Last Week, the Best Dressed Stars Had an Eclectic Outlook
After starting the month with warm-weather style, celebrities threw out the rule book last week. Without an overarching trend or strict dress code to guide them, stars opted for individualism, attending IRL premieres, parties, and awards shows in personality-driven pieces.
Leading the pack was the week’s big winner Michaela Coel, who took home top honors at the BAFTA’s television Awards in a gown from Maximilian Davis. Coel’s elegant black and red gown was demure at first glance, but the second the I May Destroy You star turned around to reveal the look’s daring back with cut-outs, its edginess came to the forefront. When Davis’ creation debuted in Fashion East’s spring/summer 2021 look book, it was solid black, but for Coel, he added on crimson cuffs, a detail that added drama.
Similarly spectacular was the shock of acid yellow Raf Simons that Hari Nef brought to the TriBeCa Film Festival’s screening of In the Heights. A deceptively simple neon column paired with sequined opera gloves, the look was one of several standouts. In one corner, Nef brought modern minimalism; in the other, Joan Smalls offered a taste of Riccardo Tisci’s sultry reimagining of Burberry tartan. The model’s check cut-out midi-dress fit like a glove, but despite its overtly sexy body-conscious silhouette and strategic cut-outs, Smalls made it seem regal.
Still, the night’s fairytale moment belonged to the film’s star Leslie Grace, whose classically minded Armani Privé dress was pure fantasy. Attention to detail is what sets couture apart, and Grace’s fringe, sequin, and mesh-covered gown featured multiple embellishments combined with such care that the final product was seamless. Each time Grace twirled on the red carpet, her movement illuminating the gown’s frenzy of sapphire blue and green crystals, it felt like a dream. 
WHO: Michaela Coel
WHAT: Maximilian Davis
WHERE: BAFTA Television Awards
WHEN: June 6
WHO: Hari Nef
WHAT: Raf Simons
WHERE: In the Heights Tribeca Film Festival premiere
WHEN: June 9
WHO: Ni Ni
WHAT: Gucci
WHERE: Shanghai International Film Festival
WHEN: June 12
WHO: Emily Ratajkowski
WHAT: Versace
WHERE: 30th Birthday Celebration
WHEN: June 7
WHO: Gugu Mbatha-Raw
WHAT: Dior
WHERE: Promoting Loki
WHEN: June 9
WHO: Leslie Grace
WHAT: Armani Privé
WHERE: In the Heights Tribeca Film Festival premiere
WHEN: June 9
WHO: Zawe Ashton
WHAT: Zimmermann
WHERE: BAFTA Television Awards
WHEN: June 6
WHO: Amira Casar
WHAT: Loewe
WHERE: 35th Cabourg Film Festival
WHEN: June 12
WHO: Nicola Coughlan
WHERE: “Alyssa, Memoirs of a Queen” Gala
WHEN: June 10
WHO: Joan Smalls
WHAT: Burberry
WHERE: In the Heights Tribeca Film Festival premiere
WHEN: June 9
