Emerald FENNELL
From black-tie glamour to flannel and dungarees, it was a case of anything goes,
Before last year’s Baftas, the organisers asked attendees to choose a red-carpet look with eco credentials. They went so far as to send a guide from the London College of Fashion’s Centre for Sustainability, describing ways the stars might conform, from rewearing a favourite look to picking an outfit from a sustainable brand.
No doubt a few participants this year would have welcomed similar guidance.
In contrast to last year’s fairly straightforward production, the 2021 event was a most unusual awards ceremony. First, it was almost fully virtual. Presenters and performers appeared in person at the Royal Albert Hall, while winners accepted their prizes at home. Second, it was international, with a handful of presenters beaming in from Los Angeles. And third, it was split across two nights, with production awards bestowed on Saturday and acting awards given at the main event on Sunday evening.
That made for a sparsely attended red carpet and a practically empty venue on Sunday (the 5,900-capacity Royal Albert Hall must have echoed). It can’t have been easy to decide what to wear for such a siloed event, and participants took different approaches.
The most eye-catching red-carpet look came from Priyanka Chopra Jonas. The actress and author arrived wearing a heavily embroidered red jacket and white harem trousers by the obscure Spanish fashion house Pertegaz. The jacket, though longsleeved and high-necked, was anything but covered up; split at the sternum, it revealed a lot of skin (and a Bulgari high jewellery tassel necklace).
On the more sedate side was Phoebe Dynevor. The breakout star of Bridgerton wore a custom, one-sleeved black silk Louis Vuitton gown with diamond and emerald earrings from Vuitton’s high jewellery collection.
Fellow presenters Felicity Jones and Sophie Cookson also chose black gowns (Jones wore hers with Cartier diamonds), while Clara Amfo, who hosted the awards on Saturday, opted for a black fringed suit. The train of black struck a sombre note on a night when the death of the Duke of Edinburgh, Bafta’s first president, cast a long shadow. Prince William, the current president, pulled out of the awards after his grandfather’s death.
There were still moments of lightness. And bling, most notably from the presenters Cynthia Erivo and Gugu Mbatha-raw, both in metallic beaded looks from Louis Vuitton.
Other memorable looks included Corinne Bailey Rae in a black and purple lamé floral midi dress by Duro Olowu, Anna Kendrick (calling from LA) in a metallic plissé Zuhair Murad gown, and Renée Zellweger, also in LA, in a custom Giorgio Armani Privé V-neckline strapless cocktail dress.
Many of the nominees who made fleeting video-call appearances also embraced the chance to dress up.
Emerald Fennell, the Promising Young Women director (and now Bafta winner), wore a custom white Roland Mouret gown, with Piferi shoes and jewellery by her father, Theo Fennell. Vanessa Kirby, a best actress nominee, wore a thigh-split Versace gown. Ashley Madekwe, nominated for best supporting actress, stood out in a canary-yellow cutout gown by Louis Vuitton.
Then Chloé Zhao, best director for Nomadland, filled the screen in a plaid flannel shirt and what looked like dungarees. She was like the cool girl who wears jeans to the school dance – in an instant, everyone who made an effort looked overly keen, just for playing along.
What cut through the artifice of dressing up for a nonexistent red carpet was the real emotion. While the at-home audience could only see the top of the Rocks star Bukky Bakray’s strapless mauve satin Prada gown, the elation on her face when she won the rising star award required no credit. It was all her own.