Gobstopper earrings and plunging necklines; What we've learned from this year's BAFTA red carpet
In the end, once Hollywood’s finest had been shuffled inside the Royal Albert Hall, the guests every red carpet watcher had been waiting for entered via a side entrance. The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge did not parade down the red carpet in front of the baying fans, but merely stopped momentarily to pose then were ushered inside.
If anyone was naive enough to wonder whether the Duchess would pass muster among a room full of actresses with stylists and paid up designer deals at their finger-tips, they’ve clearly not been paying attention. She had home-turf advantage (one wonders if the ceremony’s moving from Covent Garden to Kensington was purely so that she’d turn up), but Middleton knocked it out the park sticking to her much-favoured Alexander McQueen. She managed to look both regal and somewhat sexy in the prettily printed reworked off the shoulder flamenco-flavoured dress from the label’s 2016 Resort collection, which was originally released over a year ago.
The dramatic skirt and neckline gave her a fashion edge, as did the completely unapologetic gobstopper earrings (incidentally a huge current trend) - sure, these actresses might be able to borrow some rocks from Harry Winston (see Nicole Kidman's necklace), but the Duchess has the crown jewels to pick from.
The hair was not in its usual charity-day stop tongued curls. Instead, she balanced out the dramatic neckline - and showed off that out of control ear bling - with a rather Princess Margaret-esque bouffed up chignon.
Back among the plebiscite, there were some game attendees, too. London was a brisk five degrees yesterday evening, but that didn’t stop the overwhelming trend of the night being frozen rictus grins and plunging boobs-out necklines. Nicole Kidman plumped for a crystal encrusted revealing Armani Prive column gown (artfully balancing a black coat on her shoulders whilst being interviewed), Sophie Turner from Game of Thrones went for both low cut and slashed to the thigh bone Louis Vuitton, whilst La La Land Best Actress hopeful Emma Stone looked elegant in a pretty, sparkly Chanel dress, underneath which she wisely popped on a pair of matching trousers.
In other giant earring news, we must look to Amy Adams, who matched stonking emerald danglers with a chic if chilly looking matching Tom Ford low-backed strapless number.
Others took the tack that even if you couldn’t be warm, you could at least dress as if you were: Naomie Harris’s frothy Gucci number and Viola Davis’s cheering bright Jenny Packham blues both brazenly declared themselves spring-y.
In the opposing corner, Thandie Newton’s gothic Osman black gown, complete with spikey bustier detail and a plum lip, was exquisitely Morticia Adams. Whilst Isabelle Huppert’s pretty Chloé peachy flou number had excellent shades of Ossie Clarke - a neat French house thinks English touch.
Penelope Cruz, on the other hand went for a bold but brilliantly Eighties, gold lamé number (sleeved, too - sensible girl) which underlined that going out on a stylistic limb is often well worth the bother. Taste is sometimes so overrated.
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