Let’s start with Fantasia Barrino because she has not missed once this entire award season, working with stylist Daniel Hawkins. 

 

Fantasia was at the BAFTAs last night as a first-time nominee for her performance in The Colour Purple and she made it count. 

I love the drama here. And I also love that even though this is a complicated design, it doesn’t overpower her. She is wearing the dress, not the other way around. This is the penultimate award season red carpet for Fantasia – next weekend she’ll be at the SAGs alongside her castmates as The Colour Purple has been nominated for Outstanding Performance by a Cast, which is SAG’s equivalent of Best Picture. 

 

As for Emma Stone, who was named BAFTA’s Best Actress, which means she has a slight edge on Lily Gladstone heading into the SAGs but, like I said in today’s intro, SAG broke with BAFTA last year, awarding Michelle Yeoh over Cate Blanchett so as of right now, it’s still too close to call. It’ll be very interesting to see what happens on Saturday because if SAG goes with Lily, which is right when Oscar voters are working on their ballots, it’s going to be a photo finish. 

 

Should Emma win at the SAGs, by this time next week, we won’t be talking about a tight race because at that point she’ll be an overwhelming favourite, but right now? Right now the hustle is still on. And Emma had the advantage last night with the opportunity to deliver a speech in a room full of voters who chose her for the BAFTA and who also have a vote at the Oscars. 

 

Emma is in Louis Vuitton, unmistakably customised for her character, Bella Baxter, in Poor Things. Bella wears variations of a dress like this throughout the film, so it’s a great example of using fashion to both honour the film and also campaign for the award. 

 

And the party dress is an extension of her character too – Emma changed into a black dress with black and white candy cane straps, also custom. 

Yorgos Lanthimos and Emma Stone during the EE BAFTA Film Awards 2024 Dinner at The Royal Festival Hall on February 18, 2024 in London, England

It’s weird and whimsical, very much in the spirit of Bella and Poor Things. Very curious to see what she and her stylist Petra Flannery have in mind for the SAGs on Saturday. 

 

Finally, to round out our post of Best Actresses, Carey Mulligan in Dior 1951. Remember, Carey also works with Andrew Mukamal who styles Margot Robbie. And Carey has kept it to a black and white colour scheme this entire award season. Some would say that that’s an even higher degree of difficulty than what he achieved with Margot for Barbie because going all black on carpet after carpet can be boring – and it’s been the opposite with Carey. Every black dress has been a showstopper, including this one.