. I believe this wrapped shawl into train moment is actually part of the gown and not a separate piece, so I like the idea of it having the ability to be manipulated in different ways, and it just creates a really lovely structure to an otherwise simple look.
When she gets it, she really gets it! Florence and Harris are friends, so she’s worn his designs in the past, and although this is quite simple, I do think it’s very signature Harris. It references past collections, but what he’s so great at is taking looks from the lookbook and transforming them into custom/evening pieces that are more wearable, but still very identifiable as his. Velvet is a signature of the friend, as is corseting, and I think this silver bodice creating some seperation between the bust and the skirt is really beautifully placed. I also love the necklace here and feel like it compliments the shape of the bodice really nicely.
I had to include this, because I was just excited to see Ahluwalia on a red carpet! It’s just such a cool brand, that I don’t feel like we see enough, and I think the draping here is really lovely— there’s also this moiré-ish effect added to the silk that I love. The chain adds a little extra something to draw your eye into the waist, and it’s just a nice, simple moment!
I loved Alessandro and Tom’s Gucci, so its going to take me a while to get used to this OG Gucci brought to the contemporary world, but if this is what we’re doing, it’s being done well. Tailoring is a really big part of Gucci as a brand, and this suit is really beautifully tailored. Is it anything crazy? No, but it’s nice, and the classic horse bit loafer paired with it makes perfect sense.
I feel like I used to really love Lily Collins’ style, but ever she started doing Emily In Paris it’s almost as if the show’s wardrobe has left its residue on her. With that being said, this is a very pretty gown, and I love the floral detail and frilly sleeves, but I wish there was some silver in the sleeves as well, just so the flowers and sleeves didn’t feel so separate.
A lot of the looks Margot has been wearing on red carpets recently have been direct references to actual Barbie dolls, whereas here, I think we’re just alluding to the movie with this pink satin center. I won’t be thinking about this too hard tomorrow, but I do think the way the pink follows the lines down the body in the center changes the perception of the body and perhaps references this itty bitty waist idea of actual Barbie dolls.
I’m like so scared to ever say bad things about Naomi just in case, by some miracle, she actually sees them. However, not even a supermodel could sell me on this Red Riding Hood a la Wednesday Addams look.
It’s always interesting to me to see someone grow and evolve with a brand as its creative directors change, as opposed to someone who clearly has a close relationship with a specific creative director, like Harry Styles and Alessandro Michele. Anyway, Paul’s Gucci looks have always strayed on the side of simple, but, again, this is really nicely tailored. I also really like this doubled lapel with the white underneath, and the stitches on it, almost taking the place of a boutonniere.
There are so many things I would have guessed this was before I guessed it was Louis Vuitton, and I think it’s best we leave it at that!
You know what’s funny, Maria Gazia Chiuri used to work at Valentino with Pier Paolo before she went to Dior, and they both did micro pleated looks this night. Anyway, the pleats are really stunning here, but given that the dress wraps around the bodicce, I don’t feel like a seam makes any sense. Also, the choice of the nude corset underneath is so pointless and distracting.
I feel like Ryan wears different versions of this Gucci suit over and over. I guess if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. Regardless, I’m into this piped look that Gucci has been doing, and here we see that Gucci ancora red piping the white suit. I would have loved if the shoe was also that red color instead of the black, though.
I still think the Gucci custom team needs to work a little bit on making the looks have a clear voice so that they’re identifiable as Gucci. I understand what this draped top was trying to do, but it could have been cleaner around the waist.
Saving the best for last, we have Taylor Russell looking like a lovely little Loewe swan. I mean, stunning. It feels very classic eveningwear, but then there’s a little sexiness with the side cutouts, and then that Loewe fun with the feathers at the waist and hem. I also like how the fabric around the waist is draped in this bumper style, because it’s something we saw in the most recent Fall 2024 collection.
So that was the BAFTAs! What did we think? My best dressed were Taylor Russell, Da’Vine Joy Randolph, and Dominic Sessa. Worst had to be Emma Stone, Naomi Campbell, and Barry Keoghan.
TTYL!!!
xx