For any A-list star walking the step-and-repeat, nailing accessories on the night is just – if not more – as important as selecting a stellar ready-to-wear outfit. Lashana Lynch, ELLE UK cover star, and Bob Marley: One Love protagonist, is all too aware of the allure of a dazzling timepiece.
On Sunday, the annual, celebrity-heavy BAFTA Film Awards took place in London where Lynch worked in tandem with her stylist Karen Clarkson to ensure the actor's Prada amaranth ensemble twinkled just as brightly as her stunning Giardino Bulgari watch on the red-carpet (spoiler alert: mission accomplished). 'We fell in love with Prada’s sketch for Lashana’s custom look as it had a casual elegance, which was in keeping with Lashana’s personal style and also our general mood for the press tour Bob Marley: One Love,' revealed the celebrity stylist to ELLE UK ahead of the awards show.
Said incomparable Prada look comprised a floor, sweeping cardigan in a reddish hue swathed in swirling crystal embroidery, complimented by a pale blue poplin shirt with silver eyelets paired with navy silk shorts and crystal sandals. A look any magpie enthusiast would marvel over. 'We knew instantly we needed some major jewels to elevate the glamour for the occasion of BAFTA – and there’s no watch more special, more feminine or more glamorous than Bulgari’s incredible Giardino timepiece.'
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Not straying too far from the Hammersmith-born actor’s personal day-to-day preference – 'She loves yellow gold and white diamonds.. and lots of earrings!', Clarkson mentioned – both the star and Clarkson were immediately enamoured with the spectacular watch which encompassed a kaleidoscopic array of jewels. 'It's made with the most beautiful stones which include emeralds, sapphires, tourmalines Paraiba, tanzanites and tsavorites.' Arguably, the apex of the accessory is the flowers and butterflies constructed from tourmalines and the inclusion of Bulgari's signature Serpenti detailing. 'It's paradise in the form of a watch!' Clarkson said of the hypnotic design. 'The subtle blue and green colours worked beautifully with the blue cuffs of the Prada shirt.'
The importance of statement jewellery is integral to the dynamic fashionable duo. Remaining authentic and distinctive by way of accessories on one of the buzziest nights on the award season calendar was the ultimate goal for Clarkson. 'For me, jewellery is always the icing on the cake. It’s the aspect of a look which helps define someone’s style,' she said.
Clarkson honed in on the intricate details interwoven through the upper portion of the prolonged cardigan and the crisp button-up shirt by layering a pendant which emulated the curvature of the crystal-laden cardigan. 'There were several elements with the Prada look that were unconventional for a red carpet moment – the button-up shirt for example, we knew we wanted to elevate this by adding a very special pendant as a centrepiece; the white diamonds, pink rubellites and tourmalines in the necklace were beautifully tonal with the colour of the cardigan,' she noted. Leaning into the black headband revival with gusto, Clarkson and Lynch landed on the relaxed hair accessory – a lá Prada SS24 – coupled with ruby eyed, white diamond Serpenti earrings for 'additional sparkle' which were the pièce-de-résistance.
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Award season may be in full swing but with London Fashion Week currently setting London alight, it’s hard to ignore the abundance of talent taking over the capital. Lynch currently has her sets sights on a plethora of emerging London-based designers, Clarkson disclosed, as the Hollywood actor prepares to take to the carpet to a wall of paparazzi and adoring fans. 'Prada is an eternal favourite for both of us, and we also love Maison Rabih Kayrouz for his pure elegance. We’ve also been loving Marni, Fendi, Issey Miyake, and Louis Vuitton along with some exciting young designers such as Diotima, Selasi, Jawara Alleyne and Feben,' she added. Who knows, perhaps next award season Lynch will be flying the flag for promising, British young talent on the BAFTAs red carpet.
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