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How midlife women were the real winners of the Bafta red carpet

Helena Bonham Carter Claudia Winkleman Golda Rosheuvel Sophie Okonedo Rakie Ayola  - Getty Images
Helena Bonham Carter Claudia Winkleman Golda Rosheuvel Sophie Okonedo Rakie Ayola - Getty Images

Not so long ago, awards-show red carpets had become extended PR exercises with little in the way of spontaneity or fun. But a small group of attendees at Sunday night’s TV Baftas swished and twirled their way to their seats in high-fashion looks that were more thrilling than anything we’ve seen for ages. It was the midlife talents; the grandes dames of British screens, who dressed not to evade attention on the red carpet, but rather to embrace it.

It started with Helena Bonham Carter, 55. No stranger to exuberant dressing, the best supporting actress nominee for The Crown wore a polka-dot chiffon Dolce & Gabbana gown with a tiered skirt made for twirling. Claudia Winkleman, 49, chose a swishy Taller Marmo kaftan with a sparkling fringe and black stilettos. Rakie Ayola, who won Best Supporting Actress for her role in BBC One drama Anthony, wore a powder-pink mesh dress by London Fashion Week designer Bora Aksu with fuchsia platform sandals.

Golda Rosheuvel, Bridgerton’s Queen Charlotte, wore a rose-embroidered, tiered black mesh dress by Simone Rocha. Rocha’s designs are red-carpet catnip for women who like their beautiful dresses with an edge. Rosheuvel completed her look with an embroidered white button-down shirt, lacy tights and pearl-embellished patent-leather brogues which could have tipped the 51-year-old actor into dressing-up box territory, but the way she wore it – with a strong stance and elegant finger-waved hair – equipped her with a fearsome sense of chic.

Their looks were nearly enough to render Sophie Okonedo (52) and her tan zip-up Bottega Veneta halter dress invisible - but for the high-visibility punch of her lime-green stretch-mesh heeled sandals and leather handbag, also from Bottega.

Not that it was only the grandes dames who embraced the joy-bringing power of fashion: Nicola Coughlan, who has emerged as a style star since her breakthrough role as Penelope Featherington in Bridgerton, brought a zing of vitamin C to the red carpet in her tangerine Valentino midi dress. Michaela Coel, a double winner for I May Destroy You, wore a black and red gown with dramatic front and back cutouts by emerging black British designer Maximilian Davis, plus Alighieri jewellery.

And presenter Zawe Ashton opted for a floor-length Zimmermann dress. She showed off the dress’s psychedelic star, heart and boombox illustrations by twirling for the cameras. This was a very twirlsome red carpet. So much so that you have to wonder whether the twirl has replaced the traditional “who, me?” over-the-shoulder glance as the red-carpet pose of choice.

It was almost as if they were all happy to be there. Which made a refreshing change, really. The over-the-top red carpet represents a departure from tastefulness as the chief goal of awards-show dressing. There was a time when every actress could be trusted to show up to the Golden Globes or Baftas wearing some version of a strapless fishtail gown, side-swept updo and diamond chandelier earrings.

That was especially true for celebrities over 45. Sometimes it seemed their invitations must have come with an addendum concerning the dress code, advising them to wear something with long sleeves, a high neck and zero personality. Out of concern for future roles, or fear of ending up on worst-dressed lists, they rendered themselves joyless; interchangeable.

Maximalism vs minimalism: Zawe Ashton in Zimmermann and Jodie Comer in Gabriela Hearst - Getty Images
Maximalism vs minimalism: Zawe Ashton in Zimmermann and Jodie Comer in Gabriela Hearst - Getty Images

Not anymore. If there’s anything these women are not, it’s joyless. You don’t have to want to copy Bonham Carter and Rosheuvel’s outfits to acknowledge that both women looked like they were having a great time.

What’s interesting is that so many of the looks embraced by the 50-something set likely would have been dismissed as “too mutton” for them to consider wearing in the past. Rosheuvel’s Simone Rocha dress and Ayola’s pale-pink Bora Aksu both looked youthful, even girlish, on the catwalk, in a way that both women might have found off-putting before 2021. Thank goodness they didn’t - both looked assured and happy in their catwalk-fresh outfits. But their choices point to a bigger shift in attitude, from "I could never wear that" to "Why shouldn't I?"

They made some of their younger counterparts’ quieter looks even more understated - namely Killing Eve star Jodie Comer in a navy-blue Gabriela Hearst scoop-neck silk top and tailored trousers. Given that Comer rose to fame playing a character whose explosive tulle frocks did more to advance the case for over-the-top dressing than anyone else on the red carpet, her appearance offered an unexpected moment of calm. It was unassailably tasteful. And, after the train of gleefully shouty looks from her fellow nominees, just a touch of a letdown. Someone should tell her the message from the red carpet this season: be more Helena.

Style takeaways

Helena Bonham Carter Claudia Winkleman Golda Rosheuvel Sophie Okonedo Rakie Ayola  - Getty Images
Helena Bonham Carter Claudia Winkleman Golda Rosheuvel Sophie Okonedo Rakie Ayola - Getty Images

Helena Bonham Carter
Polka-dots are an energetic look for any age - as is a 33-year-old beau

Claudia Winkleman
Never underestimate the power of a great fringe, on your dress or on your head

Golda Rosheuvel
A catwalk look can work just as well off the runway, if you have the confidence to carry it off

Sophie Okonedo
Neon accessories like Okonedo’s handbag and shoes can make the most beige outfits look high-fashion

Rakie Ayola
Punch up a pastel look by wearing accessories in a more intense tone of the same colour

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