Decoding Lily Allen’s big fashion comeback
‘I’m not meant to be instagramming atm but I look too cute tbh,’ Lily Allen wrote as a caption next to a recent post showing her wearing a fitted black tank top with a pair of ultra wide-legged pink Katharine Hepburn trousers.
Allen, who is preparing to star in a new West End play 222: A Ghost Story opening on August 3, is indeed having a ‘cute’ style moment.
After becoming a modern muse for low-key brides with her mini white Dior wedding dress when she married David Harbour in Las Vegas last September, Allen’s latest streak of looks has ranged from showing a new spin on the much-loved ‘jeans and a nice top’ formula to making the case for a dungarees comeback.
On Thursday evening, Allen attended a pre-Olympics party in London in a sleeker, more grown-up version of the high/low look which she made her own at the start of her career - you might recall her penchant for flouncy prom dresses teamed with chunky trainers in the noughties. Her 2021 spin? A Chanel silk top, mannish trousers and a box fresh pair of Nike Air Force 1s, a combination which could be as easily replicated for a summer barbecue as a high-profile party.
The laid-back ensemble was quite a contrast to the outfit Allen wore on Wednesday, turning model for her friend Kim Jones’ debut ready-to-wear collection for Italian fashion house Fendi. Allen donned an asymmetric cropped shirt, satin shorts and blush pink furry wedges, accessorising with the new Fendi First clutch bag as she posed for a pavement shoot in the new season pieces. ‘I live for all of it,’ Allen commented, evidently relishing her dressing-up session.
This playful new chapter in Allen’s fashion evolution could be traced back to last month, when she appeared on the red carpet at the Tribeca Festival for the premiere of Harbour’s new film, Sudden Move. Both were outfitted in Kim Jones designs - he in a Dior Homme suit (David Beckham is also a fan) and she in a chic mink brown Fendi midi dress.
Allen is still working with her long-time stylist, Lucy Manning but it’s clear that she has a strong sense of what she loves and has been re-emphasising that of late. In-between rehearsals for 222: A Ghost Story, she’s shared her discovery of Italian label Gioia Bini’s opulent corset tops which she paired with black skinny jeans, those pink Hepburn trousers and shots of her wearing a pair of baggy faded denim dungarees with pearl and crystal buttons.
It’s this eclectic approach to fashion which makes Allen’s style endlessly appealing and surprising - she can be a pared-back minimalist one moment and channeling pin-up glamour the next. She’s a chameleon who looks as at home in decadent heels as comfy trainers, meaning every look has an element of surprise.
Allen is a star who has always adored fashion, but has never succumbed to being a fashion plate and makes every outfit her own - an attitude she’s exhibiting as much now as ever. With a high-profile few months ahead - the play runs until October - this may only be the beginning of the performer’s fashion renaissance.
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