Golden Globe nominees from ‘Severance,’ ‘Black Bird’ hit the red carpet in gowns by two Houston designers
A pair of Golden Globe nominated actors wore gowns by Houston fashion designers during Tuesday night’s award ceremony. “Severance” star Britt Lower walked the red carpet in a strapless Bach Mai; Sepideh Moafi, of “Black Bird” fame, posed in Amir Taghi sequins outside of the Beverly Hilton Hotel.
Moafi’s black sequin gown with red poppy rosette bore a special meaning. The floral detail paid “homage to the people in Iran risking their lives during this revolution.” Haus of Milad inscribed the petals in Persian calligraphy with the names of protestors who have been killed. Its ruby hue honored those who have died over the past 44 years under the Islamic Republic, according to Fashionista.
Taghi is a Houston native who debuted his eponymous line of ready-to-wear clothes at age 18 in his parents’ Tanglewood home. He studied at Central Saint Martins-University of the Arts London and the Parsons School of Design in New York before working with Oscar de la Renta, Monse, Adam Lippes and Proenza Schouler.
Moafi plays FBI agent Lauren McCauley on the Apple+ miniseries “Black Bird,” which was nominated for best limited or anthology series or television film during the 80th annual Golden Globes Awards ceremony.
Lower’s stylist, Jacqueline Zenere, previously tapped Mai for an Emmy Award event outfit. For the Golden Globes, Zenere pulled her client’s red carpet ensemble from the Houston born and raised designer’s most recent look book.
“We had just released our latest collection for pre-fall. Britt’s gown wound up being the finale look, and her stylist just needed to have it,” Mai says. “She knew it was the one.”
His references were a play on 1950s couture and Cristobal Balenciaga’s sculpted silhouettes. The latter has become Mai’s signature.
“The dress was rich raspberry-pink and inky black velvet that sucks in all the light,” he says. “Classic glamour with a little bit of drama.”
Mai, the son of Vietnamese immigrants, graduated from St. John’s School in 2007. He also studied at Parsons before receiving a master’s degree from Institut Français de la Mode in Paris. After joining the design teams of Prabal Gurung and Maison Margiela under John Galliano, Mai launched his eponymous collection in 2021.
His ready-to-wear collections were picked up by Neiman Marcus department stores in Houston, Dallas and Beverly Hills, Calif., late last year. Bergdorf Goodman in Manhattan also carries his line.
“This is my first major awards show placement. And to think, it’s the Golden Globes,” Mai says. “It’s still kind of sinking in.”