Fashion
The actor follows in the footsteps of Margot Robbie and others by wearing a dress meant to show “kinship” with the “Poor Things” character
In Poor Things, Bella Baxter's character has a very distinctive look: steampunk Victoriana with a penchant for leg-of-mutton sleeves, operatic flounces and sugary pastels. Taking to the Bafta podium to accept her Best Actress award, Emma Stone appeared in character, in a salmon pink dress with a balloon sleeve, vintage-style buttons and a floaty balloon skirt.
Stone's dress wasn't the result of a final search in Poor Things' costume department, but a custom-made dress that took Louis Vuitton's atelier 450 hours to make and was designed to “show off,” according to her stylist Petra Flannery [Stone’s] Affinity to the character and Bella’s spirit”.
Method dressing is the new method acting. This is a dramatic reversal of red carpet conventions. For decades, actors have dressed up at awards shows not as characters but as movie stars. Whether they were nominated for a gritty war drama or a sci-fi epic, they opted for classic hourglass dresses for the big night, strategically positioning themselves as timeless – and bankable – Hollywood stars.
Baftas 2024: Emma Stone, Gillian Anderson and Cillian Murphy on the big night – in pictures
The change was led by Margot Robbie, who was rarely seen in a color other than pink during the six months of Barbie advertising. Last month, for Robbie's appearance at the Golden Globes, Giorgio Armani created an enlarged, life-size version of the dress and feather boa worn by superstar Barbie in miniature, a 1977 edition of the doll. The actor's black and pink Baftas dress was also made by Giorgio Armani Privé. Robbie's strategy of bringing the film to life on the red carpet to maintain excitement and audience engagement has proven hugely successful: the film has grossed more than £1 billion at the box office, with Robbie estimated to have made around £40 in her dual role Has earned millions of pounds as a star and producer.
In 2021, Zendaya made cobwebs a motif in her red carpet look while promoting Spider-Man: No Way Home. Working with Hollywood stylist Law Roach, she wore a sheer black Valentino spider web dress for the film's Los Angeles premiere and Alexander McQueen thigh-high boots embellished with sparkling dewy webs embroidered with crystals for the red carpet in London .
Michelle Yeoh took a less literal approach while promoting the Oscar-winning film Everything Everywhere All at Once last year, wearing surrealist Schiaparelli runway looks that Vogue described as “spiritually in keeping with Yeoh's acclaimed performance in the absurdist action film.”
Last month, Rosamund Pike wore a dramatic heart-shaped black lace veil to the Golden Globes, where she was nominated for best supporting actress. The look delighted fans of her performance in Saltburn as the eccentrically glamorous Elspeth Catton. When asked about the synergy with her on-screen role, Pike explained that Philip Treacy made the veil for her after she had a skiing accident, adding: “Well, you know, you have to channel it, don't you?”
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